Issue 12

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TOWER Thursday, Dec. 8 , 2016

Volume 89

Issue 12

@thetowerpulse

Grosse Pointe South 11 GP Blvd. Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236 PHOTO COURTESY OF BILL RAPAI

Pointe Players: Lost in Saginaw

RACHEL HARRIS ‘18 | Supervising Editor pproximately seventeen hundred pairs of eyes stare at a stage dimly lit from a spotlight. Zaria Aikens ’18 hobbles across the stage using a cane, belting out lines to other cast members of South’s production of Lost in Yonkers. Along with Aikens, South Pointe Players had the opportunity to set the stage one last time for their production of Lost in Yonkers last Friday and Saturday at Saginaw Valley University during this year’s Michigan Thespian Festival. According to Meaghan Dunham, Lost in Yonkers director, the festival is a statewide gathering involving high school thespians who are involved in theater across the state. “It is a two day conference where the kids have a chance to perform main stage shows and to see

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other schools do the same,” Dunham said. “Fifty different teachers come from all over the country and teach things on script analysis, playwriting, vocal techniques, set design, everything.” According to Dunham, students had the opportunity to perform in individual events, where colleges, professional performers or set designers from throughout the state gave them feedback. “A lot of colleges come and they get a chance to either audition or just check out different theater programs, so each of these is an amazing opportunity for these kids who are interested in theater either as a profession or just as a way to make themselves more interesting individuals,” Dunham said. Aikens said she is looking at colleges, and isn’t sure yet if she wants to go into the performing arts field or explore some else. “I am really hoping that by going to Thespian Festival, I can get some in-

Varsity Club exceeds goal

LAUREN THOM ‘18 | Photo Editor Over 621 coats were donated over the course of seven days. The Varsity Club coat drive concluded on Wednesday, Nov. 22 and adviser Ryan Wheaton is pleased to have exceeded his goal of 600 coats, he said. Varsity club adviser Ryan Wheaton is pleased to have exceeded his goal of 600 coats, he said. This is South’s second year holding a school-wide coat drive, after the Fishback family passed on the tradition in 2014. “The Fishbacks used to hold it, (they) were a family that had two kids here, both graduated, and they used to do this out of GRAPHIC BY LIAM WALSH ’18 their house for years,” Wheaton said. others, which is an important part of Wheaton said the Fishbacks had asked our community. for volunteers from Varsity club, so once Rose Williamson ‘19 donated nine both of their children graduated they coats and said she donated because it asked him if he would be willing to take was for a good cause and she had extra over the coat drive and have it be a school- coats at her house. wide event. “I think the people that the coats go All the coats go to Cass Community So- to will be appreciative because they’ll cial Services of Detroit, which is the orga- be warm this winter,” Williamson said. nization that the Fishbacks had originally The coat drive was extended bechosen. cause of the comparative lack of coats “From what I in relation to last year. understand from I think the people that the Wheaton believes an the Fishbacks, issue with this was high they do a Thanks- coats go to will be appreciative expectations from a giving meal every because they’ll be warm this successful year. year and when winter. “I think a lot of peothe local needy ROSE WILLIAMSON ’19 ple went home to clean families come for out their closets, but we Thanksgiving, still have three quarters they have these coats set up so that families of the same population from last year, can pick up the donated coats to help them so a lot of those kids that were gung-ho get through winter and the cold times,” about helping out, they got rid of a lot Wheaton said. of their coats last year,” Wheaton said. Varsity club vice president Alex Hughes Wheaton said he wants continue to ’17 donated 12 coats and she said she hold the coat drive at South, but also helped collect the coats in Cleminson Hall invite more of the surrounding area. for a week and a half during both lunches. “Perhaps go to the middle schools “It’s the Christmas holiday, a cold time, and see if the Junior NHS can help out, and a lot of people are in need of [coats], or go to the elementary schools or find not even just homeless people, just fami- a way to involve more of the communilies in need who can’t afford coats,” Hughes ty than just South so that we can consaid. tinue to make this a success,” Wheaton Hughes said the people in Grosse said. Pointe can always donate things to help

THIS WEEK AT SOUTH...

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Sounds of the Seasons holiday concert at 8:00 p.m. at Grosse Pointe North.

