Missoula International School
Messenger
November/December 2011
EXPRESS YOURSELVES THE CREATIVE CONNECTION AT MIS
do you know a future MIS student?
curiosity creativity connection curiosidad creativitad conexi贸n
MIS is now accepting applications for 2012/2013 in the preschool through eighth grades. Visit www.mismt.org/apply for more information regarding open houses in January.
small school, Big ideas
Missoula International School inspires principled global citizens and lifelong learners through a challenging bilingual education from preschool to eighth grade.
Missoula International School
MESSENGER• November/December 2011 Julie Lennox, Head of School Jeff Kessler, Assistant Head of School Joann Magee, Office Manager Gary Cram, Director of Finance Bethany O’Connell, Director of Development Layout and design by Bethany O’Connell MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT NEWSPAPER STAFF
Otis Peterson Georgia Littig Avery Fleming Elan West Badminton Sophia Leonard Toren Garnaas Ingrid Biehl Emily Musco, Student Newspaper Elective Instructor
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• TABLE OF CONTENTS • World Premiere!
The MCT/MIS Collaboration The Jungle Book, A Recap Sophia V. Leonard, sixth grade
3 Curious Facts You May Not Know about MCT
From left: Kay Grissom-Kiely, Kristen Von Doersten, Rob Fleming, Sandra Simmons, Doug Webber, Martha Cheney, Amber Sherrill, Norm Williamson, and Betsy Maier (not pictured: Ray Aten.)
Board of Trustees 2011-2012 Rob Fleming President
Doug Webber Vice President
Norm Williamson Treasurer
Amber Sherrill Secretary
Student newspaper staff
Kristen Von Doersten
4 Science Soars to the Top
PA Council Representative
Otis Peterson, sixth grade
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My Top Funniest Films of 2011 Elan West-Badminton, sixth grade
Ray Aten Betsy Maier Martha Cheney Kay Grissom-Kiely Sandra Simmons
The Eating in Class Controversy Georgia Littig sixth grade The Short Life of Lucky Avery Quinn Fleming, seventh grade
Corrections to the 2010/2011 Annual Report
El Perico Lucky Por Jack y Fisher, 4th/5th grade
The following contributors to Missoula International School were either omitted or incorrectly listed:
Profile: Ted Muhs Toren Garnaas, sixth grade
7 One Word Message to Humanity
Alice and Shawn Paul Missoula Veterinary Clinic
Feather Sherman, Art Specialist
8 Hello Molly! MIS Student Finds Lifelong Love for Theatre Profile: Natalie Baker Ingrid Biehl, seventh grade
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
! E R E I M E R P D L WOR
On December 9th, Missoula Children’s Theatre debuted the bilingual, Spanish/English version of The Jungle Book/ El Libro de la Selva. This sixth annual MIS/MCT production featured a memorable telling of Rikki-Tikki Tavi, a cool King Lui, a boastful Shere Khan, and an endearing Mowgli. The script and music, written by Michael McGill in 2003, was translated by K/1 multiage
teacher Rocío Muhs over the summer. In just one short week, MIS students learn to create a full-scale musical theatre production. The play will become part of the repertoire for MCT International Tours, which visit communities in all 50 states and 17 countries. •
The Jungle Book, A Recap
By Sophia Leonard, 6th grade
The Jungle Book (1894) is a collection of stories by British Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling. The stories were
first published in magazines in 1893–94. The Jungle Book, for those of us who haven’t read or watched it, is about an orphaned boy, Mowgli, who is found by a Black Panther named Bagheera in the middle of the jungle in India. Mowgli grows up with the wolf pack but when the great tiger Shere Khan returns it is no longer safe for Mowgli to stay. Mowgli doesn’t want to leave so he meets up with a care free bear, Baloo. The monkeys kidnap Mowgli and take him to their king, King Lui. Bageera and Baloo rescue him just in time because King Lui’s kingdom crumbles and falls to the ground. Mowgli runs off when Baloo breaks his promise to let him stay in the jungle and Baloo must set out to find him. Shere Khan vows to find the boy and kill him himself. He catches up with Mowgli and challenges him to a race. Baloo comes stops Shere Khan from killing Mowgli, getting knocked out in the process. Bagheera comes to see Mowgli crying over Baloo, but Baloo becomes conscious again and escorts Mowgli to the man village where he can be safe. Mowgli doesn’t want to go, but he spies a beautiful girl walking down the path. Mowgli falls in love and they go down the path toward the village. •
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CURIOUS FACTS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT MCT Messenger Beat student newspaper reporters took a backstage tour of Missoula Children’s Theatre in December with Michelle Mogstad, Tour Associate. Here are just a few facts that impressed the crew:
