Laguna Blanca School - 4125 Paloma Drive - Santa Barbara - California - 93110- thefourthestate@lagunablanca.org
Volume XVI
December 17, 2010
Laguna Participates in Holiday Parade
Issue 3
“Songbook: A Musical Revue” Junior Cameron Platt creates and directs student run production By ANDREW MCCAFFERY
PHOTO: ELLIOT SERBIN
By TARA BROUCQSAULT
S
oaring down State Street in the annual 58th Downtown Holiday Parade were Laguna Blanca School students and beloved owl mascot, SWOOP! Proudly sponsored by Santa Barbara’s Rugs and More, the float carried the youngest of the School’s students from its K-4 campus in Montecito. Also on board singing carols to the 55,000 friendly faces along State Street were Headmaster Paul Slocombe, Head of Lower School Susan Naretto, and Kindergarten Instructor Mieke Delwiche. Aboard a festive and sparkling candy float, Laguna parade participants sang “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and wished all of Santa Barbara the sweetest and most magical of holidays.
Seniors Travel to New York City to Receive An Award of Appreciation By ARABELLA WATERS It was a cold night in New York City, but that didn’t stop one of the city’s biggest philanthropies, the American Friends of the Phelophepa, from celebrating a successful year of fundraising at their 8th annual gala which took place at the Grand Hyatt New York. Receiving an Award of Appreciation from the foundation for their short documentary called “Phelophepa: Train of Hope” featuring the Phelophepa Health Care Train were Laguna Blanca seniors, Arabella Watters and Arabella Weston-Smith. After spending their junior year fundraising well over $10,000 to be donated to help in the production of Phelophepa II (a second medical train which would help the train to reach thousands more South Africans).
The girls flew in late Tuesday night on Dec. 1 in order to make it to the black tie gala which PHOTO: FREDDIE WESTON-SMITH started at 6:30 p.m. the following evening. was an amazing experience. At the gala, Waters and I think we were finally shown Weston-Smith accepted their the reality of our accomplishawards and gave a brief speech ment. It was incredible to giving thanks for the op- meet all of these people who portunity to participate with had seen the film all the way the train and the American on the other side of the counFriends of the Phelophepa. try. It was also great to meet The organization, which all of the people behind the works directly with the train in Phelophepa organization,” South Africa, is sponsored by said Arabella Westin-Smith Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu. In addition to the award Tutu also endorsed the film, which both girls received, Miwhich was featured at the chael Boerner the Founder Santa Barbara International and CEO of the Unity MeFilm Festival and the US In- dia Group and Unity Mediternational Film Festival. cal Inc. was awarded for “Being honored at the gala his work with the train.
Owls in Wonderland: Carnival Brings the Community Together
Cameron Platt is well known around campus and in the performing arts community for her participation in theatre productions and musicals. On stage she is funny, exciting, and captivating, gluing you to your seat in fascination. Amidst all of her success, Cameron is taking her theatrical career to the next level, as a director. Cameron has assumed the role of director for Laguna Blanca’s newest theater production: “Songbook, a musical revue.” The production is a collection of songs from different musicals, spanning from classics such as “The Sound of Music” and “South Pacific” to new-age hits, like “Wicked” and “Hairspray.” In her words, “it’s not exactly a play... no lines or a story, just musical numbers.” The idea for “Songbook” was Cameron’s own, and its inception into Laguna Blanca was all her doing. In order to make the production possible, Cameron “spent a million hours getting everything ready.” She had to meet with members of the administration, create a timeline, make a schedule, hold auditions, research song possibilities, buy sheet music, cast and choreograph the different numbers, and hire an accompanist... all on her own. Because of all of her hard work -- and that of the Laguna students who will perform -Cameron’s “fascination with directing” has become a reality. Although this is her first time directing at school, Cameron has experienced life as a director before. “I’ve directed on a small scale... scenes and coached character acting, but never a full production.” Some of this directing experience comes from her work with UpStage Left Productions, a spin-off/continuation of the long-standing Stage Left Productions, which is for young children. Despite being recently created, the group is already off to a tremendous start, performing multiple times throughout the year at venues around Santa
