DEC 2023
ISSUE N.6
PG 1
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL
UNTOLD STORIES OF DDS HOW THE PLAY THAT WENT WRONG WENT QUITE RIGHT BY ADA BROWN
On December 2-4, 2023, actors at Davidson Day School performed The Davidson Day School Theatre presented "The Play That Goes Wrong" Fall, 2023. Photos by Laura Woods Play That Goes Wrong, under the guidance of theater director Joanna Gerdy. The show is a hilarious slapstick comedy about actors performing a murder mystery play while their whole show goes wrong -- from the actors missing queues to the set falling apart. When asked about the reason behind choosing this particular play, Gerdy said, “I thought it would be a super fun, super hard challenge for the actors and for me, and it turned out to be the hardest play I've ever directed.” Gerdy also mentioned that the high school version allowed for a lot of gender swapping, which was necessary for the female-heavy cast. The play took off from the get-go on opening night and continued to grow as the actors gained more confidence with each performance. As Gerdy said, “I think everyone was so ready for an audience when you’re working on that kind of comedy and you’re doing it in rehearsal but no one's laughing… so I think there was a bit more than usual opening night nervousness from the actors.” But the actors hit their stride by Friday night and only continued to improve. The Play That Goes Wrong involved a lot of physical comedy, more than any other play Davidson Day had ever performed. To work through this unique challenge, Gerdy brought in a stage combat professional to work with and ensure the safety of the actors. “We probably spent as much time working on making the physical moments clear, safe, and funny as we did telling the story,” Gerdy said. Continued on page 3 JILLIAN.TOYA@DAVIDSONDAY.ORG SMCGILL@DAVIDSONDAY.ORG
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DEC 2023
ISSUE N.6
PG 2
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL
STELLA GRAY AND HER WONDERFUL E-BIKE BY STEVE MCGILL
One of the most intriguing stories among the current senior class at Davidson Day School is that of Stella Gray, who first joined our community last year, as a junior, when her family moved here from Las Vegas. Despite dealing with multiple health-related issues, including chronic pain, autism, ADHD, and anxiety, among others, Gray has thrived in her time here, making many close friends and successfully handling her academic workload. One of the things that sets Stella apart from her peers is something relatively simple – how she gets to school every day. Unlike most seniors, Stella, who lives in Cornelius, only a couple miles from the school campus, rides an e-bike, or electronic bicycle, to and from school. One day last week I had a chance to sit down with her for a brief chat about her e-bike and the benefits of riding one. Our conversation is below: Steve McGill: What, exactly, is an e-bike, and how does it differ from a regular bike?
Stella Gray: The “e” in e-bike stands for electronic, so it has a motor that allows for much faster transportation.
Stella Gray’s e-bike serves as transportation to school, improved health, and environmental sustainability. Photo by Megan Gray
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DEC 2023
ISSUE N.6
PG 3
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL
CONTINUED STELLA GRAY I can go up to 30mph on my bike, although I need to charge it pretty frequently, which is something I usually forget to do. I don’t have to pedal, I can turn the motor off, but the bike frame itself is very heavy. So I keep the motor on 99 percent of the time.
GRAY: It’s for transportation purposes for me. I can get to school, the grocery store (Harris Teeter), and a variety of my favorite restaurants (Pickled Peach, Mandolino’s, and X) around me. It’s really all I need. I also have chronic pain, and I tend to get motion sickness in the car very easily, so sometimes going on my bike is less exhausting for shorter distances.
SM: When did you purchase your first e-bike, and what was your motivation to do so?
SM: Finish this sentence: “If more people rode e-bikes …”
GRAY: When my family moved to North Carolina, I discovered how every place was very walkable compared to my old school in Las Vegas, which was located close to a 7-lane highway. It was pleasant weather and there were many trees, and I wanted to find a way to get outside more and explore without a car. Also, for personal reasons, I waited a little longer to get my license, so my e-bike became a happy medium. It allows for me to still have independence without a license.
GRAY: “The world would be more peaceful.” The chaos of traffic and cars and all is real. SM: From where you live, is it easy to ride without car traffic being an issue? GRAY: Sometimes I can actually get places faster on my bike. Location is everything to make the e-bike sustainable. I am so lucky to live in a place which has the weather and location that allows me to bike, as opposed to being more isolated.
SM: How is riding an e-bike beneficial healthwise?
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1: HOW THE PLAY THAT WENT WRONG
GRAY: Although I don’t have to pedal, I can, and sometimes I will pedal for the exercise. But most importantly, riding the bike gets me outside. I find that when I ride my bike to school, I am more alert in the morning, because I’ve gotten fresh air.
