January 29, 2016 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 11A
Conference
empowers women
on education,
career planning
One-day
program
features
inspirational
speakers,
workshops
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Frogtown will premiere a new production at the Tillamook Head Gathering at the Seaside Convention Center on Satur-
day, Jan. 30. The gathering is a fundraiser to benefit the arts at Seaside High School.
Frogtown to benefit arts at high school
Second annual
event supports
arts education,
experiences for
Seaside High
School students
really keep people going
on a day-by-day basis: vi-
sual arts, music, poetry,”
Mizell said. “They might
not be necessarily bread-
and-butter sorts of things as
far as money goes, but the
arts give us spiritual nour-
ishment that sometimes the
students don’t necessarily
get in other places.”
By Katherine Lacaze
Teaching diversity
with frogs, music
EO Media Group
The commonality of art,
music and poetry is one of
the messages students will
receive when they partici-
pate in the Tillamook Head
Gathering in Seaside this
month.
The gathering “is really
an effort to keep art endeav-
ors alive,” English teacher
Mark Mizell said. “I real-
ly think we’re shorting the
kids if we don’t expose
them to the arts.”
The fundraiser returns
Jan. 30 at the Seaside Civic
and Convention Center for
a second year with a special
multimedia production by
Frogtown, a socially con-
scious entertainment troupe
that features Astoria native
and 1993 Seaside High
graduate Heather Christie,
and other performers from
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Last year, about 250 peo-
ple attended to hear promi-
nent local author and Sea-
side High School alumnus
Karl Marlantes. The event
raised more than $6,000,
used to bring award-win-
ning Oregon author Clem
Starck to speak to English
classes on the subject of
beat poetry, send students
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portunities to learn more
about visual and perform-
ing arts.
When Mizell started
teaching at the high school,
funds were available for
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support
extracurriculars,
but “those funds have really
gotten scarce,” he said.
That is unfortunate,
since “there is a very thin
line — if there is a line at
all,” between the arts, cre-
ativity and spiritual mat-
ters, he added.
“When you’re talking
about the arts, you’re
talking about things that
The Tillamook Head
Gathering is put on by a
committee of current and
former students and teach-
ers.
The highlight of the event
will be a multimedia stage
show, Frogtown, based on
Emmy-award-winning au-
thor and composer Philip
Pelletier’s musical story-
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town,” published in 2008.
“It’s for kids 9 to 90,”
Mizell said. “It’s really a
cool story, and the perfor-
mance they do is really
neat.”
Using projected anima-
tions, a live-story reading
and live music performanc-
es, the theatrical rock show
tells the story of cultural
diversity using music as a
metaphor. The cast includes
Seaside’s Christie, Pelleti-
er, Oregon Music Hall of
Famer Andy Stokes and
saxophonist Andy Warr.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Seaside High School alum Heather Christie sings Frog-
town’s “River Meets the Ocean,” from the group’s upcoming
release “Bedtime For Tadpoles.”
“I think it was just some-
thing I was born with,” she
said. “It was just happening
and it was what was driving
me.”
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by the sounds of the ’60s
and ’70s — Joni Mitchell,
the Eagles, Grateful Dead,
Rickie Lee Jones and Bon-
nie Raitt. She has written
and produced three albums
and toured with her own
material.
About eight years ago,
she got connected with
Music as an outlet
Pelletier and Frogtown and
Christie, who helps pro- started producing, collabo-
duce the show, also does rating and singing with the
individual work as a per- group.
“It actually helped me
former. She comes from a
musical family; her grand- grow a lot as an indepen-
parents, father, aunt and un- dent artist to have all these
cles all did performing arts new experiences and take it
of some sort. Her aunt, Ret- to another level,” she said.
The group is focused on
ta Christie, spearheaded the
western swing group Retta a new release, called “Bed-
time for Tadpools,” a multi-
and the Smart Fellas.
Heather Christie’s early media experience with a lul-
memories include watching laby ambiance that follows
her dad’s rock shows under the water cycle, as well as a
her mother’s poncho. At a CD featuring dance music,
young age, she started sing- called “Let’s Move!” Some
ing bluegrass, country and of the new material will be
western and gospel songs. premiered at the group’s
Using her mother’s 1940s Tillamook Head Gathering
Martin guitar, she taught performance.
Christie said she is excit-
herself how to play the in-
ed and honored to partake in
strument.
