Polk County Itemizer-Observer • April 22, 2015 15A
Polk County Education
Boyack shares the magic of theater
Volunteer awarded Honorary Thespian of the Year for her dedication
SB 322 dies in committee
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
INDEPENDENCE —
Wendy Boyack has a passion
for live theater, and has been
sharing that love with stu-
dents at Central High School
for nine years.
It’s a passion she has car-
ried with her since third
grade.
“Our school district bused
us over to the high school
and we watched ‘Godspell,’”
Boyack recalled. “That was
my first exposure to live the-
ater, and I said, ‘I want to do
that.’ To me, it was magic.”
Boyack was honored as
one of three nationwide re-
cipients of the Honorary
Thespian of the Year award.
She will be presented with
the award at the national
convention in Muncie, Ind.,
this summer.
Thespian awards are gen-
erally reserved for students
or teachers, Boyack said. But
the honorary award recog-
nizes the long hours she puts
in volunteering for Central
High’s performing arts de-
partment — and the contri-
bution she makes to teach
theater skills to CHS stu-
dents.
Boyack uses her technical
skills behind the scenes —set
and lighting design, stage
makeup, painting techniques
— and helps performing arts
teacher Jeff Witt direct plays
and musicals.
She uses students as her
“crew,” passing on her skills
to them, training them on
how to work the stage and
manage productions.
Boyack’s experience in-
cludes working lights at con-
certs in Bend to managing
the student theater at
Brigham Young University in
Provo, Utah, where she grad-
uated with a bachelor’s in
theater with an emphasis in
directing.
Now Boyack spends her
time volunteering not just at
Central, but also at Pentacle
Theater and at Children’s Ed-
ucational Theatre in South
Salem.
“I have a passion for what
Districts fifth-year
programs OK, for now
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
EMILY MENTZER/ Itemizer-Observer
Wendy Boyack is dedicated to teaching students at Central High about the magic of
live theater. She was named Honorary Thespian of the Year.
EMILY MENTZER/ Itemizer-Observer
Wendy Boyack designs all the sets for Central High’s per-
formances. Sets, like this one from “Oklahoma!” start as
miniature masterpieces.
theater can do for kids,” she
said. “I see overall that live
theater is a dying art.”
The blame for what Boy-
ack sees as the death of live
theater is the fault of the the-
ater community, the media
and the audience, she said.
“They (the theater com-
munity) are contributing to
their own death by insisting
on their own agenda rather
than listening to what their
public wants to see,” she
said.
At Oregon state theater
conventions, CHS is known
as the “princess school,” Boy-
ack said, because of the fre-
quent “princess shows” the
school puts on.
“We listen to what our
public has to say,” she said.
“People come in droves to
see princesses. Who cares if
it’s a princess show if it’s pay-
ing for our program.”
The audience contributes
to the death of theater by
having more frequent experi-
ences with technology.
“We are losing touch with
interpersonal relationships,”
Boyack explained. “That one-
on-one experience of human
beings is almost gone.”
The “bigger and better”
mentality of media makes it
harder for live theater, Boy-
ack said.
“It’s not like you can ex-
plode a stage,” she said.
“Well, you can, but it’s kind of
hard — and expensive.”
It’s because of her strong
beliefs in the magic of the-
ater and the importance of
human-to-human interac-
tion that she spends much of
her time teaching students.
“I dedicate everything I’ve
got to teaching kids about
the magic in live theater,” she
said.
Boyack has never dreamed
of being the star of the show;
she prefers being in the di-
rector’s seat.
“I look at the set and the
lights and the people and
everything as my medium for
creating my own personal in-
teractive sculpture,” Boyack
said. “I watch a play I’ve di-
rected, or watch my set in ac-
tion, or watch the lights hap-
pen in action, and I have
great satisfaction in seeing
my sculpture live and mov-
ing.”
SALEM — A bill that
would have phased out
fifth-year programs in
school districts throughout
the state — including three
in Polk County — will not
move forward.
