Polk County Education
14A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • December 14, 2016
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By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer
Perrydale’s fifth-grade class rehearses “North Pole Musical” on Dec. 7. The third- through fifth-grade performance is Thursday at 7 p.m.
SANTA, THE PLAYWRIGHT?
Perrydale elementary captures the spirit, chaos of the season in musical
By Jolene Guzman
Showtime!
The Itemizer-Observer
ERRYDALE — Santa
is writing a play,
and everyone wants
to be involved.
That is making casting a
nightmare.
T h e e l ve s, re i n d e e r,
snowmen and toys all want
parts — and it’s safe to say
some are acting like divas.
Will the snowmen melt
on stage?
Does Rudolph really have
“four left feet”?
How can the other rein-
deer stop Rudolph from
embarrassing them?
Will the sad elves be
upset no matter what?
Santa struggles to grant
everyone’s wishes — and
fears something important
is getting lost in the fighting.
“Santa’s afraid he’s can’t
send everyone home with
P
What: North Pole
Musical
When: 7 p.m. Thurs-
day.
Where: Perrydale’s
old gym, 7445 Perrydale
Road, Amity.
Admission: Free.
JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer
Ivy Janesofsky sings a solo during rehearsal on Dec. 7.
the right Christmas spirit,”
said Carter Marsters, who
plays Prancer. “Santa wants
everyone in, but he’s having
a hard time writing so that
everyone gets to do what
they want.”
This is “North Pole Musi-
cal,” Perrydale Elementary
School’s third- through
fifth-grade winter program
set for the stage at 7 p.m. on
Thursday in the school’s old
gym.
Carter, Bosch Brooks
(Mrs. Claus) and Kaydance
Gunther (Dancer), all fifth-
graders, are taking on their
first speaking parts in the
production, which aims to
capture the bustle and dis-
traction of the holiday sea-
son.
“Christmas is getting big-
ger and bigger,” Carter said.
“But not necessarily bet-
ter and better,” Kaydance
chimed in.
Case in point, the rein-
deer try to keep Rudolph off
the stage by making her an
“understudy.”
“Rudolph — she doesn’t
have a part and she’s sad —
and she can’t dance a lick,”
Bosch said.
Santa is having a crisis
of confidence as he writes
the musical, but realizes
he must steer the produc-
tion and his crew back to
the meaning of the sea-
son.
The trio of actors say he’s
got his work cut out for him
as he tries to deal with the
concerns of the naughty
and the nice.
“The elves want to be a
part of (the musical) be-
cause they have never been
a part of it, and they are re-
ally sad about it,” Bosch
said.
“The snowmen are wor-
ried because they don’t
want to melt because of all
the hot lights.”
INDEPENDENCE — The
process has started to hire
Central School District’s next
superintendent.
Buzz Brazeau announced
his resignation earlier this
year. The school board de-
clared a vacancy on Dec. 5,
effective July 1, 2017.
Search consultants Greg
McKenzie and Mike Taylor,
of NextUp Leadership, pre-
sented advertising plans, a
search calendar, budget and
salary ranges.
The board approved the
middle advertising plan,
which will cost $800.
“They’re meeting with the
schools, members of the
(teachers) association,”
Brazeau said. “They have
community meetings set
up.”
McKenzie and Taylor sug-
gested, and the board
agreed, to develop a screen-
ing committee of about 15
people, including teachers
and community members,
to help screen applicants,
Brazeau said.
The board will likely ad-
just the schedule and an-
nounce on how to get in-
volved at its January meet-
ing, Brazeau said.
The vacancy will be post-
ed on Jan. 13, 2017, accord-
ing to the adopted search
calendar, and will close on
Feb. 17, 2017.
Applications will be re-
viewed starting Feb. 22.
The high school principal
position will likely be
opened in mid-February,
Brazeau said.
“There will be an oppor-
tunity for the high school
and community members to
provide some information
about what we would like in
our next principal,” he said.
A survey is on the district’s
website about what the
community would like to see
in Central’s next superinten-
dent: www.central.k12.or.us.