The
Flash Dancing
Tiger HI-LINE
Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016
Big turnout For The Kids at annual dance marathon/Pages 10-11 Follow us on Twitter at tigerhiline, Facebook at Hiline and on our website at www.hiline.cfschools.org
Volume 56 Edition 18
English teacher debuts in lead role in UNI production today
A story about the power memories hold and the struggle with accepting difficult realities, Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” is a production that has and continues to mesmerize audiences, and starting Thursday, Feb. 25, English teacher Michelle Rathe, stars in a UNI production of this classic as Amanda, the mother of the family portrayed in the play. “She has maturity. She has keen intelligence and a sense of humor and a connection to people,” UNI professor and play director Richard Glockner said of Rathe’s experience after many years of directing school plays. “[She] certainly has an understanding of dramatic structure.” Months of preparation have gone into the performance, and as two canvas-covered tables set the stage for rehearsal on Wednesday, Feb. 17, Rathe started warming up and relaxing into the creative space with her three other cast mates, and Glockner told them to “let go of all the day’s stress.” Rathe sighed heavily as she began her warm up and transitioning from her world of
students to that of Amanda. “I’m always impressed in terms of how much she cares about all of you, and how much time and effort she devotes to you, y’know?” Glockner said Michelle Rathe while overlookEnglish teacher and ing the actors “Amanda” in the UNI in the Strayer production of “The Wood Theatre. “I Glass Menagerie” think that’s something also in the character of Amanda. She chooses to keep this family going.” “The Glass Menagerie” unravels the memories of Tom as he remembers living in an apartment with his socially awkward sister, Laura, and his overbearing mother, Amanda. After being abandoned by her husband, Amanda constantly reflects on her past and puts pressure on both of her children to somehow make a better life for the
AP literature uses Twitter on Digital Learning Day Advanced Placement literature students around the nation celebrated Digital Learning Day on Feb. 17 by participating in an online discussion via Twitter. The discussion revolved around a poem by Robert Pack entitled, “Echo Sonnet.” Each hour, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., new questions were introduced to students to which they responded in 140 character tweets with the hashtag #APLitDLD. Questions asked students to examine the elements of the poem, such as diction, juxtaposition and alliteration, as well as the poem’s meaning. From California to Georgia to Iowa, this format made it possible for students to connect with other students and teachers living in the other parts of the country. Tweets were not exclusively posted to answer preselected questions; they also brewed discussion. Students responded to one another, asking questions and challenging each other’s points of view. By the end of the day, students composed almost 1,400 tweets using the #AP-
family. Tom, who works in a factory to support the family, feels torn between his desire for a more fulfilling life and his obligation to take care of his mother and sister. Back at school on a day following the play practice, Rathe regarded her role and admitted Amanda wasn’t necessarily something she dreamed of. “I have a harsher personality, so it doesn’t surprise me, but this kind of a role, is it something I could have seen myself doing? Yes,” she nodded, looking around her classroom. “I may not have seen myself being Amanda, but this type of persona, yes.” And as she finished those words, a senior student of hers arrived to ask for his letter of recommendation for a theater scholarship at University of Iowa. Rathe smiled as she spoke with him about having it done tomorrow, the affection in her tone revealing a glimpse into what the next two weekends may reveal in her role as another compassionate persona. By Staff Writer Albie
NICOL
Performance Dates: Feb. 25 - 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26 - 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27 - 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28 - 2 p.m. March 4 - 7:30 p.m. March 5 - 7:30 p.m. March 6 - 2 p.m. Tickets: Youth is $15 (ages 2-18) Adult is $22 (18+) Tickets are available at the box office, which is open Monday-Friday noon.-5 p.m. It’s also open one hour before performances. Tickets are also available by calling the box office at 319-273-4849 during office hours or on the UNITix Website: http://www.vpaf. uni.edu/unitix/
Program offers on-the-job training
LitDLD hashtag, and the event reached over 100,000. English teacher Diane Flaherty guided CFHS students through the activity throughout the day. She decided to have her students participate in the online discussion because she believed it was a great way to integrate technology into the classroom and would give students variety in their class work. “They [students] could connect with different students across the nation on the same poem and the same idea, getting a much wider view than what they would from the 16 kids in class,” Flaherty said. Senior Jacob Leisinger was one of the students who participated in the discussion. He agreed that it helped him gain a deeper understanding. “Seeing others’ ideas on Twitter helped me develop some unique ideas of my own,” Leisinger said. As the day progressed, students had more questions to answer as they chose from the question of the hour as well as
Teachers and counselors frequently remind students that all their work is pointed to skills for the future, but one problem makes this career path completely obvious every day — the experiencebased career education or to put it in simpler terms, the work experience program. The work experience program is a program to help juniors and seniors explore different career opportunities and jobs in the Cedar Valley while working a little over an hour a day for each quarter. Skills teacher Jennifer Juhl works with each student to find a job that they will like. “I try to match not only the students’ skills and interests with the work site, but also their personality. Sometimes it’s really important that the student has someone that can mentor them and build them up,” Juhl said. The students change jobs every quarter, so if they take work experience both semesters, then they will be able to work at four jobs. The work experience program is helpful to the stu-
AP TWITTER Continued on Page 5
WORK EXPERIENCE Continued on Page 3
senior Don Quistorff
junior Taryn Ackerman
junior Rachel Carley
junior Troy Wilson and senior Jacob Brustkern