•MCT was founded in 1970 when Jim Carron’s Volkswagen van broke down in Missoula on his way to Oregon. He was unemployed, so he auditioned for a play and got the role of “Sancho” in Man of La Mancha. He teamed up with his co-star, Don Collins, to start producing community theatre. •Smaller costumes are kept in the costume show. But downstairs in the basement MCT stores thousands of costumes, shoes, hats and props for shows. •There are ROWS and ROWS of costumes ranging from yellow high heels and wedding dresses to pirate hats and mushroom costumes. •MCT does get rid of costumes sometimes. But new costumes are always being made for new shows. •Michelle’s most memorable costume over the years was the big starfish for the little mermaid. •Don and Michelle Mogstad got married in MCT and Michelle wore one of the costume wedding dresses! (Don Mogstad is the Youth Activities Director who directs the MIS/MCT productions.) •MCT has a tech director who designs all the sets. After MCT takes down their sets they re-use them. •According to Michelle Mogstad, her most memorable set was for The Christmas Carol. •According to student newspaper reporter Georgia Littig,her grandfather,Nathaniel Sturgis used to be the tech director at MCT. •Georgia Littig’s mom, Christine, toured with MCT in college and her early twenties. Some of her memorable roles were: Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker and Ado Annie in Oklahoma! On the set for the opening night of She Loves Me •There’s a trap door in the middle of the stage. Props are handed up to the stage through the trap door. with tour associate Michelle Mogstad. •Actors with bigger roles in the shows have their own, private dressing room. •In Community Theater, the cast or volunteers move the props around. Professional theater actors never touch set pieces- it’s always done by a hired crew. •Did you know? Our own librarian, Laura Bovard, will perform in the MCT production of Once Upon a Mattress starting in January.
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MESSENGER BEAT MIS School Newspaper Science Soars to the Top By Otis Peterson, 6th grade
Middle
school students are using the scientific method, or the design process, to participate in the first ever MIS middle school science fair. Helena Koelle, the middle school science teacher is organizing the event. On January 18th, students will be displaying their hard work over the last three months. Sixth graders Gabriella Stockstad and Lorraine Gardner will present their project on how seed crystals affect the growth rate of rock candy. “I really like making crystals and learning about the dimensions of crystals,” said Stokstad. The duo’s only concern is that they might not be able to get the correct ingredients, but they are The IB inquiry process guides MIS middle school students in collaborative projects not too worried. in both Science and Math classes, such as this design challenge to build the tallest, On the other hand, 6th most stable, marshmallow and spaghetti tower. grader Toren Garnaas is making gliders with different wingspans to see how their distance changes. He said, “I like flying, and I thought it sounded interesting.” His concern is that it will be hard to make the glider. Seventh grader Avery Fleming is developing a project on mind tricks. “I thought it would be fun to test people,” she said. She thinks that putting all the data into one graph might be challenging. For Koelle, it’s the first year doing the science projects at MIS and she’s excited to be helping with the process. “I’ve done other science projects but not science fair style,” she said. •
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My Top 5 Funniest Films of 2011 By Elan West Badminton, 6th grade
Eating in Class Banned in Middle School By Georgia Littig, 6th grade
MIS
I think a funny movie is a movie that makes you laugh until your stomach hurts. I like a movie that you could watch over and over and it never gets boring. The following were my all-time favorites this year: 1. Rango I think Rango was a hilarious comedy about a lizard that gets lost in the “wild west” and has a big adventure to save a small town of rodents. Rango’s awkwardness makes the movie just lovable. 2. Rio Rio is a funny movie about a rare bird by the name of Rio that falls in love with another bird. They both get kidnapped by animal dealers and have to find their way home. The writing and plot are really amusing. 3. Megamind Megamind is about a weird-looking person that is evil and fights the good guys. One day he falls in love with a good guy and has to save the day from an evil menace. The competition between Metro man and Megamind makes the movie one of my all-time favorites. 4. Kung Fu Panda 2 I think this is a goofy movie about a big panda that can do Kung Fu and has to stop an evil villain. He has a bit of trouble along the way. His love for food makes the movie a good one. 5. Toy Story 3 Toy Story 3 is an animated movie about Toys that come to life and can talk and have feelings. They go on adventures to explore their big world. The character dialogue makes it a funny movie. •
middle school teachers decided in midOctober that eating during class in the middle school would no longer be permitted because some teachers found eating to be a disruption. Middle school teacher Helena Koelle says, “I like eating, but when the students are done I find their wrappers on the floor. I always have to pick it up.” Koelle says she also finds eating in class causes distractions. Eighth grader Dónal Lakatua thinks students in middle school should be able to eat in class. Lakatua explains, “I like the freedom to eat while being educated.” Lakatua also believes, “We should eat in class but not be annoying with it.” If he were in the teacher’s place, however, Lakatua would find eating in class to be an interruption. Area middle schools impose similar rules as MIS. Meadow Hill middle school, St. Joseph’s and Hellgate Elementary do not allow eating in class. At C.S. Porter, the rule depends on the teacher. MIS middle school students are allowed to eat during their thirty minute advisory class because the advisory teachers generally don’t find it distracting. A rare chance to eat in Sixth grader class at the holiday party. Gabriella Stockstad believes we should eat in class because some people might get “cranky” or have a bad stomach ache. If she were in the teacher’s place she would let the kids eat as long as they weren’t distracting others. But if they got annoying, she would ask them to put their food away. Seventh grader Ingrid Biehl thinks that we should not eat in class because it’s distracting, even as much as she likes to eat in class. There are many perspectives on the sensitive issue. But for now the rule will stay as planned. •
