Chowing down at MHS 'Throwdown' - My High School Journalism
Chowing down at MHS 'Throwdown' - My High School Journalism
Chowing down at MHS 'Throwdown' - My High School Journalism
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News Page 3<br />
Early gradu<strong>at</strong>ion: students decide to finish up sooner than most<br />
by Lorne Fultonberg<br />
Editor in Chief<br />
While the majority of Monarch’s student<br />
body scrambles to study for finals in May<br />
and <strong>at</strong>tempts to fight the urges of “senioritis,”<br />
there are several students each year why<br />
don’t have to worry about it.<br />
Typically, 15 to 20 seniors gradu<strong>at</strong>e <strong>at</strong><br />
semester each year but only 11 are doing so<br />
this year.<br />
“Some students really are ready to move<br />
on with their lives, and for all the right reasons,<br />
it’s the right decision for them,” said<br />
Monarch Counselor Janice Dempsey. “It’s<br />
very individual. There’s a lot of discussion<br />
with [the students] and their parents to make<br />
sure it’s the right decision.”<br />
Senior Jordan Bornstein is one of the 11<br />
students gradu<strong>at</strong>ing after first semester this<br />
year.<br />
Bornstein says th<strong>at</strong> ever since his brother<br />
gradu<strong>at</strong>ed early from Monarch he began<br />
thinking about doing it himself. Now th<strong>at</strong> he<br />
has gotten his mand<strong>at</strong>ory credits out of the<br />
way, he feels th<strong>at</strong> gradu<strong>at</strong>ing early will prepare<br />
him better for his life after high school.<br />
“<strong>My</strong> availability <strong>at</strong> work can increase dras-<br />
by Cheyenne Michaels<br />
Howler Staff<br />
Forty-eight Monarch thespians <strong>at</strong>tended<br />
the Colorado Thespian Conference in Denver,<br />
on Dec. 4-6, for three days of workshops,<br />
competitions and fun. The conference was<br />
open to all dedic<strong>at</strong>ed high school the<strong>at</strong>re<br />
students from Colorado, Wyoming, and New<br />
Mexico and is an annual event th<strong>at</strong> the Monarch<br />
thespians have <strong>at</strong>tended every year<br />
since the school opened.<br />
For the first time in Monarch’s history, its<br />
fall production was entered to perform <strong>at</strong><br />
the conference. The fall play, “Dracula,” was<br />
judged during its Friday and S<strong>at</strong>urday night<br />
performances, without the cast and crew’s<br />
knowledge, by a represent<strong>at</strong>ive from the<br />
Colorado Thespians. Although they were not<br />
selected to perform on the main stage <strong>at</strong> the<br />
conference, they put on wh<strong>at</strong> some are calling<br />
Monarch’s best play to d<strong>at</strong>e.<br />
“If we had been selected, we would have<br />
performed in front of the whole st<strong>at</strong>e deleg<strong>at</strong>ion<br />
of Colorado Thespians, which is about<br />
3,000 people,” said Gwendolyn Lukas-Doctor,<br />
the head director of “Dracula.” “If they<br />
liked us there we could have potentially been<br />
entered to perform <strong>at</strong> a n<strong>at</strong>ional level in Lincoln,<br />
Nebraska over the summer.”<br />
Having never entered to perform a fullstage<br />
production <strong>at</strong> the conference, the cast<br />
tically, and I will be able to make a decent<br />
amount of money before college,” Bornstein<br />
said. “Having the chance to relax one last<br />
time before college and my entire professional<br />
future will help me in the long run.”<br />
Senior Taylor Hughes also looks forward to<br />
having a little <strong>down</strong> time before college.<br />
“You have a lot of free time. If you want to<br />
work, you can make a lot of money. It’s like<br />
summer,” she said.<br />
The majority of the time, students decide<br />
to gradu<strong>at</strong>e early to get a job so they can<br />
begin saving money for college, though th<strong>at</strong><br />
certainly isn’t always the case.<br />
“I’ve had students gradu<strong>at</strong>e <strong>at</strong> semester<br />
because they want to accomplish a personal<br />
goal like climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, and I have<br />
had students really truly do th<strong>at</strong>,” Dempsey<br />
said.<br />
So, if practically every student has an opportunity<br />
to get out of school early, why don’t<br />
more gradu<strong>at</strong>e early?<br />
“The biggest disadvantage is th<strong>at</strong> rite of<br />
passage th<strong>at</strong> really happens,” Dempsey said.<br />
“I believe ‘senioritis’ is real and you don’t get<br />
to really experience it until after spring break;<br />
a lot of students who finish <strong>at</strong> semester will<br />
tell you there’s no pomp and circumstance.<br />
and crew of “Dracula” put in extra time and<br />
energy to make their show worthy of performing<br />
for such a large audience by including pyrotechnics<br />
and increasing funding, and vintage<br />
set pieces. Technical Director Brian du<br />
Fresne and the crew of “Dracula” spent l<strong>at</strong>e<br />
evenings working on the technical aspects<br />
of the show. If chosen, the technical work in<br />
its entirety would have needed to have been<br />
transferred to Denver.<br />
“To be honest, it would have been a headache<br />
because if we had been selected, we<br />
would have had to transport our entire set<br />
to <strong>down</strong>town Denver and everyone needs to<br />
register for the conference. It’s a lot of work<br />
but it’d be worth it,” Lukas-Doctor said.<br />
