The place of fine arts in education
(BUCKNER/Post-News) Students in the Kankakee Valley High School symphonic band during an afternoon practice in November 2017. By Scott Buckner Post-News City Editor It’s really not enough to consider the fact that fine arts - music, theater, and visual arts - exists in our schools. Rather, it’s the wider and deeper role the fine arts has in helping - and encouraging - students to become well-rounded individuals with an ability to participate in their communities and the workforce. In DeMotte and Wheatfield, that road begins in its middle and high schools, where fine arts programs are being supported in great measure by public- and parochialschool administrators within the Kankakee Valley School Corporation and Covenant Christian High School, and the students themselves. In short, the fine arts are viewed not just a basic element of the educational system. Fine arts are seen as a basic element of human development. At Kankakee Valley High School, music plays a major part of that development. KV band program director Nick Boersma says “to varying degrees, schools will have fine arts program of some sort because it’s mandated by the state.” But even those with bare-bones band programs or those whose music programs consist of choir, students learn quite a bit about themselves and how a whole is only as good as the sum of its parts. “You learn teamwork and connection, because you have to work with others,” Boersma said. “It makes you more attentive to what’s going on in the world and around you. You can’t really hide in the group. It makes you maybe a little bit brave, because having to solo can be nerve-wracking. It teaches humility, because there’s always going to be someone who can do it better than us. That’s a big one.” see The Place on pg. 4
South Newton Choir
PHOTO BY STEVE WILSON “How can I keep from singing?” by Irish performer Enya, is performed in a rehearsal by the South Newton Choir on April 12. BY STEVE WILSON nceeditor@centurylink.net As their final rehearsal prior to an April 14 concert at Kankakee Middle School winded down, South Newton Choir Instructor Samantha Wagner had some words of encouragement for her students. “You’re gonna be good,” she told them. With 20 high school choir members, 26 seventh and eighth grade and 16 sixth grade members, Wagner is pleased with the hard work her students have put into their singing. “This year has been really good,” she said. Choir students took part in the Vocal Jazz Group on March 3, a first time event for South Newton Choir, and won the gold award, and award the middle school also took home at the Organization Contest on April 7. “They’re just doing a really fantastic job,” Wagner said. Standouts for this year include Kiara Battering, who was also selected for the All-State Choir, Steven Montemayer and Aubrey Massey, who received special recognition for their solos at the Vocal Jazz Contest. In addition, Alexis McDaniel received a gold at state competition on Feb. 17 in Indianapolis, and Ian Spurlock got a silver award for solo and ensemble. Also at state, eighth grader Alex Kindig qualified for state solo/ensemble for his performance of “Danny Boy.” “He got a perfect score from the judge,” Wagner noted. “I’m so proud of the kids this year. They’ve done a really great job.” Wagner said for 2018-19 she is planning a fundraising concert to benefit the choir. Open to the community, she hopes to make it a performance of “Les Miserables,” inspired by both the musical stage production and the motion picture. Anyone interested in taking part in this, from the school or the community in general, is encouraged to contact Wagner at 219-474-5167, #130 or at wagners@newton.k12.in.us.
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Will McFadden
North Newton Band
Tri-County High school sophomore Will McFadden took to acting in middle school and now acts in plays and musicals at his school and with theatre groups around Indiana.
