Conestoga Valley townlively.com
FEBRUARY 16, 2022
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LVIII • NO 8
Good News! LMHS To Stage “Godspell”
sk the cast members of the Lancaster Mennonite High School (LMHS) production of “Godspell” what they hope to give to audiences, and several quickly respond with the word “community.” “The show is about the community surrounding Jesus,” said Heidi Stoltzfus, who will belt out the wellknown “Day by Day” in the show. Carter Palmer, who will sing “All Good Gifts,” noted that the cast is learning about the community of God and becoming an extension of that community, and Ryan Kimbark, who plays Jesus, noted that the circumstances brought about by COVID-19 restrictions have put a focus on the importance of community to make the show especially relevant at this time. “Godspell,” which features music by Grammy Award and Academy Award winner Stephen Schwartz, will be staged in the High Fine Arts Center,
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2176 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster, on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Feb. 24, 25, and 26, at 7 p.m. and on Sunday, Feb. 27, at 3 and 7 p.m. Director Dean Sauder chose the 2012 revised version of the show with updated music. “Godspell,” set in New York City, tells the story of a small group of people who help Jesus Christ tell different parables by using a variety of forms of storytelling, including improvisation, skits, music, and dance. The play concludes with the Last Supper and the crucifixion, the culmination of Jesus’ messages about love. Sauder said that he loves the show. Several members of the cast of 15 were familiar with the musical before auditioning. While the cast has dealt with the COVID-19-related challenges of not having everyone at practice, they are embracing the show and working to make it their own. Miranda Beidler, who sings “Light of the World,”
described the show as open, saying that the opportunity to improvise has been fun. Sauder agreed, noting that the players have incorporated character references from “The Office,” along with nods to “The Princess Bride” and “Mean Girls.” That openness extends to the set as well. “The set is going to be a worksite with scaffolding, traffic cones, sawhorses, and a ladder and planks,” said Sauder. Caleb Metzler, who plays Judas and John the Baptist, pointed out the fun for both cast and audience members in the variety of styles of music. Sauder noted that the show will creatively weave in a boy band on one song and that Abby Brubaker will utilize some of her ballet talents on “By My Side.” Kimbark, who has been tap dancing for several years, will showcase his experience on “All for the Best.” Kimbark called the show “playful” in its takes on the parables of Jesus, and Sauder noted that the show will See LMHS pg 9
Local Organizations At Work In Tornado Impact Area
Breniser STEM Lab Opens At Brownstown Elementary
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 What A Girl Wants To Do . . . . . . . . . . .5
Blessings of Hope (BOH), 500 Becker Road, Leola, is in the business of distributing food and overseeing volunteer labor at disaster sites. Most recently BOH staff members were at work in Campbellsville, Ky., where the organization has a distribution center not far from Bowling Green and Mayfield - both locations hit by a tornado on Dec. 10, 2021.
During part of the COVID-19 induced school shutdown of 2020, the work of remodeling Brownstown Elementary School in the Conestoga Valley School District (CVSD) continued. The work, which created the first Breniser STEM Lab in the district, continued for more than a year before being completed during the fall 2021 semester. On Dec. 15, 2021, the lab was dedicated in honor of the late Beverly H. Breniser, who had been a CVSD
See BOH pg 3
See STEM Lab pg 6
BY ANN MEAD ASH
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
BY ANN MEAD ASH
Scholarship Applicants Sought . . . . . . .6 House Of Worship . . . . . .11 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . .12
Looking forward to seeing students learn in the new Breniser STEM Lab at Brownstown Elementary are (from left) Andy Graybill, Laura Gingrich, and Justine Taylor.
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Members of the cast of the Lancaster Mennonite High School production of “Godspell” include Ryan Kimbark (center) and (clockwise from bottom) Micah Sauder, Miranda Beidler, Abby Brubaker, Caleb Metzler, Heidi Stoltzfus, and Carter Palmer.
R080847
BY ANN MEAD ASH
