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News
Theater shakes things up for musical
IN THE LIMELIGHT (from left to right) (1) The cast of the spring musical “All Shook Up” performs their first act, centered around junior Jarrett Warner playing “Chad.” (2) Warner opens the musical with the classic 1950s song “Jailhouse Rock.” (3) Senior Avery Sullivan, playing “Natalie/ Ed,” performs Elvis Presley hits alongside the ensemble. (4) The heart of the performance is the connections between characters like Sullivan’s “Natalie” and Warner’s “Chad.” photos by Gabriella Herrera
Gabriella Herrera
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Staff Reporter
ets have to be finished, costumes need to fit, performers need to have their lines memorized and there cannot be a foot out of place in the choreography. The spring musical “All Shook Up” premiered on April 8 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. Showings will run until April 10-12 with socially-distanced seats and $13 tickets at the door. “All Shook Up” is a musical inspired by William Shakespeare works like “Much Ado About Nothing” and “Twelfth Night.” Set in the 1950s, the story follows a variety of
different love triangles in a small Midwestern town and tackles what it truly means to be in love. Given a tight time constraint, the preparation for “All Shook Up” was cut from 16 weeks to a mere six. While this was overwhelming for some, sophomore Veronica Yanes-Nadal loves the challenge. Despite it being her first Hagerty production, she is excited to participate. “I tend to struggle more on the memorization side of things,” Yanes-Nadal said, “but when Solomon put up the [characters] and the show we were doing I was very excited and I wanted to audition.” Yanes-Nadal was cast as Lorraine, the
hopeful 16-year-old daughter of the local bar owner Sylvia, and best friends with lead female character Natalie Haller, the local adventurous mechanic played by Avery Sullivan. For audience members who prefer more optimism and romance, Lorraine can be relatable. Their work does not go without acknowledgment. Theater director Jamal Soloman continues to work with all members of the production each day after school, and constantly encourages them to work hard and succeed. “You can really see the love that has been poured into it because it’s a lot of work in a short amount of time,” Solomon said. “They
are doing a phenomenal job.” No matter their struggles, the cast and crew are determined to put on a show that demonstrates the power of love and spending time together. Junior Avery Newton has spoken about how uplifting such a positive environment can be during times of great stress and hopes their lighthearted production can help the audience as well. “It was just so eye-opening to me how much a performance can change someone’s heart,” Newton said. “I hope the audience gets away that it doesn’t matter who you love, it just matters how you love and when you love. Love is love, everyone should win.”
Final decisions made for senior activities Lukas Goodwin
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Print Editor
fter several months of uneasy silence, the fate of senior activities still felt uncertain. Following the cancelation of the homecoming dance, seniors were quick to look to admin for a decision on their longawaited prom. The official Class of 2021 eCampus page gathered students’ opinions in a poll, and within a few weeks, principal Robert Frasca announced that prom would merge with the Sammy’s and prohibit dancing, seniors would graduate at the UCF football stadium, and Grad Bash was canceled. While Universal Studios initially permitted Grad Bash under “very important COVID safety protocols,” schools were later informed on Feb. 19 that the event could not happen. The ultimate decision for Grad Bash was out of the school’s hands, but Frasca, the rest of administration and the Leadership class all put careful consideration into the best way to go about two other major senior events – prom and graduation. “Our goal is to try to conduct as many events for our seniors as we can while still following… safety protocols,” Frasca said. “It is hard because I know that our seniors and their parents want the end of their senior year to be ‘normal,’ [but] we are not in a normal situation.” In regards to the graduation ceremony, while it originally mimicked last year’s plan with individually reserved time slots in the
Hagerty auditorium with unlimited guests, all SCPS high schools will now be graduating at the UCF football stadium on May 14 at 9 a.m., and students are permitted to bring up to 12 guests. Although AP exam dates have been adjusted to be administered from May 3 to June 11, the new ceremony date pushed seniors’ last day of school back to May 7. Seniors taking classes through FLVS will be expected to finish their classes by April 30. “The principals in Seminole County have had many conversations regarding senior events for the spring, including graduation… [and] I met with many seniors to get feedback,” Frasca said. Leadership made much more drastic changes to prom. Knowing that dancing would not be allowed as a safety precaution, the event was made into a hybrid with the Sammy’s — a student-run award show for senior superlative nominations, entertainment and reminiscing over high school experiences. The Sammy’s “Prom” will still be held at Hard Rock in Universal Citywalk on April 17, featuring exclusively senior attendees in typical prom attire, decorations and catering that have been in the works since last year, and some other surprises. Prom chair senior Charlotte Mansur is still very optimistic despite the limitations. “I think seniors will be very hesitant at first, but honestly I think this version of prom will end up being even more fun,” Mansur said. Mansur has been coordinating with the chairs of the Sammy’s, juniors Abby
UP FOR SALE Seniors Saagar Shah and Nathan Gilman buy their tickets for the Sammy’s. Tickets were sold during both lunches from March 22 to April 7. photo by Peyton Sutch
O’Donnell, Riley Sophia and Rita Smith, in addition to the rest of the Leadership class, since the two events were merged. They expect to keep things safe through guidelines like enforced mask-wearing, social distancing, temperature checks and restricting it to Hagerty-only seniors. “We are planning many unique and fun things that we all hope will make this Sammy’s the best one yet,” O’Donnell said. “We are hoping that everyone realizes that we are putting a lot of time and effort into making this event.”
Student reception has been mixed since the initial announcements, but most are not too disappointed. Many seniors wish they could go to Grad Bash, have a normal graduation ceremony and dance at prom, but given coronavirus constraints, the school has managed to acclimate suitably while still permitting some fun. “I wasn’t mad at the school, but I was just upset my senior experience won’t be the same as years before,” senior Natalia Cruz said. “I’m probably going to participate in everything… because I’m just going to take what we can get.”