2
February
News
Powerful spring play features humor, heartfelt moments
■ SYDNEY M ac N au GHTON ______
staff Reporter
"The Diviners/' the
poignant story of a small
farming community during
the depression era, will debut
in the black box on March 7.
Nick Altishin and Troy Spivey,
Nick Altishin, junior, and Rosie Dickson, senior, rehearse in
preparation for the spring black box play "The Diviners". It opens
March 7 and continues March 8,9,13,14 and 15.
Photo by Sydney MacNaughton
Students nominated for
presidential-sized honor
u C alley L athrop
Staff Reporter
W ashington D.C holds
many attractions such as
the Lincoln M em orial, the
W ashington M onum ent
and the W hite House.
Elise Biancardi and M arisa
Peralta, seniors, have been
nom inated to go beyond
lourü^h^uapshots and tours,
and could end up on the
inside looking out at the
President's residence.
The pair was recently
nom inated for the US
Presidential Scholars
Program , nom inations are
awarded on a basis of SAT/
ACT scores, leadership,
involvem ent in com munity
and school activities and
character.
"They send you a letter
saying that you qualify to
apply. Then you fill out
the application. It's really .
long, w ith essays and three
pages of basic inform ation,"
Biancardi said.
A fter the initial
applications are filed, the
selection of students is
narrowed down until 141
rem ain. They receive the
top honor of travelling to
W ashington D .C, m eeting
the president and getting
a com m em orative m edal.
Two years ago, M atthew
Ronglie, 2006 graduate,
won that honor. There is no
m onetary com pensation,
but, according to Carrie
Guy, Curriculum Secretary,
colleges weigh the win when
looking at applications.
"She's top notch," Andrew
W est, English teacher, said,
regarding Peralta. The senior
has focused on academ ics,
m aintaining a 4.0 grade
point average. O utside of
school, she enjoys Highland
Dancing, along w ith
teaching dance classes to
children.
Peralta credits her
parents for helping her
achieve all that she has.
"They don't pressure m e,
w hich is great. If I m ess up,
I'm not raked over the coals,
and that gives m e a sense
of personal responsibility,"
Peralta said.
A ccording to Peralta,
the nom ination cam e as a
surprise. "I w as surprised
w hen I got the letter
because I know it's a sm all
pool o f people. But I'm
really excited and pleased
w ith it," she said.
W hat does Biancardi
think? "It's pretty cool, I
think it w ould be a lot of
fun to go to W ashington
and everything," she said.
Biancardi also partakes
in fine arts, singing and
acting being her 'specialty.'
She perform ed in "O nce
Upon A M attress," and
sings in Sym phonic Choir.
A ccording to Biancardi, the
persistence and dedication
show n by Barbara Fontana,
choir teacher, has played a
role in her success.
"She cares about her
m usic, but she cares m ore
about the students and
has helped m e a lot in
the last few years," she
said. Biancardi also has
analytical sid e, as she enjoys
M ock Trial and H onors
H um anities.
"It m akes m e think a
lot. There's not so m uch
bulk w ork. It's m ore
about learning and
understanding," she said.
"Both girls are incredibly
intelligent and their talent
goes beyond academ ics.
They're hard w orkers and
w atching them grow over
the last few years has been
great. The nom ination
is very w ell deserved,"
Tana D earborn, chem istry
teacher, said.
juniors, play the lead parts of
Buddy and CC Showers along
with Rosie Dickson, senior,
who plays Buddy's caring
sister, Jennie May.
According to Jessica
Murray, Theatre Arts Program
Director, the play showcases a
cast of many talented students.
The play will open after three
months of rehearsal, oh March
7, with additional shows on
March 8 ,9 ,1 3 ,1 4 and 15.
Written by James Leonard,
the play is a story of a common
bond between Showers, a
back-sliding preacher, and
Buddy, a "sim ple" boy who
has the gift of water-witching.
Set in the depression in the
drought-stricken town of
Zion, HI., the play foHows the
relationship between the two
and the way their bond changes
the course of the lives of those
around them.
