BHS Fine Arts Newsletter: September/October 2021

Scenes from the BHS Choir’s Back-to-School Party

Faculty and Staff Betty Fisher-Stanton Theatre, Speech, and Debate bfisher@bixbyps.org

Steven Collins Instrumental Music scollins@bixbyps.org

Julie Jankowski Visual Art

jjankowski@bixbyps.org

Blake Dean Visual Art

deanblake@bixbyps.org

Jeremy Parker Instrumental Music

jeremyparker@bixbyps.org

Cynthia John Vocal Music Accompanist cjohn@bixbyps.org

Krista Sessions Piano

ksessions@bixbyps.org

Kevin Pearson Vocal Music

kpearson@bixbyps.org

Alysia Shepard Fine Arts Technician ashepard@bixbyps.org

NCDA All-District Choir Concert Tuesday, November 2 7:00 pm First Baptist Church, Tulsa

One-Act Play Performance Thursday, October 7 @ 7:00 pm Bixby High School OSSAA One-Act Play Regional Contest October 8-9 Bixby High School Drama and Debate Tournament October 29-30 Booker T. Washington High School All-State Choir Auditions Saturday, October 30 Centennial Middle School, BA Oklahoma Bandmasters Association Marching Contest Saturday, October 30 Broken Arrow High School

Fall Choir Concert Tuesday, November 9 7:00 pm Bixby High School Auditorium Drama and Debate Tournament November 5-6 Muskogee High School Drama and Debate Tournament November 19-20 Broken Arrow High School High School/Middle School Combined Play December 10-11 7:00 pm Bixby High School Auditorium

“Theatre is a form of knowledge; it should and can also be a means of transforming society.

Theatre can help us build our future, rather than just waiting for it.”

-Augusto Boal

Theatre Prepares for Oklahoma One-Act Play Regional Contest The BHS Theatre Department is preparing for the annual OSSAA Regional One-Act play contest. They are presenting the one-act drama Find Me by playwright Olwen Wymark. The play focuses on the issues of troubled teenager Verity Taylor and the decisions her family must make in regard to her care and mental health.

The play will be performed for the public at BHS on the 7th of October. On the 9th of October the high school will play host for the Regional contest.

If the cast places well at Regionals, they will be competing at the State contest at Choctaw High School in November.

The Cast of Find Me.

Keira McSperrit, junior, plays the role of Verity Taylor in Find Me.

Debate Season Begins with Virtual Scrimmages The BHS Debate team has been participating in a series of scrimmages recently organized by the National Speech and Debate Association. Members of the team have been competing virtually after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays with competitors from schools around the country and from international schools.

The following students have performed exceptionally well at these scrimmages: Freshman Joe Buck placed 4th in Extemporaneous Speaking at the first scrimmage while Senior Aiden Cooper earned 4th place in Congressional Debate, and at the 2nd scrimmage Senior Kenneth Butler and Freshman Madison Gilman tied for 4th place in Congressional Debate.

The BHS Debate Team after scrimmage rounds on September 23.

Students Present First Friday Piano Recital Students in both of the periods of our Piano Lab course recently performed in their first Friday Morning Recital. Every student attended and played something for their peers, challenging themselves to grow as musicians and performers.

What a brave group of students we have: they have shown tremendous initiative to learn a new instrument, perform for their peers, and are always supporting each other in their work.

The Piano Lab is open for business.

The Choir is Rockin’ and Rollin’ The BHS Choir is hard at work performing and preparing for an incredible season. We have sixteen students auditioning for the All-District Choir on October 2, and fourteen going out for All-State at the end of the month. The students have been busily preparing for these intensive auditions, spending countless hours rehearsing and practicing so that they can put their best feet forward.

We will be performing our first concert, centered around the idea of hope, on Tuesday, November 9 in the Bixby High School Auditorium. We hope the community will join us at 7:00 pm as we sample a variety of styles, including bluegrass gospel, Mexican pop, and contemporary country music.

We would like to enthusiastically thank our local sponsors supporters, including Kathy Sue Roberts of Kathy Sue Photography, Victoria Oltmann of Blue Sky Technologies, the Tulsa Newcomers Club, Sue Perez and the Bixby Flower Basket, and First United Methodist Church of Bixby. Thank you for championing the success of our students through the contributions and opportunities you provide!

The Ambassadors sing with the Alma mater at a recent home football game.