This show contained a lot of sentimental value for many of the senior cast members performing their last fall play at Davidson Day School. Ashlyn Letarte, a tried and true actress at Davidson Day, said, “I think there were a lot of sentimental emotions, especially since no matter what the show is, it’s always your last time with the one cast. I felt like I needed to make an impact and do a great performance because it would be the last time I would ever do a Davidson Day play.” Another senior, Ella Bowman, said, “I was glad it was over because it was a lot [of work], but I am going to miss it because the community is super nice.”
SM: How is riding an e-bike beneficial to the environment? GRAY: Cars are really bad for the environment with all the pollution they cause. With school being two miles away, that's just far enough that I can't walk, but it’s close enough that I can bike. Especially for such a short distance, my e-bike, although imperfect, is much better for the environment. SM: How often do you ride your e-bike? Is it strictly for transportation purposes, or also for exercise?
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The Play That Goes Wrong posed an interesting challenge for the actors at DDS to overcome. According to senior Taylor Shiley, “The most challenging thing was all the falling and hitting things on the right beat to be funny, not only as a character but on my body. I walked away with so many bruises and injuries.” Shiley has played many funny characters before, but this level of physical comedy was a brand-new experience for him, and many others. Letarte added, “Being British was definitely new! Also, all the fighting and stage combat was not something I had ever really done to that extreme before.” Continued on next page
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DEC 2023
ISSUE N.6
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL
PG 4
CONTINUED THE PLAY THAT WENT WRONG Productions at Davidson Day School are always gateways for connections between students with similar interests, and The Play That Goes Wrong definitely followed this trend. The majority of the cast, particularly the ensemble, was made up of a combination of underclassmen and middle schoolers, allowing for lots of bonds that otherwise might not have been formed. Senior Luisa Paraguassu, the lead in last year's musical, Mean Girls, said, “I definitely got closer to [junior] Charlotte [Rollinson]. I was already really good friends with Charlotte, but it was nice to be able to grow even closer to her, especially in the role we were in.” She also mentioned forming closer connections with some underclassmen, “especially people like Lukas Paeper, Emma and Abby Barsosky, Abby Cantor, and Mackenzie Beckman.” Bowman said, “Our ensemble was mainly middle schoolers, so forming bonds with them was kind of inevitable: people like Anna Madsen, Lindy Dennis, and Kaleigh Stanton.” Bowman also mentioned how much of an impact theater has had on her social life, as a naturally quiet person. “We have inside jokes, we have handshakes. It’s a lot of fun.” Although it was a challenging production, this play ended up being very fun and rewarding for the cast. “It was so convoluted,” Paraguassu said, “and really cool to see the mechanical parts of it. I think the most impressive part of it was the set; the set was so cool.” When asked what he particularly enjoyed about his role, Shiley said, “I enjoyed how he was very charismatic, and has such a bold personality, and I haven’t gotten to play a character like that besides Damien in Mean Girls.” Letarte added, “Trying to make things go wrong, right, is so hard, so I think it definitely pushed us in that aspect instead of just trying to act well or remember our lines.” Photos by Laura Woods
The Play That Goes Wrong was a big challenge for Gerdy to direct and for the cast to perform, but they pushed through the challenge and successfully created a super funny comedy for the whole school to enjoy this fall. Well done to the cast, crew, Gerdy, and everyone else involved in putting this play together. And keep an eye out for the spring musical, Something Rotten, which will debut in March!
TICKETS COMING SOON FOR THE SPRING 2024 MUSICAL SOMETHING ROTTEN!