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The Short, But Lovely Life of Lucky By Avery Quinn Fleming, 7th grade
El PERICO LUCKY, por Jack y Fisher
Ayer nosotros encontramos un périco azul en el patio de recreo.Ted lo atrapó On Tuesday, November 8th, a blue parakeet believed to be a pet con la chaqueta de Rocío. Despues, Ted puso was found on the MIS playground by 4th and 5th grade teacher Ted Muhs. This bird had a tag and could not fly. Muhs caught the bird and el périco azul en una jaula. Luego,Ted le puso un poquito de pan y agua en la jaula. immediately brought it inside. En nuestro salon hicimos carteles “The kids were very excited when they saw the bird,” said para que el dueno pudiera encontrar a su Muhs. Fifth grader Ella Varney said, “We put him in a butterfly cage pájaro. Era mas o menos 12:30 cuando and gave him water and bread.” nosotros terminaron los carteles del pájaro The students became so attached to the bird that they just perdido. had to name it. Fifth grader Abby Varney said, “We decided to name El día siguiente nosotros notamos que him Lucky because we thought he was lucky to survive in the cold Lucky había muerto. Después, cortamos los weather.” carteles del pequeno pájaro llamado Lucky y “We started calling him Lucky Chubbers because he was very chubby,” said fourth grader Liza Littig. The students decided to put up los pusimos en el altar de Jenny en el salón found posters of Lucky. “We had planned to hopefully find the owner,” de preescolar. Después, fuimos afuera para poner el perico en el cerro frio de Jumbo. said Muhs. Despues de enterrar el pequeno That same day after school, MIS Director of Finance Gary Cram (Story continued on page eight) pájaro azul Lucky, nosotros corrimos muy rápido hasta llegar al pie del Cerro Jumbo. Ted Muhs, Man of Many Talents Finalmente, allí es donde lo enterramos.
By Toren Garnaas, 6th grade
Kindergarten. My father still has some of my middle school art that I don’t think I could outdo even now. our very own MIS community. Ted is our 4th/5th Q: Do you play the violin with someone? If so, who? multiage Spanish teacher, who can also play the Ted: I’ve played with, and learned from lots of great violin and draw amazingly well. He was my teacher musicians over the years. Lately, I’ve played a bit for four years in a row, and I recently with John Kratz, our new K/1 had the pleasure of interviewing him. teacher, who, by the way, is a It is a good time to recognize him for great guitarist and vocalist. six outstanding years at MIS. Q: How do music and art influence your home life? Q: When did you learn to play the Ted: I try to practice one and violin? a half hours daily. My wife Ted: I started at age twenty-two on a accepts that violin is a big part bet that adults couldn’t learn to play of my life. Each year I prepare well. I like challenges and still love for Weiser, the national fiddle to play daily. I feel that I’m finally contest. pretty good after many years of Q: Does Ecuador inspire your focused practice. art or music? Q: You really won that bet. But did Ted: I studied Andean Folk you want to play the violin? Ted (center) and John Kratz (foreground) Ted: I always loved the way the violin helping a FWP ranger move a bear safely Music when I lived and traveled in Ecuador. I love the high sounded and thought fiddlers did away from the MIS neighborhood last fall. lonesome, haunting melodies. amazing things. I was intimidated by Q: Has anybody inspired you it, even after playing it many years. like Ray Charles or Picasso? Q: Do you like to draw? Ted: As far as music, Mark O’Connor has greatly Ted: I love to draw. I always wish I’d had formal influenced my fiddle style. He’s the greatest training in art, but it came easily, so I never pursued violinist to come along in many generations. With it. art, I love the Dutch masters like Rembrandt. The Q: Have you always been good at drawing? Dutch artists did amazing things with light to bring Ted: My earliest memories of drawing go back to their subjects to life. •
You may recognize Ted Muhs as a teacher here in
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One Word Message to Humanity By Feather Sherman, Art Specialist Creativity often comes when we find quiet. The development of this lesson plan for our fourth, fifth and sixth grade students actually came to me in a dream. I thought how empowering it would be for a child to be able to speak to all of humanity at once- to give encouragement and express an innermost hope for the world. I am profoundly deaf. I thought that communicating the message to humanity in sign language would not only be a visually striking presentation of the message, but would give students the ability to empathize with the hearing challenged people of the world. This project had several learning objectives and essential understandings. Students should feel empowered to know that how they express themselves can have a positive impact on the world. Students should develop empathy for and develop connections to the global community, embodying International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme principles. Finally, students should gain important fine art skills in contour drawing, composition, and an awareness of the elements and principles of design.
