Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012

School Notes

Young playwrights celebration

A celebration of young playwrights across North Carolina is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, at UNC-Greensboro. UNCG students will present staged readings of the top plays from the Playworks Write It! Playwriting contest sponsored by the North Carolina Theatre Arts Educators.

Winning plays from this area:

Elementary school winner: “Dragon Escape” by Geneva Scanlon of Bugg

High School, first: “Au Naturel” by Cason Whitcomb of Enloe

High School, honorable mention: “Chance” by William Appleyard of Enloe and “The Pink” by Raely Qiu of Enloe

St. Timothy’s appoints headmaster

Timothy L. Tinnesz has been appointed headmaster of St. Timothy’s School effective July 1. Founded in 1958, St. Timothy’s School was the first non-public elementary school to receive accreditation from the state Department of Public Instruction. Serving pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, it is the only Episcopal parish school in Wake County.

Tinnesz has served as head of Middle and Upper Schools at Gaston Day School in Gastonia for the past five years. He and his wife, Karen, have 3 sons.

Athens Drive band members honored

UNC-Greensboro invited nine Athens Drive High Band students to attend the 23rd Annual Carolina Festival and perform as part of an honors band at UNC-Greensboro.

Students named to the UNC-G 11-12 Honors Symphonic Band are Cesar Bernal (tuba), Brian Holtshouser and Peter Jamison (tenor saxophone) and Ben Markoch and Aaron Park (clarinet).

Students named to the UNC-G 9-10 Honors Concert Band are Del Dillard (tuba), Leah Jamison (oboe), Evan Johnson (clarinet) and Mandy Spalding (trumpet).

The students submitted an application and individual performance recording. They were selected from more than 300 applicants from five states.

Students will perform at two concerts on Saturday, Feb. 25, at UNC-G’s Aycock Auditorium.

Fourteen Athens Drive High Band students auditioned and earned positions with the 2012 All-District Honors Bands.

Rachel Knierim (French horn) earned a position with the 11-12 Honors Wind Ensemble.

Matt Burroughs (trumpet), Shuan-Yu Chan (French horn), Parker Comella (alto saxophone), Leah Jamison (oboe) and Amith Madavilli (snare) earned spots in the 9-10 Honors Wind Ensemble.

Corrine Crowley (bassoon), Austin Fishel (snare), Brian Holtshouser (tenor saxophone), Peter Jamison (tenor saxophone), Aaron Park (clarinet), Shiv Soneja (Euphonium), Mitchell Stokes (clarinet) and Darby Teander (alto saxophone) earned positions with the 9-12 Honors Symphonic Band.

Leah Jamison (oboe) and Parker Comella (alto saxophone) also qualified for All-State Honors Band.

The All-District Honors Band Concert performed in concert Jan. 28 at Sanderson High School.

Kidd wins “Give Us an A” award

Ryan Kidd, a sophomore at Sanderson High School, won a $25 VISA gift card in Wake Electric’s January “Give Us An A” program. He is the son of Kevin and Vesna Kidd from Raleigh. Contest applicants must submit a copy of a report card with at least one “A” earned during the grading period.

French Festival at Ravenscroft

Students of the French language and their families had an opportunity to interact with many native French speakers and business leaders at the third annual Ravenscroft French Festival on Thursday.

Representatives from BioMérieux, a French pharmaceutical company in Durham, the French-American Chamber of Commerce of North Carolina and the Canadian Consulate had informational booths. Students from N.C. State’s French Business School, SKEMA, also attended. Attendees also sampled hors d’oeuvres, including quiche from Saint Jacques French Cuisine, crêpettes from Simply Crêpes and fresh-made beignets from Mimi’s Café.

Ravenscroft students performed skits, monologues and songs; recited poetry; and presented digital programs to celebrate their knowledge of French language and culture.

Attention program at Ravenscroft

Cathy Davidson, author of “Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work and Learn,” will speak at 7 p.m. Monday, March 19, in the Christina B. Jones Theatre at Ravenscroft School Fine Arts Center, 7409 Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh. She will talk about her research on attention blindness and the challenge it creates. A question-and-answer session and a book signing will follow. Davidson is the Ruth F. DeVarney professor of English and John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Duke University. For more information, call 919-847-0900 or visit www.ravenscroft.org.

Durant Road Musical Theatre honored

Students from Durant Road Musical Theatre in Wake Forest earned top honors at the 2012 Junior Theater Festival Jan. 13-15 in Atlanta. Thirty students, ages 9-17, represented DRMT.

As one of just seven schools nationally to earn the Freddie G Outstanding Production Award, the group reprised its performance of “Honk! JR.” at the festival closing ceremonies.