Tri-County student finds his calling in acting By JAMES D. WOLF JR. NEWS@THEHJ.COM
Will McFadden first got the acting bug when Tri-County Middle School had tiny plays for students. He was a quiet student who used to sit in the back of the room, but he decided to try out for them, he recalled. “It was one of those ‘why not’ kind of things. It sort of clicked with me,” said McFadden, who’s now a sophomore and acting in plays and musicals not only for Tri-County High School but for theatre groups around north central Indiana. But from the first, acting seemed natural. “Even my parents were kind of surprised,” he said. Most recently, he acted in “Shrek the Musical” on March 16 and 18 at Tri-County High School and played Mufasa in “The Lion King Jr.” from Feb. 16 through 25 for the Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette. In Civic Theatre’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” last fall, he played Veruca Salts’ father and Grandpa George (one line for that), and in its holiday production of “Elf The Musical,” he played Buddy’s biological father “I play father roles at a fairly common pace, it seems,” McFadden said. He attributes that to being one of the oldest in the Civic Theatre and having the deepest voice. Last summer, McFadden also participated in the Honeywell Foundation Visual & Performing Arts Summer Camps in Wabash and played in “High School Musical.” “I had, like, Nerd #5. It wasn’t a spectacular part. It was fun to do - kind of cheesy,” he said. He added that the cheesiness was what made it fun. He is auditioning for the summer camp’s “Thoroughly Modern Mille” production this summer. He said that so far, the part of Mufasa was his favorite, and there’s a family consensus that it was his best play. Christy Young, Tri-County’s play director, said McFadden’s participated in most of the Tri-County plays since he was in middle school. “He’s been a great addition. We have so few boys that want to be in the plays right now,” she said. “He always dies a real good job and picks up the slack.” He’s also dependable in a time when many students have multiple extracurricular activities they’re part of, and he’s able to lose himself in characters, she added. Jeremy Sterk, the school band and choir teacher who helps with musicals said that McFadden takes direction well. “He’s fun in stage. He’s not afraid to try new things,” Sterk said. Although McFadden sees his acting as stronger than his singing, Sterk thinks he’s come a long way. McFadden plans to go into acting after graduation and is already researching colleges. Young said that he’s also the first student they’ve had in years that goes outside the school for acting parts. Sterk said, “he’s pretty dedicated to it, and it’s a hard field to get into. It takes dedication.” Sterk added, “I think he’s got the right mindset for it.”McFadden plans to stay with the Lafayette Civic Theatre because it’s a good program, but he’s also looking for other opportunities and looking forward to driving and possibly expanding his area. When not acting himself, he likes to watch others act. He’s planning to see “Wicked” in Chicago with his aunt, and he likes comedies with Mel Brooks and Monty Python being favorites. Although he likes Disney cartoons, he prefers works with live actors. “There’s something about watching them on film or on stage,” he said.
BY STEVE WILSON nceeditor@centurylink.net
Dakota Chancy plays alto saxophone for North Newton high school band. “It’s pretty fun,” he said as band class ended on April 5. “I’ve been in it since seventh grade.” Band instructor Craig Redlin, currently in his ninth year in that role, said that 20 of the 55 band members this year are freshman, and that they are gaining more experience. “We’re playing very challenging music,” he said. “I keep throwing new music at them and they keep progressing. “ Other than football games and other athletic events. major band events for North Newton have included, and will include, the Winter Concert in December, Solo and Ensemble, which was more individual oriented, in January and February, the Annual band and choir event April 13-14, the April 23 Spring Concert in the High School gym, Morocco’s “Beaverfest” in May, the Thayer Memorial Day Service, for high school choir, and graduation. Redlin would like to see a more extensive marching ban program develop, as well as see more kids take part in music programs. Furthermore, he emphasizes that it is a proven fact that students excel more academically when they are involved with music programs. “We’ve added a jazz band for the first time in my nine years of being here,” he said. “I don’t think there is a more important part of a kid’s time in high school than to take part in band or choir.”
PHOTOS BY STEVE WILSON North Newton High School Band members, under the guidance of instructor Craig Redlin, at podium, rehearse “In all it’s glory,” by James Swearingen on April 5.
Thank You For Sharing You Talents With Us!
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We would like to recognize all the fine arts students at Rensselaer Central High School. Thank you for sharing your talents with us. We appreciate your hard work and time you put into all you do.