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Hello Molly! Quotes About Her Lifelong Love For Theatre When all the little kids were figuring out if they liked soccer or baseball, my mom put me in a MCT day camp and I just loved it. I’m not sure if I prefer being on stage to working behind the scenes. Since I’ve been learning spotlight and working with the kids backstage, it’s been really amazing. Molly Kauffman, seventh grade, plays the frog in the MIS/MCT production of The Frog Prince/ El Principe Rana in 2008.
I’m way better at public speaking because of MCT. I am pretty shy, like when I have to ask directions. But now that I’m in theater, I can scream and yell and act crazy. Being in Peter Pan was an amazing experience because I got to be a “Lost Boy” and learn how to build a real set with drills and paint.
Early Muscial Inspiration
By Ingrid Biehl, seventh grade The newest addition to the musical side of things at MIS is the amazing Natalie Baker! She teaches music in the 2nd/3rd and K/1 multiage classes, as well as the middle school Drama elective. Seventh graders Ariella Salinas and Avery Fleming both exclaimed, “She is so boss!” Natalie says that when she was little, she loved to dance. And when she cooked with her mom, “We would always have music playing.” Growing up, she performed in choir and several major productions, like The Music Man and The Scarlet Letter. Natalie first came to MIS in 2008 as the P.E. specialist. She and her husband, Christian, and daughter, Aspen moved to Texas, where she completed a teaching certification program. She has teaching endorsements in Physical Education, Early Childhood Education, Music and Theater, and an undergraduate degree in Recreation Management. She said, “I love teaching, but I especially love teaching music and drama.” She also said that her idol is Gandhi because he was able to have compassion for everyone around him. She danced professionally at age 10 and loved to perform. She also was the lead singer in two bands. When it comes to singing, her inspiration is Ella Fitzgerald. Her acting inspiration comes from none other than her middle school drama teacher. •
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I go to a teen arts group with MCT every week and we do community service or visit retirement homes. It’s all the people who have been doing MCT since they were four like me. I’ve made lifelong friends. ...LUCKY, continued from page six was planning to take the parakeet home to live with his daughter’s parakeet. Cram found the bird dead before he could take Lucky home. Muhs and the students believed that the parakeet died because he was too cold. “The students had grown close to the bird the first day they had him,” Muhs said. “So they were sad and shocked when they heard that the bird had died.” The students decided to cut out their drawings Avery visits Lucky’s “memorial.” of Lucky on the found posters. “We took the pictures and put them on an altar,” said Muhs. Muhs and the students held a ceremony on Mount Jumbo on Wednesday, November 9th. •
• Día de los Muertos •
MIS welcomed Jeanne Christopherson as the Resident Artist for our Día de los Muertos/ Day of the Dead celebration on November 2nd. Jeanne is a Missoula native who has traveled far and wide to pursue many kinds of dance and currently lives in California. A graduate of the University of Montana, she now teaches at California State University in Chico, and is the founder of the College of Embodied Arts. Jeanne worked with all of the MIS students, teaching 3 Haitian inspired dances to various groups, working with selected student musicians, and creating a gigantic web with students for the Spider dance. The music and traditions surrounding life and death in Haiti came to life through stories such as Anansi the spider.
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MISSOULA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
PRESENTS THE 15th ANNUAL
SAVE
TE! CASINO HAVANA! A D THE SATURDAY, MARCH 10th, 2012 6:30 PM - 11:30 PM
Holiday Inn, Parkside
DELICIOUS HORS D’OEUVRES, CASINO GAMES, SILENT AUCTION, AND DANCING WITH LA PACHANGA
Missoula International School inspires principled global citizens and lifelong learners through a challenging bilingual education from preschool to eighth grade. Missoula International School 1100 Harrison Street Missoula, MT 59802 406.542.9924 www.mismt.org