Sixth graders performed scenes from “Arabian Nights” on Tuesday, in the first of this week’s theater showcases. The performance, directed by theater teacher Mr. Baldwin, showcased the work students have prepared in class. On Thursday, seventh graders performed scenes from Neil Simon’s “Fools,” and eighth graders performed scenes from “The Putnam County Spelling Bee” by William Finn. The middle school theater program includes fifth and sixth grade classes taught by Mr. Baldwin, and seventh and eighth grade classes taught by Mr. Birkenhead and Ms. Kolb. Middle and upper schoolers also have the chance to participate in a whole school theater production in the spring directed by Mr. Baldwin.
Students achieved the ultimate in Frisbee success, besting the teachers in the annual game last week, 15-14. The teachers who participated included Ms. McDaniel, Ms. Olney, Ms. Sutter, Mr. Hultgren, Mr. Yonker, Mr. Clausen, Mr. O’Brien, Mr. Hotchkiss, Mr. Porcelli, Mr. Green, and Mr. Dumas. Students were leading 10-7, and tied at 10-10, forcing an extension of the game from the original 12 point goal. The closely matched teams traded points to 14, playing to 15 for a student victory.
The seventh and eighth graders hosted their final art show of the year, featuring the theme of “True Colors.” The exhibits included a spider’s web made out of multi-colored yarn, students’ still lives, paintings, and activities. The student-constructed activities involved identifying an object from a small image and creating logo stickers that identify students’ personalities. Ms. Stephens works with students in the middle and high school to produce student-lead art shows in which students create the art, decorate the school, publicize the event, and create interactive activities to keep guests engaged and involved in the artistic process.
Eighth graders culminate their yearlong advisory competitions with Spirit Week. The competition began on Monday, as students played Advisory Feud, guessing what each other’s answers were based on a survey conducted in advisory last week. On Tuesday, students wore matching ensembles that showcased either monochromatic fashion choices, or matched outfits with their peers. The winning trio were Lisa Trejo, Gabby Rodriguez and Amaya Tatum. Afterschool Tuesday, students vied for the role of valediction speaker, with complex well-crafted speaches that they had written. Max Regardie, Robbie Mirabello, Zoe Edelman, Charles Brown, Fiona Campbell, Celia Doherty, Lucien Anderson, Lydia Moore, and Amaya Tatum all gave strong performances, and after much debate, the teachers selected Campbell’s speech as the winner to be given at valediction. On Wednesday, students dressed for success donning polos, button-downs, vests, suits, ties, skirts, and fancy dresses. Thursday students competed in an Olympic challenge, with assorted games and competitions throughout the day. Finally, Friday concluded the amazing week with the Black and White dance, the final dance of the year for the middle school. The advisory competitions bring together students with their peers and help them finish eighth grade with humor, playful competition, and style.
The students in the upper school public speaking course entitled, Finding Your Hidden Voice previewed their upcoming performance for teachers Tuesday. The students included seniors Alexander Sanchez-Arias and Sabrina Payano, and sophomores Rodney Goldring and Lily Stettler-Eno. All four will produce a final production next Tuesday. The performance included monologues from various plays and two dialogues. The class is taught by college counselor Ms. Richardson and theatre teacher Mr. Birkenhead.