Also, Nathan VanDeVelde, who attends Wakefield High, and his director, Debbie Rollins, received the Freddie G Broadway Junior Inspiration Award.

Dana Grossman, who attends Wakefield Middle, was one of only 35 students out of more than 3,000 attending the festival who made it to the final callback for future Broadway Junior shoots for “how-to” choreography videos for musicals.

The Junior Theater Festival is the world’s largest musical theater festival dedicated to groups working with elementary school, middle school and high school aged students.

The students also were invited to lead the closing ceremony finale song with choreography created by students Ashley Keefe of Enloe, Christopher Rollins of Wakefield and Garner Overton of North Raleigh Christian Academy.

Jessica Christopher of Franklin Academy and Adam Rollins of Wakefield Middle were named as Broadway Junior All-Stars, made up of two outstanding students from each group at the festival.

The cast list of DRMT students who performed at the festival:

Christopher Rollins, age 17, Wakefield High, Wake Forest

Emily Miller, 14, Wakefield High, Raleigh

McKenzie Morrison, 15, Leesville Road High, Raleigh

Julianna Miller, 11, Wakefield Middle, Raleigh

Gabrielle Rinker, 13, Durant Middle, Wake Forest

Jessica Christopher, 15, Franklin Academy, Raleigh

Charlotte Driscoll, 14, Wakefield High, Raleigh

Elizabeth Morgan, 14, North Raleigh Christian, Raleigh

Savannah Pardue, 12, Wakefield Middle, Wake Forest

Ashley Keefe, 15, Enloe, Raleigh

Bobby Keefe, 17, Enloe, Raleigh

Dane VanDeVelde, 13, Wakefield Middle, Raleigh

Nathan VanDeVelde, 15, Wakefield High, Raleigh (Technical Theatre)

Garner Overton, 15, North Raleigh Christian, Wake Forest

Trey Fitts, 13, Wakefield Middle, Wake Forest

Nick Fadale, 14, Enloe, Raleigh

Kethan Fadale, 14, Enloe, Raleigh

Julianna Denmark, 14, Leesville Road High, Raleigh

Madison Mitchell, 9, St. Timothy’s, Raleigh

Dana Grossman, 13, Wakefield Middle, Raleigh

Jackie Grossman, 18, Wakefield High, Raleigh (Technical Theatre)

Tasia Whicker, 15, Wakefield High, Raleigh

Jessica McGee, 13, homeschooled, Raleigh

Maeghan Suzik, 13, Ligon Middle, Raleigh

Kameron Mills, 14, Sanderson High, Raleigh

Jayden McGrael, 13, Wakefield Middle, Raleigh

Katie Clark, 15, Cardinal Gibbons, Raleigh

Shelby Barros, 14, Wakefield High, Raleigh

Adam Rollins, 14, Wakefield Middle, Wake Forest

Brooke Turner, 16, Sanderson High, Raleigh

Lifelong Learning Program

The Wake County Public School System will offer the following classes through its Lifelong Learning Program. For more information, contact 919-431-7593 or lifelonglearning@wcpss.net.

Leesville High School

Elementary Conversational Spanish II, W, 6:30-9:30 p.m. 3/7-4/18, $90

Basic Conversational Spanish II, W, 6:30-9:30 p.m. 3/7-4/18, $90

Millbrook High School

Medical Billing I & II, TTh, 6:30-9:30 p.m. 3/6-4/12, $230

Word for Windows Intro, Th, 7:00-9:30 p.m. 3/8-3/29, $85

Sanderson High School

Couponing Basics: Start Saving 50% Now, M, 6:30-9:30 p.m. 3/19, $35

Dressmaker’s Portfolio of Sewing Techniques, M, 6:30-9:30 p.m. 3/19-5/7, $95

Guitar Made Fun and Easy, W, 6:30-8:00 p.m. 3/21-4/11, $65

Next Level Guitar, W, 8:00-9:30 p.m. 3/21-4/11, $65

Guitar Made Fun and Easy, Th, 6:30-8:00 p.m. 3/22-4/12, $65

Next Level Guitar, Th, 8:00-9:30 p.m. 3/22-4/12, $65

Guitar Made Fun and Easy, M, 6:30-8:00 p.m. 3/26-4/16, $65

Next Level Guitar, M, 8:00-9:30 p.m. 3/26-4/16, $65

Guitar Made Fun and Easy, T, 6:30-8:00 p.m. 3/27-4/17, $65

Next Level Guitar, T, 8:00-9:30 p.m. 3/27-4/17, $65

Oil Painting Without Drawing, T, 6:30-9:30 p.m. 3/27-5/1, $85