SOUTHWORDS When D.C. met A.P. KMJCXIX
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by Karin Vonesh "We the People of the Maine South Constitution Team do hereby ordain our ferociously-sought victory and dedicate it to our honorable school." The first days of May brought the flowers of excitement to the 30 A.P. Hawks on their Hawk-flight to Washington, D.C. They qualified in December for the Center for Civic Education's National Constitution Competition. The smdents were divided into 6 units, each grappling with a different subject area of the Constitution. The 3-day-long competition included the presentation of prewritten 4-minute speeches as well as periods of time for free response questions in-
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vented by the distinguished panels of judges. When all was said and done, the A.P. Hawks came out with a 4th place finish in the nation. The trip was not all work, though. A variety of touristy activities including tours of memorials and governmental buildings added an educational air to the 5-day adventure. From the State Department and the Department of Justice to the glistening White House, many "excellent rooms" boasted unique artwork and the labors of talented architects. Milking government connections led to one-on-one meetings with both Congressman Henry Hyde and Senator Dick Durbin. Learning turned to
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bump-and-grind at the informal dance hosted by the "We the People" people. Needless to say interactions with participants from other states were encouraged. The following evening a slightly higher-brow banquet was held and later aired on C-Span. Every competitor present enjoyed the words of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. After the sUghtly disappointing announcement of the winning states (that failed to include Illinois), the A.P. Hawks worked their feelings out on the dance floor at yet another Booty Call-inspired shindig. Perhaps the most emotional moment on the trip was witnessed at the Vietnam Mecontinued on page 9
Close encounters of the animal kind by Jamie Foltz For some reason, strange sounds are coming from PA 109. Instead of the expected chatter from a group of young actors, the noise is a series of caws, cackles, snorts and grunts. One might think, "What is this, a farm?" This guess is close, but not quite right. ITie students are rehearsing "Animal Farm," the upcoming Spring Play based on George Orwell's famous novel. When it was first pubhshed in 1943, few could ignore the book's parallels to the Russian Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 as well as the novel's stance on sociahsm and communism. Orwell chose to diguise his social commentary by moving the location to England and giving key players such as Lenin, Marx and Trotsky new animal identities and names Uke Napolean, Old Major and Snowball. As senior Vanessa Cerf noted, "This is a very different piece to do. Not only does it deal with the main issues of communism and social injustice, but it shows a whole new aspect of theatre as well." Also contributing to the play's uniqueness is each character's mix of human and animal qualities, which adds to the excitement in each scene, but can also prove challenging for the actors. "It can be difficult expressing human ideas through animal
sounds. It's almost like making up your own language," commented Jenny Beacraft. "This show is done in a presentational style; it's not something we'd normally do," Mr. Muszynski noted. As director he has the task of bringing his visions to life with the help of the actors and crew. The actors onstage perform as an ensemble for much
of the show. "It's amazing that 23 people can come together as one," said Jon Hultgren. Assisting Muszynski at rehearsals are Student Director Jamie Foltz and Stage Manager Lee Adlaf, along with Janet Peterson as Assistant Technical Director and Mike Walters as Assistant Stage Manager. Behind continued on page 9 collage by Mike Tomassi