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‘I want them to have a better music experience and background than I did.’ By Scott Buckner Post-News City Editor On the weekend of Feb. 17, Kankakee Valley Middle School hosted Indiana’s ISSMA District Solo and Ensemble event. The results were nothing short of impressive. Sixty-one KVHS students won Gold, 48 won Silver, and five received Bronze awards. Thirty-three of the Goldwinning students qualified for the state-level competition to be held at North Central High School in Indianapolis on Feb. 24. I sat with KV band director Nick Boersma this week to get a sense of how achievement like this happens. In a sentence, it all comes down to commitment and connection. Boersma, 37, a 1999 KVHS graduate, returned to his hometown soon after graduating from Indiana State University. Asked why he did so rather than move on elsewhere, he replied, “I always wanted to [come back]. I tell kids that I wanted them to have a better music experience and background than I did. There wasn’t the focus on the students, and that’s a tough row to hoe when it’s your first experience. “My ultimate goal - I don’t want them to stop playing. When your knees have given out ... from years of running down the basketball court or the football field, you can still sit down and play an instrument. It’s like riding a bike.” Boersma began his teaching career in 2007 as a mid-semester music program replacement at River Forest High School - an experience he characterized as a “baptism by fire.” Even there, “It was just showing an interest in the kids,” which tends to not happen as much in low-income communities such as that served by River Forest’s school. In his second year of teaching, Boersma was hired as KV’s assistant music director following the retirement of director Ken Steidle. Boersma said he was determined to continue Steidle’s mission of dismantling the revolving door that the district’s music program had been. “He did an amazing job of adding a firm foundation to the program,” Boersma said of Steidle, who was with the district for 16 years. “He was the first director in 20 years that stayed for more than four years. It wasn’t the revolving door that the kids had gotten to know more than a little bit.” Since his tenure as director of the district’s band program, the high school program grown to 325 band and 127 orchestra students; the middle school’s program contains 178 band and nearly 70 orchestra students. “That’s how many kids we see every day. And that’s being done by two people,” Bersma said of himself and assistant director Brandon Dinkins. Boersma projects that by 2020, band enrollment will have grown to more than 300 students taking instrumental
“
They are going into a room bearing their
soul and their heart to try to get the rating they want....”
music. “Out of a [district] enrollment of 1,080, that’s 30 percent of the entire school population in one of our areas of music. That’s unheard of for a lot of schools.” The entire program boasts a 90 percent yearto-year studentretention rate, which Boersma credits to the opening of the new middle school in Wheatfield. Previously, music students were bussed to the high school after school, which created competition with other popular after-hours activities, such as sports. “It’s about commitment and drive and never settling for less than your best. If you push yourselves, you’re always gonna like the results you’re gonna get. Unless you’re willing to step up and do it, you’re only gonna be what you are.” Boersma said during his tenure so far dealing with students in the high and middle school levels, he has encountered a total of only five
Nick Boersma
students knowing what they wanted to play before joining band. The recruitment process begins in sixth grade; Boersma and high school band volunteers put on an annual five-day band camp at the beginning of June to introduce the young students to the three instruments in which they’ve expressed an interest in order to determine which one will be their best fit. The students then learn the basics of their ultimately-chosen instrument and put on a mini concert for their parents. The high schoolers, says Boersma, “see the value in helping teach the future. That’s something I missed out on too” in high school. “[The solo competition] is the pinnacle of what a kid can do on his own,” he said. “They are going into a room bearing their soul and their heart to try to get the rating they want. And they’ll be much harder on themselves, much more than what the judge is going to be.” The group competition is just as demanding, Boersma said, but in a somewhat different way. “If they’re not covering their part, they feel like they’re letting the group down. It’s instilling that work ethic [in themselves]. You don’t want to be the one to let the group down.”