$QDI¿QLW\DQGWDOHQWIRU the fundraiser for her alma
music was a natural part of mater. Giving students ac-
her life, not something she cess to arts education is “es-
had to consciously strive for. sential for survival and san-
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History of program
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and originally was intend-
ed as a one-time commu-
nity service project for the
By Katherine Lacaze
American Association of
EO Media Group
University Women chap-
Since 2001, the Sea- ters.
“AAUW’s mission is
side and Astoria chapters
of the American Associa- heavily into equity for
tion of University Women women and men and ed-
and Clatsop Community ucation, so it seemed like
College have collaborat- a natural thing for us to
ed to help Clatsop County do,” said Pat Lehman,
women of all ages access an association member
equal education oppor- DQG :,1*6 FRQIHUHQFH
tunities and more prom- co-chairwoman.
ising, productive futures
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through a free one-day one of the four winners of
conference.
AAUW’s national Break-
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Conference — the acro- award.
nym stands for Women
“We feel we are per-
Interested in Going to forming an important ser-
School — is Feb. 6, from vice,” said Lehman, who
8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Clat- is also the chairwoman
sop Community College’s of the Clatsop Commu-
Columbia Hall. Lunch and nity College Foundation
professional child care are Board.
provided to participants
Over
the
years,
during the conference.
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The conference pro- than 600 local women.
vides sessions and work- After past conferences,
shops led by college staff PDQ\ :,1*6 SDUWLFL-
and other people that help pants enrolled in one or
women explore education more classes at Clatsop
RSWLRQV VXFK DV FHUWL¿- Community College, such
cates, the General Edu- as the free Lives in Transi-
cation Development test, tion class, or other institu-
degrees, job skills, career tions throughout the state.
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“We have some amaz-
formation.
ing success stories,” Leh-
“We were lucky enough man said.
to get a college degree and
Community
support
we want everyone who is an important aspect of
wants one to have the the conference. Last year,
same opportunity,” said more than 100 local busi-
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publicity chairwoman.
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contributions, giving their
Inspirational stories
employees a paid-day-off
During the program, to attend and donating
women hear inspirational LWHPV IRU D UDIÀH DQG JLIW
stories from past partici- bags.
pants or other guest speak-
“One of the things the
ers, such as State Sen. participants talk about
Betsy Johnson, D-Scap- appreciating most is not
poose, who is a major sup- just the gifts — which
porter of the conference. DUHWHUUL¿F²EXWWKHIDFW
They receive incentives that somebody is out there
to enroll at Clatsop Com- with a business saying,
munity College and the ‘We think that you can do
opportunity to apply for it and here’s our testimo-
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ny to that fact,’” Lehman
This year, the confer- said.
ence workshops include:
For more informa-
GHJUHHV FHUWL¿FDWH SUR- tion, call Lehman at 503-
grams and pathways; GED 717-1852 or visit www.
FHUWL¿FDWH IHGHUDO ¿QDQ- wings-clatsop.com or the
cial aid; lives in transition; conference’s
Facebook
scholarships; conquering page. In order to guaran-
math anxiety; career plan- tee a place at the confer-
ning; support services for ence, women need to pre-
students; and living-wage register, especially if they
career opportunities.
plan to bring children.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Amy Magnussen, a Clatsop Community College adviser,
gives a presentation to a room full of participants during
the WINGS Conference in 2015.
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ity,” she said. High school is
a time when “you’re grow-
ing and learning and having
strange feelings and emo-
tions, and you take things
really intensely,” she said.
Art “helps us transform
those emotions into some-
thing beautiful and posi-
tive,” she added. Seeing the
way children — and people
of all ages — react and re-
spond to Frogtown. Christie
knows the importance of
musical exposure.
“It’s a really magical ex-
perience and with such pos-
itive messages,” she said
of Frogtown. “It’s very in-
tergenerational, and brings
everyone together, from the
grandkids to the grandpar-
ents.”
The fundraiser will in-
clude a silent auction, fea-
turing art donated by local
artists. From 6:30 to 7 p.m.,
people can browse the si-
lent auction items. High
school senior Claire Ogilvie
will coordinate the auction,
among other tasks, as part
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The high school’s jazz
choir and jazz band will
perform, followed by the
Frogtown production.
Tickets cost $10 in ad-
vance and $15 at the door.
They are available at Beach
Books, Seaside Coffee
House and the business of-
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The conference also
features a concurrent
half-day program called
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ed in Spanish, which was
a new addition last year.
“TO-GO”
Orders Welcome
We have a fabulous patio
where you can enjoy the
weather and your meal.
156 N. Hemlock • Cannon Beach
503.436.9551
Owned and Operated by the Cleary Family
music fi rst