The amplifier., April 01, 2011, Page 7, Image 7

2011___________ ___________
Features
7
Thespians find bonding opportunities at State
Tiisgiiis_________________
continued from page 2
"I really enjoyed the
competition portion of the
weekend. The adrenaline in the
room is always a thrill for me,"
Stapleton said.
On Thursday and Friday
nights, there was a dance for
the participants. Thursday was
a Harry Potter themed dance
and on Friday the theme was
Lady Gaga.
"Everyone dressed up
according to the theme," Ashely
Welp, junior, said. "The Lady
Gaga dance was crazy. There
were some really interesting
costumes."
Although the group scene
qualified for Nationals, they
have decided not to attend this
year.
"Most of the girls that
qualified went to Nationals
last year," Murray said. "They
already had the experience.
Many of them are seniors
and have already decided on
colleges to attend in the fall."
Eighteen Thespians went on
to State after performances at
the regional competition Feb. 5,
at Putnam High School. Along
with acting, there were stage
management competitions and
a play writing category.
In the stage management
category, Welp, won first
place. The competition in
this category was very tough,
according to Murray.
"I competed at Regionals for
solo acting and duo dramatic,
but I didn't qiialify for State.
With stage management you
don't have to go through the
regional process, so I decided to
go for that," Welp said.
In the play writing category,
Megan Kays, senior, received
third place for her original play
entitled "Blind," which will be
performed in Shorts 12 on May
12-13.
"Blind is about a family that
is going through some rough
times. The daughter asks her
father what is happening
and both parents explain the
situation through a fairy tale,"
Kays said.
According to Kays, the
idea for Blind, evolved from
something completely different,
while she was working on it
with the help of Annie Kaiser,
Performing Arts Coordinator.
"The highlight for me was
definitely watching my play be
performed on stage," Kays said.
While some Thespians
found certain events to be their
highlight, others found bonding
time to be the best part of the
weekend.
"The best part of state for me
was the quality time with all
of the troupe members," Welp
said.
Rhoades uses past to help with future
continued from page 1
In school, Rhoades pre­
ferred "real world" classes,
such as cadet teaching, jour­
nalism and video technology.
"I was the first student to be
trained to use the video cam­
era and the VCR," Rhoades
said.
With experience as a biol­
ogy teacher in Elmira, Ore.,
Rhoades was able to experi­
ence a hands-on way of teach­
ing. "We were able to spend a
lot of time in the field, where
we used an inquiry-based,
ecological approach to learn­
ing about living system s,"
Rhoades said. " We were able
to visit and study natural areas
throughout the state, and we
were really able to come to un­
derstand our interdependence
with and impact on the variety
of natural systems in Oregon."
A fter w orking in several
schools as a teacher, Rhoades
began to think about taking
the step toward becoming an
administrator.
"I was interested in work­
ing with other teachers, and I
thought having administrative
training m ight be helpful in a
teacher mentor role." He was
hired as Chief Academic Officer
at Bend and Director of Second-
ary Education at Woodbum
before becom ing assistant
principal of Milwaukie High
School.
W hen his tim e at M il­
waukie ended, Rhoades was
hired as assistant superinten­
dent in Hillsboro. He feels that
working in many different
learning environments has
impacted Rhoades positively.
"I've learned that each com­
munity has its own identity,
culture, beliefs, values, hopes
and fears and it is important
to do a lot of listening and
learning about the commu­
nity," Rhoades said. "I look
forward to the opportunity to
get to know students, staff and
schools well."
When it comes to hearing
com m unity voices, Rhoades
believes it is important for a
sm ooth running community.
"I think that every conversa­
tion and opportunity for col­
laboration is an opportunity
to cultivate and incorporate
community and staff voices,"
Rhoades said.
In addition to soliciting staff
voices from around the district,
Rhoades is interested in student
opinions as well. "I want you to
know that I believe hearing stu­
dent voices is equally important
to me as the superintendent of
breakthrough moments can happen anywhere.
service • adventure • language • life skills
1.800.321.4353
www.rosticpathway5.com
schools."
Rhoades already has an
idea about asking for opinions
from the community.
"Sometimes we will need
to hear feedback and opinions
on specific topics or decisions
and sometimes we will want
to know about the broader
hopes and fears of our stu­
dents, staff, and community,"
Rhoades said.
In his personal life, Rhoades
finds his family most impor­
tant." I enjoy spending time
w ith m y fam ily, m y w ife
Kimberley, my son Kiger, 7,
and my daughter Karah, 10,"
Rhoades said.
r
Rustic Pathways
Creating Positive Energy
1