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DEC 2023
ISSUE N.6
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL
PG 5
SPORTS VARSITY GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TEAM WINS STATE TITLE BY JILLIAN TOYA
On October 28, our Davidson Day girls varsity volleyball team traveled to Raleigh to compete against Trinity Academy in the NCAA 2A State Championship. After finishing as state runner-up the past two years, the girls had their hearts full and hopes high for a big win this season. Coached by Cathy Glass and assistant Spencer Gason, the girls took part in strenuous practices daily, collectively working towards achieving their big goal. “We had an outstanding balance of having fun and working hard,” said senior Grace Galloway. “We would joke and talk while we walked to the course and warmed up, but as soon as the workout started, we could lock in and focus on having the best workout possible.” Along with the demanding practices, the girls competed in weekly games, as well as tournaments on the weekends, to achieve an impressive 24-4-2 record with ease and positivity. After defeating Gaston Day in the semi-finals of the state tournament in three sets, the girls were now set to play Trinity Academy, the #1 seed in their division. Senior
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Varsity Girls’ Volleyball celebrates their 2023 State Championship and 24-4-2 overall record. Photo by Laura Woods
Sydney Tate spoke for the whole team when she said, “I think the team felt good about playing Trinity, but there were a lot of nerves since we had never played them. We had prepared by watching a lot of film on them, even starting at the beginning of the season, because we knew that we would end up playing them in the playoffs.” After school on Friday the 30th, the girls loaded into the bus, completely covered in patriot-themed decorations, fully prepared for the big weekend ahead. The next day, the girls woke up early with their game faces on. Since this was fourth-year senior Grace Mitchell's last chance to win a ring, she was especially Continued on page 8
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DEC 2023
ISSUE N.6
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL
PG 6
BOYS AND GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS WIN STATES BY MATTHEW DOTY
On October 27, 2023, the Davidson Day varsity girls and varsity boys cross country teams traveled to Wake Med Park in Cary, NC to compete at the NCISAA State Championships. And guess what? Both teams left Cary with state titles! Leading the way for the Patriot girls was senior Sophie Ratcliff, who made the all-state team with a 4th place individual finish in the girls race. Ratcliff ran a personal best 5K time of 19:34. Making all-state for the boys were sophomore Alex Haponik, who finished 6th overall with a personal best time of 17:33, and sophomore Matthew Doty, who finished 9th, only seven seconds behind Haponik in 17:40. In addition to Ratcliff, the girls’ team consisted of seniors Gracie Redmond and Grace Galloway, sophomores Mackenzie Beckham and Maryn Holden, freshman Lillian Rutter, and 7th-grader Harper Davis. For the boys, senior Zach Gilpin, juniors Parker Laatsch and Andrew Thompson, and sophomore captain Cade Bringewatt joined Haponik and Doty. As a side note, both Laatsch and Thompson were also key members of the varsity boys’ soccer state championship team. The road to the state championship was not easy for either squad. Under the guidance of Coach David Hall, each team overcame adversity and stunned the field.
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Varsity XC wins the 2023 NCISAA State Championships in Wake Med Park in Cary, North Carolina.
At the start of the fall season, Coach Hall wasn’t sure if the girls’ team had state championship potential. “You couldn’t predict the future because it was such a young team.” He and his assistant Michael Raskevitz worked diligently with the younger athletes to train them to be as competitive as possible. With leadership from team captain Sophie Ratcliff, the team overcame many struggles and was able to become champions in a few months. From the start of the season to the end, Ratcliff’s personal best dropped almost a full two minutes. Redmond, who finished 18th overall, ran 21:25 despite spending most of her fall season competing for the varsity golf team. Youngsters Rutter and Davis finished 23rd and 24th, respectively, in times of 21:42 and 21:50. Galloway, who spent most of her fall season competing for the state championship girls volleyball team, rounded out the scoring with a 45th-place finish in 23:25. All together, the Davidson Day women outscored the second-place team by 41 points. The win did not come without struggle. A few weeks prior, the women barely edged out Hickory Christian Academy at conference champs. “We couldn't lose that and Continued on page 8
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DEC 2023
ISSUE N.6
PG 7
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL
VARSITY BOYS SOCCER WINS STATE TITLE BY JILLIAN TOYA
compete for the championship trophy. With eighth seniors about to experience their last high school soccer game, the team was determined to put their all into this weekend. This high energy was shared by Coach Laatsch as well. “I was super excited since this was the first time I had ever been to the State Champions with our boys team,” he said, noting that the girls team has won the state championship in the past. “I knew our guys were going to perform well and give it their best shot.”
Varsity Boys’ Soccer wins the 2023 NCAA 2A State Championship and finishes undefeated in conference play. Photo by Laura Woods
On October 28, our Davidson Day boys varsity soccer team traveled to Fayetteville to compete against Carolina Day in the NCAA 2A State Championship. Our varsity boys team has never surpassed the state quarterfinals, so their hopes were high to achieve the program's first state championship. Coached by Brad Laatsch, and assisted by Brad Simpson, Patrick Letourneau, and Mike Wagner, the boys practiced frequently, complete with tough conditioning and competitive scrimmaging very often. According to senior Ian Hoffman, “Doing tough drills [throughout the season] helped us become prepared for the games and be as strong as possible.” Senior Andrew Thompson agrees, saying, “I think we worked as hard as we could the whole season, and we knew that. We felt really confident that the game would have a good outcome. We have such a tight bond and work together well.” The challenging practices and weekly games led to a 17-3 regular season record, and the team went 8-0 in conference play, sustaining a 14-game win into the playoffs. Despite their outstanding record, they entered the state tournament as the 8th seed. After defeating Gaston Day 2-1 in the semi-finals, with both goals scored by Thompson, the boys were now set to play Carolina Day, the #1 seed in their division.