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fine arts in education con’t. from pg. 1
Students in the Kankakee Valley High School orchestra during an afternoon practice in November 2017. (BUCKNER/Post-News)
The placecon’t from pg. 1 The Place From PG 1
Since Boersma’s tenure as director of the district’s band program began some 10 years ago, the high school program grown to 325 band and 127 orchestra students; the middle school’s program contains 178 band and nearly 70 orchestra students. “That’s how many kids we see every day.” Boersma projects that by 2020, band enrollment will have grown to more than 300 students taking instrumental music. “Out of a [district] enrollment of 1,080, that’s 30 percent of the entire school population in one of our areas of music. That’s unheard of for a lot of schools.” Although KVHS’ band enrollment alone dwarfs the entire student body enrollment at Covenant Christian High School - there are 105 students there this school year, and its band is composed of 12 of those students Covenant band and theater arts director Lois DeVries says the school’s small size hasn’t been a roadblock to same human development qualities and student participation rate found at its public school counLois DeVries terpart. Covenant Christian School Band and “The bigTheater Arts Director gest thing is t h e numbers,” DeVries said. “It affects the instrumentation, the songs you’re able to do, but we have a good balance. It’s being a part of a group, and they know this since they’re also in sports. It’s your own performance, but what you do affects others around you. It pushes your skill level. It makes you perform to a certain level. It varies from student to student, but you’re going to grow your skill and you’re going to grow as a group.” While the school may be small in size, its participation rate - particularly when it comes to theater tends to run super-sized for its two yearly productions: a fall play and a spring musical. The school’s weekend production of “Oklahoma!”- staged earlier this month - ended up involving half the school’s population in performing and stage support roles. “We always have a very high involvement,” said DeVries. “It’s always well-done since they’re fun and we have big crowds. We always have quality productions, and they want to be a part of it. And there’s a certain (quality) standard. These kids who get the lead roles, whether they have above-average or average singing abilities ... they grow more. I really push for the achievement and the rehearsal time so they get better. They have standards they have to live up to.” “I think today, there are more choices,” said KV School Corp. Board President Ed Habrowski. “There are more artistic resources at their fingertips. Fifty, 60 years ago, we just didn’t have that exposure. When I was growing up, ëtheater’ was tuxedo/upper middle class top hat and tails. Now, the ability to recreate the same things is phenomenal.” While fine arts enjoys a strong following in Kankakee Valley’s schools, districts elsewhere in the country facing significant budgetary issues aren’t so fortunate, with extracurriculars and arts programs
among the first victims of cutbacks and more of an emphasis of the so-called STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) subjects. In fact, it hasn’t even required financial crises on state or local levels for school districts to begin placing heavy emphasis on STEM curriculum. A shortage of college and high school graduates able to compete in a science- and technology-driven landscape took care of that. But at what cost, if any, to the fine arts in schools? Teachers and administrators nationwide have begun talking about that very subject. Habrowski said KV’s school board hasn’t needed to have a dialog about it up to this point. “There’s been more of a movement toward STEAM, and I’ve seen it cropping up ... to integrate all of them so they hang together so you have something cohesive. We’ve been quite supportive” of the arts program and its instructors, he said. “Fine arts, when it comes down to it, just like math and science, is just as important.” Still, it’s been something Boersma thinks about. “I’d like to change STEM to STEAM,” said Boersma. “The ‘A’ in there is the arts. I’m not a big proponent of STEM,” particularly because of the inherent difference of STEM curriculum being grade- and test-score driven. “You have state-mandated testing, and with music, it so difficult to test because you can’t quantify it. Some state have gone over to STEAM because they don’t want to forget the arts.” Writing on the London School of Economics and Political Science’s LSE Impact Blog, Malaika Cunningham, a research associate at The Bernard Crick Centre at Sheffield University, points out what instructors like Boersma and DeVries already know: That the fine arts have a direct and measurable impact on STEM learning : “A simple place to begin is to ask what we actually want from our education system,” writes Cunningham. “Of course we want a huge range of things but a few themes keep coming up: a system which prepares the next generation for the working world, a system which teaches our children social and political values needed for civic and community life, and if we’re feeling ambitious, one that actually improves the general welfare of our children.