"The process has been really
great," Corbin Weseott, junior,
said. "The small ensemble gets
to know each other and really
bond as a cast. It makes the
intimate performance in the
black box so much better."
Many students work behind
the scenes, helping with props,
costumes, sound and lighting.
Mimi d' Autremont, junior, is
the Production Stage Manager
who runs rehearsals, takes notes
during rehearsal and makes
sure the actors say their lines
correctly.
Jessica Johnson, senior, is
assisting Barb Murray, English
teacher, with costumes and
Katherine Millage, junior, is
assisting with props. Corbiiv
Weseott, junior, is the Sound
Designer in addition to
acting in the play.
Plays in the black box are
much more personal than
those in the auditorium
according to Jessica Murray
because the small venue
gives audience members
views on almost all four
sides. She encourages
students to come see the
work the students are doing.
"The play speaks to
my heart. I have been
wanting to do it for years
and was waiting for the
right time and the right
kids. This is a beautiful and
powerful show; a wonderful
opportunity for our actors,"
Murray said.
Mold problems found in 700 building
m K aitlyn R agan .
Staff Reporter
M old and m ildew caused
a smeUy, green, fuzzy
dilemma aU over the ceiling
tiles in the entry way of
the 700 building in late
January. A leaky heating
pipe prompted the growth of
mold w hich posed a health
hazard to the students and
teachers w ith classes in the
building.
The mold grew
surprisingly fast and spread
throughout several ceiling
tiles w ithin a m atter of days.
Some students were w orried
that this was an unsafe
environm ent in w hich to
have class, but the problem
was quickly addressed.
"It was safe for students.
The m aintenance crew does
a wonderful job putting
students' health first,"
Geoffrey Bingham, science
teacher, said.
Although mold is usually
not a cause o f m ajor health
issues for those affected
by ailm ents like asthma
and aUergies, they can be
potentiaUy dangerous. They
can cause things such as flu
like sym ptom s and rashes.
M ost of the tim e, however,
these are tem porary and
quickly fixed w ith the
rem oval of the mold.
"An environm ental
control com pany oversaw
the work com pleted and
took test sam ples. In the
interim , they deemed the
building safe to occupy,"
Rob H olstrom , A ssistant
Principal, said.
The problem caused few,
if any, disruptions in the
learning environm ent, as
the tiles were replaced and
the leak fixed by the end of
the week. Before and during
the repair, fans were put in
the haUway to minim ize
the leaky pipe as weU as the
ceiling, and installed new
lighting in the process.
The building has
previously experienced
leaking pipes, and plans
to remodel the building
have been addressed. The
Dave Baer and Jeff Chambers, maintenance workers for the West
Linn-Wilsonville School District, hang new ceiling tiles in the 700
building. Many of the old ones were infected with asbestos and had
to be replaced.
Photo by Malia Chong
m oisture in the air and keep
the room dry.
"There haven't been any
problem s in my classes. [The
students] have been quiet
and efficient. The biggest
inconvenience was not being
able to access the building
over the w eekend," Bingham
said.
The building was closed
betw een Jan. 18 and Jari.
22 to make the necessary
repairs. A team came in to fix
district office has set a tim e
for its renovation in the
near future, starting this
upcoming faU.
"The building is getting
old. We wiU be adding
the rem odel of the 700
building to next faH's bond
for the school district, but
we w ill still need to utilize
the building for this year
and next year, prior to any
rem odeling taking place,"
Holstrom said.
Rejuvenation includes nap time, massages, green tea
Stu dents and teachers
seemed to enjoy the week.
"The tea m the morning [was
my favorite part], it was a
nice way to start the day. It
overall seemed like a very
good idea. Students seemed to
be interested and to gain some
thing from it," Tina LaFerriere,
math teacher, said.
ASB members plan to have
m ore schoolw ide activ ities
this sem ester, including an
Environm ental Week during
the week o f Earth Day, and the
traditional May Day celebra
tion week in May.
"We hope things like Reju
venation Week, Environmen
tal Week and other upcoming
weeks w ill help students get
more excited about things at
school and our im pact on the
community," Kiely said.