PHOTO: ELLIOT SERBIN
Barbara. The ensemble’s most recent production, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” in which Cameron performed, was raved about by Laguna alumn Spencer Klavan in his article for the Santa Barbara Independent. When describing the theatre group, Klavan said that “each of the performers brings a unique passion to the stage, and the result is… hilarious and fun.” One can see -- through the multiple steps that Cameron has taken towards directing -- that it is impossible to instantly become a director. One must start out small, and gradually work his or her way up to the revered position of director: “you can’t jump into a leadership role without starting at the bottom of the ladder. There’s no sneaky way to the top, you just have to devote a lot of time and be willing to work like crazy,” Platt said. “All in all, one has to be determined in order to persevere in life, and in the theatre world,” Cameron Platt said. However, as stressed by Cameron, the theatre is not “only a place for performers.” There are opportunities to be a leader and succeed as members of the stage or tech crew, set and light design team, costume designers, marketing and so much more. “Half of my theatre friends are techies who have never performed, but they’re truer theatre kids than most actors I know!” “Songbook,” the culmination of Cameron Platt’s hard work, is being performed at Laguna Blanca, Wed., Dec. 15 at 8:00 p.m. However, the night is not Cameron’s alone; recognition must also be given to the many individuals who have worked very hard in preparation for this musical revue. So, in Cameron’s words, come support your fellow students, “it may be a school night, but come anyway! Who knows, some teachers might give you extensions.”
By ANASTASIA ANTONOVA
O
n an early Sunday morning, kids, aging from three to ten, go down the rabbit hole into “Wonderland.” “Owls in Wonderland,” the Laguna Blanca parent-created carnival located on the fairy tale campus of Laguna’s Lower School. Robin Fell, one of the parents behind the making of the carnival, came up with the idea. “The carnival was meant to be unique with an academic twist” coordinator Tara Broucqsault said. The themed activities in wonderland included painting the roses red, playing a royal croquette game, and sipping tea with Alice at a tea party. Although some activities were playful such as the giant caterpillar jumper, most had an educational component to them. Kids learned how to make kaleidoscopes and tell time in at the Art Inspiration area, while the Keys of Citizenship—responsibility, respect, kindness, service and honesty—were hung high for kids to
see while playing citizenship bingo and bean bag toss. In the Mad Science area, parents partnered with their son or daughter to volunteer on thirty minutes shifts. The interactive activities included the Einstein “doo” static electricity, a nail bed, and even simple games like making paper airplanes with science teacher Mr. Neustadt. Kids also visited the creative thinking lounge where they could play an oversized game of chess! However, not only did the carnival theme and decorations reflect the timeless tale of “Alice in Wonderland,” but all the attendees: children, parents, and the student volunteers were encouraged to wear costumes. Popular costumes included the Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire cat, the White Rabbit, and of course Alice! Even our own mascot, Swoop was there posing with guests as the Mad Hatter. “Everyone went all out for the carnival. It was so festive,” sophomores Chanelle Jans-
sens and Tess Elder proudly said after they helped with the carnival, along with countless other school volunteers, “It was a hoot of a time!” When carnival attendees became hungry, they could enjoy lunch by Tinker’s of Summerland and dessert from Here’s the Scoop ice cream stand. Andrea Brattfrick with the BUNS shelter program brought in adoptable rabbits, although they weren’t wearing pocket watches. Kim Stoud from Ojai Raptor Group and Gabrielle Drozdowski from Eyes in the Sky brought live owls for kids of our community to see. Ms. Broucqsault says that the carnival will definitely be happening again, “The event was a success in many ways and provided the community with an interactive way to explore the campus. The creative theme also provided a fun and whimsical way for children to enjoy learning.” Overall, the carnival was a fun day, and everyone hopes to see it become another Laguna tradition!
PHOTO: ELLIOT SERBIN