“In terms of the first theme, we need students graduating with skills relevant to employers. Indeed, it’s how the whole STEM debate began. In the USA, and in the UK, there is an apparent dearth in competent maths and science teachers, and in those adequately equipped with the skills necessary for the recent and dramatic rise in computing jobs. However, reports have also shown that, along with maths, our literacy rates are shockingly poor. Where is the literacy in STEM? Employers may want technologically savvy staff, but they also want staff who are able to write articulately. They want staff who can work in teams, think critically and who use their imagination to create new products and services. These are all skills proven to be fostered by arts education, and not through biased research: by scientists, sociologists, psychologists and employers themselves.” “Music also helps your comprehension skills,” said Covenant’s DeVries. “Math and music are related. Anybody, if they study music, it helps your brain function in other areas. It benefits whatever you’re working on. It’s good to have STEM training,. It makes you a well-rounded individual. It doesn’t have to be an either/or. There can be a balance science and the arts.” During the first weekend in April, KV’s orchestra and choir participated in Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) competition, with the eighth grade orchestra and choir, along with seventh grade choir, captured Gold awards. The seventh grade orchestra and all three middle school grade levels in band won Silver honors. Many members of the high school’s band program were award winners at the Feb. 24 Indiana ISSMA State Solo and Ensemble event at North Central High School in Indianapolis. In all, KVHS netted 25 Gold and 19 Silver awards at the State Level of competition. On the weekend of Feb. 17, Kankakee Valley Middle School hosted Indiana’s ISSMA District Solo and Ensemble event, where 61 KVHS students won Gold, 48 won Silver, and five received Bronze awards. Thirty-three of the Gold-winning students qualified for the state-level competition in Indianapolis on Feb. 24. “That’s kind of where it pays off,” Habrowski said.
(Courtesy photo) Covenant Christian High School theatre students Erica deJong, Kayla Fase, Sydney Peterson, and Cayden VanKley rehearse a scene from “Oklahoma!” Nearly half the student body participated in the production as cast, chorus, and crew members. Most students are also involved in sports and other extracurricular activities.
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RCSC Band: Working together to earn gold standards
STAFF PHOTO The Rensselaer Central band performs during a competition at home last fall.
RENSSELAER — The Rensselaer Central High School/Middle School band program had a handful of highlights this year under first-year band director Michael Jamieson: • In October, the Bomber Brigade qualified for Indiana State School Music Association(ISSMA) Scholastic State finals for the fourth year in a row, placing 10th this year. In February, many of our students participated in ISSMA Solo and Ensemble, earning multiple gold and silver ratings. Additionally, Piper Sell qualified for ISSMA State Solo and Ensemble, earning a gold rating there as well. • In March, the RC Jazz Band earned a silver rating at ISSMA Jazz Contest, performing at a higher difficulty than in many years. The Rensselaer Central sixth-, seventh- and eighthgrade bands earned gold ratings at ISSMA MS Organizational Contest, where the sixth-grade participated for the first time! • In April, the RCHS Concert band earned a gold rating at ISSMA HS Organizational Contest. The RC bands continue to earn excellent ratings and accolades as the program grows stronger every year!
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PHOTO BY NICK FIALA Dan and Maia Hawthorne perform as New Bedford Compact at the Carnegie Center earlier this month.
New Bedford Compact: Husband-wife duo draws on country, Americana By Nick Fiala reporter@rensselaerrepublican.com Dan Hawthorne, a Rensselaer Central High School History teacher, and his wife Maia Hawthorne, who now teaches English at Twin Lakes High School, both perform at local events as the band New Bedford Compact. The couple currently resides in the country outside Rensselaer. They have performed as New Bedford Compact for around a year, following their involvement with at least one other local musical group. The Hawthornes origi-
nally performed as part of a larger band for a period of around five years. As part of this band, the two of them joined other locals in performing soul music, before forming their own smaller group. Hawthorne had originally recruited his wife as a bass player. “We used to be in Mcguffin together, the Soul band that played around,” Dan Hawthorne said. “That band kind of broke up…She played base in that band, and I was like ‘Let’s do this other thing.’” See DUO, Page 6
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Page 6: Fine Arts ` April 2018
PHOTO PROVIDED Davisson oversees nearly 200 students in total, broken down into various groups, for the school year’s musical performances and competitions.