Martin said. “I am looking forward to performing the play. It is a really cool opportunity that South got to do it and it will bring a lot of publicity back to South.” Dunham said she hoped thespians expanded the horizons of their capabilities within the performing arts and grow as young actors, whether they are under the spotlight or shifting set pieces backstage, by figuring out where their interests and talents lie. “They might figure out that they’re really good at dialects, they might see two shows that they’ve never heard of, and come back and start reading more plays,” Dunham said. “I hope they experience both the trepidation and the amazing rush that it is to perform for that many kids who are so invested in theater.” The power of live theater exposes thespians’ potential to grow due to how it is not just a single teacher or a single experience teaching them, but a concentrated experience in so many different areas, Dunham said. “They are students who live this stuff. They just soak it up like sponges,” Dunham said. “Our students are exposed to more kids who feel the same way they do and come back so geeked. It does that for the teacher too; it does that for me because I have a chance to network with peers as they network with their peers and there’s no downside. It’s a win-win, pretty much for everyone.” At the festival, Dunham received the honor of being inducted into the Hall of Fame for the Michigan Educational Theatre Association. Students Calyx Turco, Cinderella Ksebati, Luke Bove, Jerome Manning and Mary Reinman, all ’16 received superiors in their individual events, and Grayson Kennedy ’19 got an excellent for his monologue.

Students show sharing is caring

ALYSSA CZECH ‘19 | Copy Editor Food waste is the leading cause of waste produced by schools, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. In the U.S., about 40 percent of food is wasted, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). About 1.3 billion tons of food in the world is lost or wasted every year, FAO said. In order to combat the immense food waste people produce, Emily Van Der Hoeven ‘18 has recently started the club Spare to Share, which gives students the opportunity to give away the packaged food from their lunches that they don’t want and would otherwise throw away, so other students who forgot their lunch or are hungry have something to eat. “There will be a table in the cafeteria (on the second floor)...on the far side of the wall away from the cafeteria line,” Van Der Hoeven said. “The food that no one picks up... will be reused for the next day if it is packaged.” Assistant principal Terry Flint supported the idea that Spare to Share promotes of saving food and wants to see it grow into a habit. “What we hope and support of the club is that it just becomes a practice,” Flint said. “Instead of us putting stuff in the garbage I think it’s a great idea to just collect it and make it available.” According to Spare to Share adviser, Crosby Washburne,

Van Der Hoeven approached him because he teaches Exploring Global Issues, which looks at community service, worldwide problems and how to solve them. “It was a handful. I had to talk to Mr. Washburne and Mr. Washburne referred me to Mr. Flint,” Van Der Hoeven said. “Mr. Flint’s role was to help set up the program in a way, as in talking to the administration and coordinating asking National Art Honors Society for their help, getting us a table to go to-- all of the logistics of it he helped with.” However, the biggest problems Van Der Hoeven and Washburne foresee for Spare to Share is getting people involved with and aware of the club. Van Der Hoeven said they are trying to put Spare to Share on the announcements and even get a signup going through Varsity Club and NHS for certain days. “The challenges I think will always be letting people know what it is and getting people to sign up to sit there,” Van Der Hoeven said. “We can’t just leave the food unattended because there is only a certain type of food you can put down.” All students are encouraged by Van Der Hoeven, Washburne and Flint to participate in Spare to Share in some way. “I am looking forward to making an environmental impact, that is something I am kind of proud of more or less,” VanDerHoeven said. “But to also give an opportunity for students to utilize the free food, utilizing the food that would be thrown away instead of wasting it.”

THE GOLDEN RULE | Grace Scott ’17 presents her offering to the new Spare to Share program. People looking to donate can find the table located in the cafeteria at both lunches.

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sight from some professors, even my peers; just some sort of direction,” Aikens said. Aikens said she was ecstatic to be able to perform Lost in Yonkers at the festival, as well as socialize with others who share a similar passion for performing arts. In the midst of it all, Aikens said the crew, actors and actresses had to diligently prepare for the honor of being able to perform for a crowd invested in the arts. “We do costuming, we are running lines, we’re putting together sets and we’re improving and we are doing a lot of things to prepare for the show,” Aikens said. “We perform, and then after we spend the rest of the time reflecting and taking down the set and talking to people about our performance.” Muriel Steinke ’18, vice president of Pointe Players, said there will be workshops for those that are behind the scenes and are members of the crew. “You learn how to be a better actor,” Steinke said about the experience presented to young thespians during their time in Saginaw. “You learn how to project your voice and make interesting decisions on stage and how to captivate an audience.” Hailey Martin ’18, a member of the Lost in Yonkers crew, said she was looking forward to the experience of being able to be surrounded by a vast number of people who share similar interests as her. “I’m hoping to learn how to be a better actor,”

Choir caroling across Grosse Pointe for the holiday season begins.

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PHOTO BY ALYSSA CZECH ’19

South Band-O-Rama takes place in the main gym at 7 p.m.


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