When the whistle blew for the 1 pm start, the team showed off its skills, with Thompson scoring two goals for the Patriots in the first half. They easily defended their territory in the second half, with Gaston Day scoring only one goal. “When the game ended,” said senior Jasper Zulman, “we all piled on each other and celebrated. It was the best feeling because everything we had worked for finally paid off and we were just so happy to have won it together.” Though the victory was technically an upset, they made it look incredibly easy. “The season ended perfectly,” said senior Chase Perry, “and I think the way it ended showed how hard we worked this year.” In school the following Monday, the boys proudly wore their gold medals throughout the day. “It felt so rewarding,” Perry said. Way to go boys!
Just a day after the 2-1 upset, the boys woke up and traveled to Fayetteville to
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DEC 2023
ISSUE N.6
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL
PG 8
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6: VARSITY GIRLS VOLLEYBALL determined. “The whole day was a rollercoaster of emotions, but I was just trying to focus on the game for my teammates. I wanted to win for them and leave everything I had on the court.” With this attitude being shared by her teammates, the girls walked into Trinity with confidence and support for one another. Out of everyone, Coach Glass was the most confident. “After watching the girls in warmups I knew we were ready to compete! The girls were, as we say, ‘locked in.’” As hoped, the girls dominated in their first set 25-19. As senior Reagan Davidson said, “We trusted in what we had been working for all season and what coach Glass prepared us with, and we were able to outwork the other team by keeping a high energy level and staying disciplined through teamwork and determination.” Her confidence was shared throughout the team as they easily defeated Trinity in three short sets, with the next two scores being 25-23 and 25-21. “Trinity started to break down early,” Coach Glass said, “and yelled at each other on the court. Once I saw this, I knew we were in a good place.” After the final point, Davidson Day Students who had made the three-hour trip to Raleigh to cheer on their classmates rushed to the court to celebrate the long-awaited victory.
Photo by Laura Woods
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6: BOYS AND GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY then expect to win at states,” Hall said. He credits Ratcliff’s leadership for galvanizing the girls to perform at their best. “Sophie was always encouraging them and always saying, ‘you can do better, you can do more.’ Clearly she was the glue that held this group of mostly inexperienced runners together. In every practice, every race, Sophie never stumbled, never let up as she provided constant encouragement and high expectations for herself and her teammates.” Making the season harder for the boys’ team was the fact that many of the runners weren’t able to attend practices because they played other sports. In addition to the soccer players mentioned earlier, Doty also couldn’t attend many practices due to his year-round swimming obligations. “I knew I could trust them,” Hall said, “but it always makes me uneasy because I don't see them at practice, but I know they're working on their endurance
Though the girls faced heartbreak at the end of the previous two seasons, they were able to come together as a team and defy the odds by beating the #1 seed. “I was super proud of us and it was one of the better games we had played, which is why we won in three sets,” Tate said, “You could tell everyone was just on their game, and playing together was super important in this game, and playing through the nerves. I don’t think I could’ve been more proud, especially as a senior, because I’ve played with most all of these girls, and just watching everyone grow up and get significantly better, I was just super-happy and felt super-accomplished, and was so glad to do it with all my best friends.” The girls came into school the following Monday wearing big smiles on their faces and heavy gold medals around their necks. Way to go girls!
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DEC 2023
ISSUE N.6
PG 9
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL
CONTINUED CROSS COUNTRY as best they can in their individual sports. And so we were able to put that all together.” Hall knew heading into the season that the boys’ team had the potential to run well at the state meet. Haponik, Doty, Bringewatt, and senior Zach Gilpin formed the nucleus of the team, while soccer players Thompson, Laatsch, and senior Chase Perry also made important contributions. In preparation for states, Hall had the team compete at big weekend meets where hundreds of athletes raced each other. Two of those meets took place at the Wake Med course, which featured a steep hill that athletes had to attack at the beginning and then again at the end of the race. Said Hall: “This knowledge of the state meet course, along with the focused leadership of Captain Cade Bringewatt, gave us the confidence to push harder than ever, with all of our boys running their fastest races of the year when we needed it most–to win convincingly over a Carolina Day team that projected to have a score equal to ours.” The boys won by 25 points. “For a team to accomplish its goal of a state championship is certainly special,” Hall said. “To have it happen for both our girls and boys in the same season was truly MAGIC!”
Cross Country photos by Yearbook Staff
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