RCSC choirs display success and growth in skills By Nick Fiala reporter@rensselaerrepublican.com The Rensselaer Central School Corporation’s Choral Director, Stephanie Davisson, said her students enjoyed another year of success and
Duo
growth in the 2017-18 school year. Davisson said the students were supported by “a community that finds the importance of Fine Arts Education and performancebased learning valuable.” Davisson notably shares her
classroom with over 170 students in grades 6-12. Davisson said all groups involved worked very hard this year at the Indiana State School Music Association’s contests. “RCMS remains a solid
foundation of students participating in the study of singing,” Davisson said of the middle school. “They perform three concerts each year and work especially hard at ISSMA Solo/ Ensemble Contest.” See RCSC choirs, Page 7
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The couple shifted its focus away from Soul and Blues music and more towards an intimate storytelling style. Hawthorne said that this style is in the neighborhood, so to speak, of Bluegrass and a general “Americana” influence. “I’m interested in playing…music from the ‘20s and ‘30s and old Country/Western stuff,” he said, “…but also songs from the great American songbook…songs that you know, but you don’t know who wrote them.” Hawthorne said the band name came from an occasion where he and his wife had a significant personal conversation about their relationship while touring a museum in New Bedford, MA. “We were both out there on conferences,” he remembered. He agreed that the musical style is also somewhat comparable to the style of Bob Dylan, which they will also cover on occasion. He and his wife have brought that style to numerous events and gatherings in the area, such as a recent display put on by the Prairie Arts Council in the Lillian Fendig Gallery of the Carnegie Center on North Van Rensselaer Street. They also plan on performing at this year’s Rock the Arts Festival. “That art show is per-
PHOTO BY NICK FIALA Dan and Maia Hawthorne’s music is comparable to the style of Bob Dylan and other folk singers.
fect for us,” he said. “Because we like to play quieter, subtler stuff.” He added, with a laugh, that locals shouldn’t expect to find them at too many louder
parties or venues. “Playing to drunk people is hard,” he said, “because it’s hard to keep their attention with the kind of stuff that we do.”
In any case, the couple has attracted the attention of local groups, in their mutual passion for the distinct sound of America’s music.
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‘Gentleman Prefer Blondes’ gets RCHS Drama Dept. treatment By Nick Fiala reporter@rensselaerrepublican.com Rensselaer Central High School’s Drama Department recently performed the classic musical ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,’ in a production steered by Director Bernard Sell and Sydney Bement, who served as the play’s Student Director. Bement also starred in lead role of Lorelei Lee, one of many characters immortalized on film by the iconic model and actress Marilyn Monroe. Capturing some of that musical magic might seem intimidating, but Sell had full confidence in Bement and the rest of the cast and crew well before the curtains rose on opening night. “Typically when people think of ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,’ they think of the 1953 film version,” Sell wrote in his director’s notes in reference to the Monroe film, “but
both the Broadway musical (starring Carol Channing) and the original book by Anita Loos (pronounced ‘loose’) were already wildly popular.” Sell noted how the original book was written during the height of the Jazz Age in 1926 and became an immediate runaway best-seller. “Edith Wharton, a literature giant in her own right, dubbed it ‘the great American novel,’ something often said about that decade’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ — but knowing her, she may have been being as ironic as Lorelei Lee’s ‘dumb blonde’ act (Or Marilyn Monroe’s, for that matter.),” Sell wrote. Indeed, the comedic drama mainly centers on Lee and her friend Dorothy Shaw (Alexis Brouwer) as they try to find their ideal male partner. The resulting scenarios make fun of the lengths both genders
PHOTO BY NICK FIALA Student Director and actress Sydney Bement performs a solo as Lorelei Lee during a rehearsal for RCHS’ production of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.”
See Drama, Page 8
PHOTO PROVIDED Groups such as Davisson’s BEATS group worked hard this school year in competition under the Indiana State School Music Association.
RCSC choirs The middle school groups also participated in a small Christmas musical production and endeavored to develop their choreography. Davisson said the high school has shown “a consistent group of dedicated and committed musicians who set high goals during their school year.” This included work at four ISSMA Competition events, three community concerts, participation in singing activities such as the National Anthem
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at Homecoming, Veterans Day performances, Memorial Day performances, the Alma Mater at RCHS’ graduation ceremonies and lead roles in the RCHS Theatre plays and musicals. “They are exposed to many different genres of music,” Davisson wrote,”including Popular, Pop, Classical, Festival selections, Jazz, Sacred, Non-Sacred and Broadway.” The groups involved
came very close to winning the ISSMA Award Banner, which it has previously won two years in a row. Davisson noted that her students reminded her their school corporation is one of very few, if not the only one, in the local area which can even apply for the ISSMA banner with the groups involved. “The Rensselaer Choral Department is a great atmosphere for diversity and acceptance,” Davisson said. “We
work hard developing character education and improving our musical skills each year! Mrs. Davisson would like to thank her students and their amazing parents for helping create a community of strong talent and good effort! I’m so proud of their accomplishments this year and to all the choir students who represent the choral program at RCHS… you’re all pretty amazing!”
