SCHOOL NEWS

OAKWOOD SCHOOL

By Scarlett Saldaña 12th Grade

At the beginning of last month, the Oakwood theater department announced that this year’s middle school musical is “James and the Giant Peach.” Soon after auditions were held, the middle school kids began rehearsing, working on costume designs and recruiting students to work with lighting and sound.

As for the high school musical, “Little Shop of Horrors,” auditions will happen this month. Though it is a nerve-wracking process filled with chemistry reads, dancing and singing, it is always an exciting experience to be a part of a theater production. From acting to working on tech, there are various roles that bring each show together until opening night. The bonding moments during rehearsals reinforce the strong community we uphold at Oakwood.

Near the end of October, we will once again host the Halloween event. Students come dressed in their costumes ready to listen and dance to Halloween music, play games and watch a classic Halloween movie.

My favorite memory of this event was when I was in 7th grade and the student council, along with other seniors, prepared a haunted house for the middle school students. They put us into groups and focused our attention on a magic card trick until seniors hiding around the room tried to jump-scare us. It made for a funny and amusing experience, and of course, certainly something that I found to be memorable.

THIRD STREET

ELEMENTARY By Nikka Gueler 5th Grade

We started off the school year with a few fun events, including a limeade fundraiser for the school PTA. The limes that were used came from our school garden, and baked goods were also sold. The event happened to fall on one of the hottest days of the year, making it a great success.

Movie night is returning to Third Street. This year, the movie will be shown outdoors. Candy, popcorn, pizza and drinks will be sold.

The Reflections art competition is set to begin soon. This is a national competition organized by the PTA featuring artwork, photography and music. The competition encourages students to stretch their creativity and submit original artwork in one of the categories. All the submissions will be displayed at an assembly later in the year.

New documentary spotlights Assistance League

By Casey Russell

“A Pebble in the Pond,” a new documentary from writer/director Paul Howard, tells the story of the Assistance League of Los Angeles and its founder, Anne Banning.

The film honors this pioneer of American nonprofit organizations by tracing the League’s history from 1890 and highlights one of its signature programs, Operation School Bell.

Operation School Bell makes a major difference in the lives of children experiencing homelessness, children in the foster care system and children in low-income families by providing them with clothes, books, backpacks and other items necessary for their well-being and success in school.

The documentary quietly heralds individuals, once on the receiving end of the League’s programs, who now give back by offering their time and talents volunteering with Operation School Bell.

“A Pebble in the Pond” can be viewed on iTunes, Amazon Prime, YouTube and AppleTV or can be seen by visiting apebbleinthepondfilm.com. By Casey Russell

Nine O’Clock Players, founded in 1929 by the Assistance League, will be reopening the doors of its historic Los Angeles theater this month.

To kick off the comeback, the group will present “Cinderella: The True Story.” The inaugural performance will take place Sun., Oct. 30 at 2 p.m. with other performances scheduled on Sundays, November 13, 20 and 27 at 2 p.m.

This performance of Cinderella will present a lead character who believes generosity is what makes us truly rich, a prince in disguise and a fairy godmother who, like everyone, makes mistakes sometimes.

The 330-seat theater is located in Hollywood at 1367 N. St. Andrews Pl. and has been a shining light in children’s theater for decades. Seeing a live theater performance can be a magical experience for a child. As local mom Caroline Tracy says, “You can see the wonder in kids’ eyes when they see the sets, the actors, costumes and makeup — not to mention the performances.”

The mission of the Nine O’Clock Players, according to its website, is “to introduce children to the magic of live performance, literature and music through the joy of theatre.”

The group brings theater to children who might not otherwise be exposed to live performances. Field trips are made available at no or little cost, so that low-income and special needs families have the opportunity to share in the joy that live theater can bring.

The award-winning players normally do two full musical productions and host 12,000 children annually. Due to the pandemic, the theater closed its doors for two years, but carried on with virtual performances, which continue to be available on the website.

For $15 tickets to “Cinderella: The True Story,” call 323-545-6153 or visit nineoclockplayers.com.

SUNSET MONTESSORI

PRESCHOOL

Hollywood Location Studio City 1432 N. Sycamore Ave 4212 Tujunga Ave LA CA 90028 Studio City CA 91604 (323) 465-8133 (818) 623-0913

On a sad note our principal of six years, Daniel Kim, is leaving Third Street for a new position with Los Angeles Unified.

CATHEDRAL CHAPEL SCHOOL

By Olivia Sherman 6th Grade

Hello, my name is Olivia. I’m a 6th grader and commissioner of public relations for Cathedral Chapel School. I am proud to be part of a safe and exciting learning environment.

CCS continues COVID-19 testing weekly to ensure the health of the faculty, staff and students.

We welcomed two new teachers this year: Mr. Zepeda (junior high religion/social studies) and Mr. Mir (junior high science/math). Mr. Zepeda is the 6th grade homeroom teacher and Mr. Mir is the 7th grade homeroom teacher.

There’s a lot going on at CCS. Classroom orientations were held in person on Aug. 23. Parents came to meet teachers and discuss plans for the year. Many field trips are planned and our famous spelling, religion and geography bees will return, as well as the following sports: volleyball, basketball, golf and track.

School picture day was Sept. 2. Our first school Mass was hosted by the student council on Sept. 13. The academic decathlon team has started daily logic practice. Student Ambassadors have been trained. CCS is planning to begin a Girl Scout troop.

It looks like there’s a great year ahead!

Nine O’Clock Players resume performances

THE CATERPILLAR from “Alice in Wonderland” signs autographs for young audience members in a previous production.