J A C K S O N
THE V OL. 49, ISSUE 4
P R E P A R A T O R Y
S C H O O L
S E N T RY
Preston Dubberly EntErtainmEnt Editor by
Jackson Prep students performed Shrek The Musical on October 20 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm, October 22 at 7:00 pm, and October 23 at 7:00 pm, wowing the audience every time they performed. This production was directed by Mr. Mitchell McGinnis and Ms. Temperance Jones. The cast consisted of over eighty different roles, all getting to wear extravagant costumes, eccentric wigs, and over the top makeup. The sets were absolutely incredible. The cast of Shrek the Musical had been practicing since August 13th.
“I have loved getting to grow closer to the cast and getting to perform with such amazing people.” - Walker Jay Patterson Senior John Louis Black played the lead role of Shrek, and junior Walker Jay Patterson played the role of Shrek’s sassy sidekick, Donkey. Sophomore Tori Johnston played Shrek’s love interest, Fiona. During the show, Tori had
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to make a very quick transformation: human to an ogre. She said, “My favorite part was definitely being painted green and having a dance party at the end of the musical in ‘I’m a Believer’.” A crowd favorite without a doubt was Matt Gross starring as Lord Farquaad, especially with his “legs.” As most people know, Lord Farquaad has to be shorter than everyone, so Matt really embraced his character and had to walk around the stage on his knees throughout the whole musical. “The challenge was being able to maneuver enough that I could bring out the character’s emotions without focusing too much on walking. A lot of people are asking if my knees have recovered, and I assure you, I have undergone no physical harm,” Matt guaranteed. Each show was notorious for bringing its audience to tears due to laughter. Walker Jay’s constant dancing and cheeky remarks were the talks of the intermission. Junior Sarah Gregg said, “I have loved getting to grow closer to the cast and getting to perform with such amazing people.” The tradition of having a very successful musical here at Jackson Prep has been upheld once again. All of the cast’s hard work obviously paid off.
School leaders build bridges with China On the week of October 21-27, Jackson Prep Head of School Mr. Lawrence Coco, along with Chief Operating Officer Mr. Denny Britt and International Program director Ms. Jane Zhu, embarked on a trip to China. The trip consisted of a hectic schedule that kept the trio busy during their time there. The purpose of this trip was to connect with leaders in education and students alike in order to gain insight about what Prep can do to further grow its International Program. The journey began with a
flight from Jackson to Dallas on Sunday. From there, the three traveled from Dallas to Shanghai, in China. The flight lasted a total of 14 hours, and from Shanghai they had to travel by train for 4 hours to Taizhou, a city on the eastern coast of China. By this time, it was Monday evening, and the three had a busy day ahead of them on Tuesday. After a night of relatively little sleep, Mr. Coco, Mr. Britt, and Ms. Zhu presented at a conference on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics), in Taizhou. Leaders from schools in the United States, as well as England and China were all present. All three
faculty members presented on Jackson Prep at the conference as well, discussing ways in which they incorporate immersive and experiential learning techniques provided by former Jackson Prep faculty at the school.
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Head of School Mr. Lawrence Coco, and COO Mr. Denny Britt being welcomed at the STEAM conference in Taizhou, China on Tuesday, October 23rd. Photo courtesy of Ms. Jane Zhu
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