Registering became an issue when the<br />
judges announced their decision l<strong>at</strong>er than<br />
was expected. The scheduled d<strong>at</strong>e of announcing<br />
was postponed until Nov. 14, which<br />
was four days after the registr<strong>at</strong>ion for all <strong>at</strong>tendants<br />
was due.<br />
Students can also compete in individual<br />
c<strong>at</strong>egories against other thespians from<br />
around Colorado. The areas of competition<br />
include monologue, duet acting, solo/duet<br />
musical the<strong>at</strong>re, group musical the<strong>at</strong>re,<br />
group acting, mime, costume design and<br />
construction, the<strong>at</strong>re marketing, and scenic,<br />
lighting, and sound design.<br />
Many Monarch thespians particip<strong>at</strong>ed in<br />
the competitions, including senior and Mon-<br />
There’s no celebr<strong>at</strong>ion going on <strong>at</strong> th<strong>at</strong> time, so<br />
it feels a little empty.”<br />
Though some seniors choose to leave the<br />
school early, they are not completely separ<strong>at</strong>e<br />
from their class. All gradu<strong>at</strong>ing seniors walk together<br />
to receive their diplomas <strong>at</strong> gradu<strong>at</strong>ion,<br />
regardless of when they gradu<strong>at</strong>ed. Early gradu<strong>at</strong>es<br />
are also allowed to <strong>at</strong>tend the school’s<br />
prom.<br />
The school offers the opportunity for a potential<br />
gradu<strong>at</strong>e to change their mind up until<br />
the very end of the semester.<br />
Pros Cons<br />
There is less time to feel senioritis. Students may feel isol<strong>at</strong>ed from other<br />
students in their gradu<strong>at</strong>ing class.<br />
You will have time to save money and<br />
earn money.<br />
Thespian Conference: Monarch the<strong>at</strong>er students strut their stuff<br />
arch Thespian Secretary Rachel Briggs.<br />
“Competing <strong>at</strong> the thespian conference is<br />
my favorite part. I really love getting to show<br />
everyone th<strong>at</strong> acting is something th<strong>at</strong> I’m<br />
passion<strong>at</strong>e about,” Briggs said.<br />
This year, she competed in the monologue<br />
c<strong>at</strong>egory, which required her to perform two<br />
contrasting monologues.<br />
Actors receiving an “outstanding” grade<br />
are given the honor of qualifying to compete<br />
<strong>at</strong> the n<strong>at</strong>ional level or showcasing, where<br />
they get to perform in front of all of the <strong>at</strong>tendants<br />
<strong>at</strong> the conference on the final night.<br />
You don’t get the same<br />
second semester senior-year<br />
experiences.<br />
There is more time to relax. You can’t particip<strong>at</strong>e in school<br />
activities/<strong>at</strong>hletics.<br />
Photo provided by Sean Welch<br />
The thespians take a group photo after the thespian conference of 2007.<br />
The decision to gradu<strong>at</strong>e early is very individual<br />
and is certainly not for everyone,<br />
but those who do gradu<strong>at</strong>e <strong>at</strong> semester<br />
usually have few regrets and are typically<br />
s<strong>at</strong>isfied with their decision.<br />
“I definitely do not regret gradu<strong>at</strong>ing<br />
early,” said 2008 Monarch gradu<strong>at</strong>e Allie<br />
Mohar. “If you feel you’ve done your best<br />
for four years of high school and you want<br />
to reap the benefits early, go for it. I loved<br />
my second semester off, and I wouldn’t go<br />
back and change anything.”<br />
Photos provided by Amanda Graninger<br />
Although they no longer <strong>at</strong>tend classes <strong>at</strong> Monarch, seniors can still <strong>at</strong>tend things like gradu<strong>at</strong>ion and prom despite their decisions to gradu<strong>at</strong>e early. However they cannot particip<strong>at</strong>e in <strong>at</strong>hletics or other activities. For reasons ranging from working toearn<br />
money to climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, approxim<strong>at</strong>ely 15 to 20 students gradu<strong>at</strong>e early each year. The decision is largely an individual one, and students have varying regrets about their decision to gradu<strong>at</strong>e early.<br />
Last year, 2008 Monarch gradu<strong>at</strong>e M<strong>at</strong>t<br />
Cantwell showcased his solo musical the<strong>at</strong>re<br />
song. He also qualified for n<strong>at</strong>ionals in<br />
the duet musical the<strong>at</strong>re c<strong>at</strong>egory with fellow<br />
Monarch gradu<strong>at</strong>e Devyn Cordes.<br />
“Even though I wasn’t competing, I learned<br />
a lot through the workshops,” said sophomore<br />
Desiree Garneau, who <strong>at</strong>tended the<br />
conference both this year and last year.<br />
Some of the optional workshops were<br />
Playwriting, Acting on Film, Yoga for Actors,<br />
Improvis<strong>at</strong>ion, Swing Dancing, and Stage<br />
Comb<strong>at</strong>.<br />
“The thespian conference<br />
is a time for thespians<br />
to get together with<br />
other people from around<br />
the st<strong>at</strong>e so they can meet<br />
new people and go to<br />
workshops taught by professionals<br />
th<strong>at</strong> vary in different<br />
topics,” Monarch<br />
Thespian President Josh<br />
Hickernell said.<br />
The thespian conference<br />
is an opportunity for the<br />
thespians to be educ<strong>at</strong>ed<br />
in workshops, show off<br />
their talents, and observe<br />
the<strong>at</strong>re in action.<br />
cmichael1656@bvsd.org