Classic newspaper Volume 20 Issue no. 3

Page 1

Vol. 20, No. 3 February 2004

asstc Townsend Harris High School at Queens College

149-11 Melbourne Avenue, Flushing, NY 11367

Sing! dances into the hearts of viewers· and members alike by Alyssa Chase The auditorium exploded with "Dance Fever" during the annual Sing! performances, which took place on the evenings of January 29, 30, and 31. The cast of seniors, juniors, and sophmen (a collaboration of sophomores and freshmen) engaged the audience in a celebration of school spirit. The seniors claimed the coveted first place title at the conclusion of the three evenings of inter-grade competition. Senior Sing! enchanted its audience with a comical plot featuring four witches disguised as lunch in Junior Sing. . Th . h . I ad1es. e Witc es pOIsoned students with "Dance Fever" by mixing a potion into the lunch food. The stage then erupted with dancing and singing as students suffered from the shock of "Dance Fever." The script posed an excruciating problem for the seniors. Writer, actress, and singer Devin Sugameli said, "The script wasn't working. A few of us got together after school one Friday and stayed in the auditorium until 6:30 making a complete and total revision of the script. We can't say the actors were thrilled about having to learn new lines and stage direc-

tions with only a few days left to re- junior performance. He carried the au- applauding you for your hard work pay hearse, but it definitely wor~ed out for dience from scene to scene." it all off." Kris agreed, "As a writer, the better in the end." The sophmen wove a tale of a mur- there is nothing more satisfying than to Senior Sing! was well der mystery dotted with soliloquies by see my work be brought to life onstage _received. Ac~ording to a distressed detecby such a talented group junior Jessenia Vazcones, tive [performed by of actors, dancers, and "I thought that the. ones freshman Jim singers. I am really lookwho gave the show the Bryan Estil] and ing forward to the whole most school spirit were the choreographed creative process again seniors with their number dances. The next year." 'Fighter.' It was funny sophmen encounTeachers played an how they incorporated tered frustration integrated role in Sing! their feelings about the during their prepaThe seniors incorposchool into the song." Liya ration for Sing! _a rated classical language Shuster, sophomore, re- Sophomore Brenae ~ teacher Andrew Hagerty marked, "The senior finale Leary said, "When ~ as the fourth witch in ;., was awesome. I think they we were writing ~ their skit. Senior Jillian = employed guys the best the play, it didn't ~ DeChavez commented, .§. out of all the three Sings! seem like it would ..S "Mr. Hagerty was a Usually it's just the girls work well because ~ great addition to all the ..c in the spotlight, but the we didn't think that Faith Lawson (left) and Racliei c. Sings! His whiny witch seniors put the guys in the we'd find people Acostaembracetheirbookishwaysas act was hilarious!" spotlight, too ... and they could definitely who could portray comical intellectuals in Senior Sing. Ph)'.sical education break it down." -the~characters the way we wanted." De- teacher Shari Basis, biology teacher An epidemic of the dreaded "ants in spite these obstacles, the sophmen en- Rosemary Eaton, and history teacher your pants" infected juniors after the joyed their experience on stage. Accord- Charlene Levi, who performed in J unevil pharmaceutical company Duane ing to Jim, "The greatest thing about ior Sing!, participated in "Copacabana," Reade hatched its diabolical plan to in- Sing! is the excitement, enthusiasm and while Katherine Ludvik, biology and crease sales. The juniors, who placed intensity generated from both the stage chemistry teacher, awed the audience second in the competition, illuminated and audience. I loved waiting anxiously with her gymnastics in Sophmen Sing! the stage with their renditions of "Ma- until it was our turn on the stage. It's According to Devotia, "I enjoyed the niac" and "Copacabana." nervous moments like presence of teachers in Freshman Devotia Moore com- these that make Sing! the cast. I thought it mented, "I liked the scenes with the worthwhile." was a good way to crazy doctor [played by Kris Imperati]. The sophmen incorshow that not only the In my opinion, he was the life of the porated an eclectic blend children at this school of music, from big band can have fun." Annual Winter Carnival entertains eager crowd at swing to hip hop, into The cast was refun-filled gathering, but raises less than expected warded with a large theirperformance. Howby Nisha Singh and Alexis Serra audience each night. dressed as a chicken. In addition to ever, some found their The tantalizing scent of hot dogs, ice games, an assortment of snacks such as costumes gaudy and ofSophomore Anjie cream, and smoothies and the vast ar- lollipops, ices, and cupcakes ensured fensive. Junior Kris Zheng said, "I thought ray of games and prizes gave the annual that all guests' hunger was satisfied. The Imperati, writer of Junall the grades were Winter Carnival fundraiser, which took rhythmic sounds of music, played by a ior Sing!, remarked, "I amazing. Sing! shows place on Monday, January 12, an air DJ, also lent a helping hand to the event. was mildly put off by a that we're all ·hard reminiscent of a summery outdoor fair. § workers and we alAn anomaly fr0m previous carnivals, stage full of 14 and 15Students, friends and relatives packed the attendance this year was not as high. year-old girls bucking ~ ways give a stunning into the gym, cafeteria, and lobby to Coordinator of Student Activities Adam around to 'Milkshake' · 2 performance." Junior 0 explore a plethora of activities while Stonehill said, "The carnival was a while we-aring little c. Thomas . Ahn helping clubs and teams raise money. a tube top and H . d . h added,"This is one of money-raiser, but less so than last year more than . , agerty an sc1ence teac er Creativity abounded as team and club because it did not take place during Re- a glonfied belt. those moments when Katherine Ludvik add the flair representatives showcased school spirit, gents Week." we are able to express Although the cast en- of the 1940s to Sophmen Sing. using everything from henna tattoos, our creativity." However, there were stiH plenty of dured exhausting hours sponsored by the Senior Class, to arcade participants to keep club members busy of preparation, most underclassmen anSing! highlighted the energy of the games to attract visitors to their booths. and the money rolling in. Many were ticipate participating in Sing! again next student body. According to one junior, Among the more popular rewards of the impressed by the dedication that stu- year. Sophomore Vicky Funez said, "Al- "~t was clear that every grade spent exnight, prize goldfish were distributed by dents displayed in fundraising for their though Sing! is a presentation that in- tensive time preparing. [Sing!] reflected members of the volleyball team as The individual clubs. "Though people had a duces stress, frustration, and tiredness, the students' commitment, school spirit, Phoenix capitalized on the good-natured lot of work, they came and showed their the adrenaline that runs through your and, l}lOSt importantly, their talent in the humiliation of junior Matt Rek, who school spirit,'; said junior Jennifer Park. body during showtime and the people performing arts."

8

..

Chinese New Year

New Clubs

p.2

p.3

Teacher Retirements

pp. 4-5

FAME Review

p.6


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.