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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 29, 2017)
Schools Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, November 29, 2017 A3 Monument students perform ‘Peter & Wendy’ on stage Missoula Children’s Theatre teaches acting basics By Angel Carpenter Contributed photo Humbolt students in Georgia Boethin’s fifth-grade class work on solving a Thanksgiving math problem, including (back, left to right) Jazlyn Valade and Kydalin Sagaser and (front) Logan Randleas and Ryann Coombs. Blue Mountain Eagle A total of 43 Monument School students experienced the joys of acting, taking part in the Missoula Children’s Theatre production “Peter & Wendy.” “Missoula has really taught me to speak out and go out of my comfort zone even in times when I don’t really want to,” said freshman Mark Thomas, who played the part of Peter. Sophomore Aubrey Bowlus, cast as Wendy, said she enjoyed the “exhilarating feeling” performing for the audience. Children’s theater actress- es Allie Marshall and Hannah Kulus held an audition Nov. 13 and spent a week teaching the students acting fundamen- tals while the students learned their lines. The hard work cul- minated in a presentation for an audience of more than 80 on Nov. 17. The children’s theater vis- its the school each year for what fourth- through sixth- grade teacher Laura Thomas said is a great opportunity for all the students. “I love that the program allows our students to be ex- posed to an aspect of the fine arts which we would not be able to provide to them other- wise,” Thomas said. “(It’s) a wonderful week that is filled with fun and excitement.” She said, even if some stu- dents don’t participate in the play, they each take part in a 50-minute workshop. The children’s theater, which has been in existence for 45 years, will work with 65,000 children this year in all 50 states and 17 countries this year. “I liked getting to have a part in the play each year, and I like learning about the story of each play,” said third-grad- er Josh Thomas. Fifth-graders ‘gobble up’ math problem By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle Contributed photos Mark Thomas, cast as Peter Pan, has a shouting match with Hook, played by Donovan Schafer in the Nov. 17 Missoula Children’s Theatre production of “Peter & Wendy.” Aubrey Bowlus plays the part of Wendy in the Missoula Children’s Theatre production of “Peter & Wendy.” Tinkerbell (Taylor Hamilton) speaks with Peter Pan (Mark Thomas) in the play “Peter & Wendy.” Third-grader Taylor Ham- ilton added, “I like how Missoula Children’s Theatre comes every year to teach us a play. I learn a lot about acting and expressions during it.” Students in Georgia Boethin’s fifth-grade class at Humbolt Elementary School were absorbed with solving a real-life math problem last week — planning Thanks- giving dinner. The challenge was to use a grocery store ad to find savings on the turkey and trimmings and plan out dinner for 10 people, while staying within a budget. “This was planned to learn how to estimate deci- mals, as well as how to find an exact answer,” Boethin said. “This was a super-en- gaging, high-interest task and one that answers the question, ‘When am I ever gonna use this?’” While students busied themselves with the prob- lem, some thoughtful ques- tions cropped up. One student raised a hand to ask how many pounds of turkey would feed 10 peo- ple. “I said, ‘Turkeys have bones in them, so a 1/2 pound per person, and a 1/2 pound times 10,” Boethin said. “I knew it was going Contributed photo Humbolt Elementary School fifth-graders Savannah Watterson and Fallan Giffin work on a Thanksgiving dinner math problem last week in Georgia Boethin’s class. to come up, and I let them struggle with it.” One group wanted home- made stuffing on their menu, and broke down the price for ingredients down to the crou- tons. They also compared pric- es by finding out the per- ounce cost of each item. “The kids were so en- gaged, they begged me to do math instead of reading,” Boethin said. “That never happens.” She came up with the idea after attending a training in Salem on how to write per- formance tasks and taking an online class for personal development through Stan- ford University called Math Mindsets. She said the interest was about as high as she’s ever seen in a math class. “They have to understand why they’re doing it, and it needed to be authentic,” she said. Boethin said she has the simple question “Why?” on the whiteboard in her classroom, and she told her class at the beginning of the school year she would ask them why and she wants them to ask why “a million times” this year. She told them, “I’m not going to teach you what to think, but how to think.” THE GRANT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE invites you to shop at home and support our local merchants. Create Jobs Shop Local Better Education Local Businesses Stronger Local Economy Grant County Greenbacks keep 100% of your money at home. Purchase them at the Grant County Chamber of Commerce. They come in denominations of $5, $15 and $25 and may be redeemed at all Grant County businesses who are Chamber members. Watch for additional members each week Grant County Chamber of Commerce 301 W. 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