Thursday the Oregon
Senate Committee on Edu-
cation decided to carry the
bill forward, essentially
killing the bill. While the
legislation is dead, that
doesn’t mean the issue be-
hind it is: using State
School Fund money to pay
for college courses.
Committee Chairman
Arnie Roblan (D-Coos Bay)
said he will be watching
progress on the topic closely.
“It is, in my opinion, not
sustainable,” he said of the
current funding mecha-
nism. “I’m committed to
finding the avenue for a so-
lution to this.”
Dallas, Central and Falls
City all have fifth-year pro-
grams of various sizes.
The programs have stu-
dents defer receiving a
standard high school diplo-
ma in order to pursue an
advanced diploma and at-
tend classes at a communi-
ty college. Because they are
still high school students,
the State School Fund pays
for the courses.
When the legislation was
introduced, school officials
in the three districts in Polk
County and elsewhere in
Oregon were concerned the
opportunities offered stu-
dents through fifth-year
programs would end due to
the source of the funding.
Students and school dis-
trict administrators from
high schools across the state
and their community col-
lege partners offered hours
of testimony against the bill
at a public hearing on
March 19.
Now, it appears legisla-
tors and school officials
from districts with the pro-
grams will have time to
work together on a propos-
al to keep them.
“As I have told the very
vocal people in my district
who feel very strongly about
SB 322, I have not known
anybody to be more of a
champion for higher educa-
tion access than (bill spon-
sor) Sen. (Mark) Hass, and I
recognize the motivations
behind that bill,” said Sen.
Sara Gelser (D-Corvallis),
who also sits on the com-
mittee.
“I think the fifth-year
programs in our districts
are really serving kids really
well. We have seen some
great outcomes. I’m very in-
terested in finding a way to
continue them.”
She said the schools in
her district, including Cor-
vallis and Albany, which
offer fifth-year programs
are willing to help hash out
new legislation that pro-
tects the State School Fund
and fifth-year offerings.
“They have committed
… to begin discussions
about this issue immedi-
ately, even before the ses-
sion is over, to start this
conversation to come back
with a recommendation for
the February session to
look at how do we build on
what’s there in a way that is
sustainable,” Gesler said
during Thursday’s bill work
session. “I want to say
thank you for that accom-
modation in giving us some
time to do that.”
Brian Green, the Dallas
High School assistant prin-
cipal who oversees DHS’
fifth-year program, Extend-
ed Campus, said the district
would like to be involved in
those discussions, as well.
In the meantime,
though, Green said he’s
happy to be able tell stu-
dents there will be no
changes in the program, at
least for now.
“We can say that next
year’s Extended Campus will
be business as usual,” he
said. “I’m sure there will be a
lot of relieved families.”
Ivy: Grant provided funding
Continued from Page 16A
hopes of keeping the ivy at
bay for two years, Teller said.
LWC received a grant from
Meyer Memorial Trust for the
clearing project, something
the council had wanted to do
for a number of years. Teller
said the partnership with the
school was the last piece
needed to get the project off
the ground.
She said the council has
been searching for more op-
portunities for educational
outreach and, given the park
is just minutes away from
LVCS middle school campus
in Pedee, it seemed a natural
fit.
“And the partnership with
the school made it a stronger
(grant) application,” Teller
said, adding the day was so
successful, the council will
likely try to find more oppor-
tunities for students. “We will
definitely be calling on these
guys again.”
LVCS teacher Daniel
Shimek said the ivy-clearing
project gives his students “a
little sense of community”
and prepares them for the
community service projects
they may have to tackle in
high school or college.
Seiber sounds as though
he will be ready, though he
may want to pick a project
that keeps him indoors next
time.
“It makes me want to go
out and do more stuff,” he
said. “But I don’t think ivy is
my thing — or pulling weeds.
I think mowing the lawn is
the best I can do outside.”
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