Page 8: Fine Arts ` April 2018
Drama
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are willing to go to in order to fulfill lust, ambition, genuine love or all three at once. “Loos reports that she was inspired to write the book after watching the ‘Sage of Baltimore,’ H.L. Mencken, a noted cultural scholar and intellectual, fall all over himself trying to impress a sexy blonde on a train,” Sell wrote. Sell indicated that one of the reasons he chose this story for the school’s spring musical is the strong female lead, which may seem ironic given the context of certain scenes. “Lorelei’s act is very crafty,” he wrote. “As she says in the movie, ‘I can be smart when it’s important. But most men don’t like it.’” As he sat on a park bench used in the musical, just moments before the cast’s last rehearsal until the opening night, he commended Bement and Music Director Stephanie Davisson for their work and passion for the project. He particularly noted Bement’s work, since her work gave him more time than usual to step back and take in the big picture. “Whenever I have student directors, the show kind of runs with them,” he said. “And I kind of let the leash out as far as they will go. The more that they want to do, the more I will let them do, because this is all about student leadership.” Though Sell is technically overseeing everything, and has previously been much more directly involved, he said the show essentially “lives and dies” with the student director’s commitment. “And yes, my name is on it, but really I see my mission as training leaders,” he said. “And she has just embraced that and left her mark pretty much on every aspect of the show, which is awesome.” Sell also praised the rest of the cast and crew, which notably included more freshman students than usual. The student director and the upperclassmen involved have had to step in and help some of the less-experienced cast or crew with logistics. But it yielded
PHOTO BY NICK FIALA RCHS’ latest spring musical employed a large cast of talented actors and actresses for various complex song-anddance numbers. good results for Sell and the show as a whole. He said this is one of the reasons why certain props and set pieces, such as a large replica of the Eiffel Tower, looked as good as they did. “That’s what makes student leadership so important,” Sell said. “…I don’t always have that, but when it does happen, it’s pretty magical…I can think about things that I would not have time to think about. If I was worried about props and costumes and putting out fires all the time,
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we wouldn’t be able to add these really cool touches.” The RCHS Drama Department’s production of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” starred Sydney Bement, Alexis Brouwer, Kourtnee Boose, Kevin Bracht, Lily Martin, Adam Armstrong, Alex Nagel, Elijah Gastineau, Kelsey Martin, Haley Brouwer, Ben Deadman, Gabriel King, Keily Gilbert, John Michael, Autumn Williams and Matthew Barker. Leading staff members included
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Bernard Sell (Director), Stephanie Davisson (Music Director), Sydney Bement (Student Director) and Lily Martin and Kourtnee Boose as Student Directors. The department notably welcomed members of the community to become part of RCHS productions. This could mean helping with acting, building, promoting, lighting or simply supporting the department’s next production. Anyone who would like to help, email Sell at bernard.sell@rcsc. k12.in.us.
437 N. Halleck NE Next to Subway DeMotte, IN 46310 219-987-2252
Design & Build
60
ATTORNEYS AT LAW EST. 1970
YEARS
ERIC J. BEAVER
1958-2018
LORI S. JAMES
Development of Offices Retail Projects ■ Agricultural Centers ■ Municipal Facilities ■ Commercial
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WILLS, PROBATE, ESTATE PLANNING REAL ESTATE • BUSINESS LAW • FAMILY LAW PERSONAL INJURY • CRIMINAL DEFENSE GUARDIAN AD LITEM • ADOPTION
201 W. WASHINGTON ST. RENSSELAER, IN 47978 219-866-4171 www.beaverlegal.com
BUSINESS & RESIDENTIAL
Real Estate Development General Construction Property Management 12028 N. 200 W. Wheatfield, IN
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