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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (May 18, 2016)
Polk County Education 14A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • May 18, 2016 SCHOOL NOTES ELD students to be honored at tea INDEPENDENCE — Central High School will host a family cel- ebration tea at 4 p.m. on Sunday to benefit the Fine Arts and the English Language Development program. At the tea, high school students who are exiting the ELD pro- gram will be honored. The tea will include beverages, snacks and entertainment, and will be held in the CHS cafeteria. The jazz band, choir and student Mexican band will perform. There also will be a student art show. Proceeds will go to each of the programs, as well as help the ELD students travel to Ashland to see a Shakespearean play in June. Tickets are $10 each. For more information: Lola Carlile, lcarlile@central.k12.or.us. MVCA to hold information meeting MONMOUTH — Mid-Valley Christian Academy will host a 2016-17 School Year Informational Night on Monday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. This will be an opportunity for new and returning parents to get information about the upcoming school year and the programs they can expect from MVCA. School science projects will be displayed and demonstrated by students. There will be a raffle and bake sale going on dur- ing the science fair and meet and greet, with complimentary coffee. MVCA is at 1483 16th St., Monmouth. For more informa- tion: 503-838-2818, or follow MVCA on Facebook. JENNIFER HALLEY/for the Itemizer-Observer Central High School’s theater department presents “Almost Main”. The play is about the different stages of love. AN ‘ALMOST’ LOVE STORY Central High to perform ‘Almost, Maine’ for final show of the year By Jennifer Halley For the Itemizer-Observer INDEPENDENCE — The theater department students of Central High School’s Pro- duction class gathered in the school’s auditorium for a first time run-through of the spring play, “Almost, Main.” Set in northern Maine in a town that is “not quite a town” during early February, and written by John Cariani in 2004, it is a story about the different stages of love — from a first date to divorce, from falling in love to falling out of it. The characters within the play struggle with what love entails and what it actually means for each individual. “There are nine scenes (within the play), each a dif- ferent story or stage of a re- lationship,” Jeff Witt, direc- tor of Central’s theater de- Showtime What: Central High School’s theater department’s pro- duction of “Almost, Maine.” When: Wednesday (today) through Saturday. Curtain is at 7 p.m. each night. Where: Central High School’s auditorium. Admission: General, $8; students with ID, $5. For more information: www.centralperformingarts.org. partment, said. Witt added there were a few scenes that were a “little edgy,” but despite some sen- sitive subject matter, such as a scene inferring two boys being attracted to one an- other, Central’s principal was very supportive of the play as a whole. Witt, along with Wendy Boyack, the technical direc- tor, directed the play. Because the play is put on by a class, all of the 18 stu- dents acting in it also had to take part in the technical as- pects of the production, which involved working on the props used, the cos- tumes, designing the adver- tising posters, and even writing press releases. It is “student ran, with forceful yet gentle persua- sion on our end,” Boyack said. That being said, Boyack added that “we are the mom and dad” of this play. Out of the 18 students in- volved, five are seniors; this is their last play before grad- uating and heading off to what’s next, so to speak. For Sarah Wright, “it’s bit- tersweet,” something that she enjoys but can also see an end to. “Being our last show, it’s important,” senior Forrest Deters said. “It feels like the end I’m ready to let go of, the transition to my next step.” “Almost, Main” is Deter’s fourth play with Central High, but he has been in- volved with theater since the seventh grade. Jacob Eschette, originally hailing from Georgia, also a senior, is one of the actors in the scene that speaks of a possible attraction be- tween two boys. Even though the subject matter is delicate, Eschette didn’t appear to seem uncomfort- able by it. See ALMOST, Page 13A Farmers Insurance donates to CSD INDEPENDENCE — In honor of Teachers Appreciation Month, Farmers Insurance and Greer Insurance Agency donated $100 to each school in Central School District. The money will be spent on a program of choice honoring teachers and students who show integrity, empathy, respect and responsibility. ACADEMIC HONORS Local students graduate Ohio Christian CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — Two local students graduated from Ohio Christian University. Lee Chavez, of Independence, graduated with associate de- gree in business management. Serenity Mullins, of Dallas, grad- uated with an associate degree in business Management. Royer wins Meyer Prize for Excellence MONMOUTH — Three Western Oregon University students were awarded prizes for the Meyer Prize for Excellence in Liter- ature competition: Courtney Royer was honored for “The Pil- lowman: Setting the Stage”; Joleen Braasch, for “Wild Androgy- ny and Cultured Patriarchy: The Dogs of Wuthering Heights”; and Royer “Contemporizing Yeats's Prayer.” Royer will receive an award of $500 plus an invitation to dine with Richard and Lotte Meyer plus a guest of her choosing and her professor. She will also present a synopsis of her essay at the English Department’s Academic Excellence Showcase event on May 26. The runner-up and third-place essays receive financial awards of $150 and $50, respectively. This is the 15th year that the Meyer Prize has been awarded at WOU. Deptula of Monmouth earns honors STAUNTON, Va. — Mary Baldwin College awarded Wendy Deptula, of Monmouth, the Mary Donnalley Award, given to the student athlete with the highest grade-point average. She achieved a GPA of 3.5 or higher.
