Vol. 7, Issue 3
FEATURES
5 March 2010
Peninsula Town Center opens By Helen Sporkin To many of us, Peninsula Town Center is just that shopping-center-like place in Hampton with the Five Guys and Target. But as of March 11, all that changed. Eleven stores currently occupy the 1.1-million-square-foot plot of land. But after the grand opening, it will be home to 51 stores and restaurants, and this number is expected to grow over time. Hampton Mayor Molly Ward is proud of this addition to the city and expects its opening to generate job openings for all age groups. Many of the stores opening are new to the peninsula or Hampton Roads. Stores like H&M, Hollister and Delia’s opening will help Hamptonians avoid the long drive to Short Pump or MacArthur. The design of the center will be more like New Town in Williamsburg and City Center in Newport News than a mall, in that it’s an outdoor shopping center with apartments. Peninsula Town Center opened a movie theatre on March 11, but unlike the movie theaters at New Town and MacArthur, this will be a Cinébistro. Mayor Ward was particularly excited for this theatre’s arrival, because it is unusual in that it will provide a fine dining experience while a movie is played. The rest of the stores range from well-known clothing retailers, to an eclectic variety of restaurants. Here’s a full list of stores:
Restaurants and fast food: Abuelo’s Mexican Food Embassy, Vincent’s Italian Ice, Thaijindesu, BD’s Mongolian Grill, Outback Steakhouse, Q Barbeque, Chipotle, Five Guys, Kenji Fusion, Huey’s Diner, Bensi Ristorante Italiano, The Pub, JoJack’s Espresso Café. Health and Beauty: Anthony Vince Nail Spa, Aveda AnimareSalon, Vitamin World, Bath & Body Works, Bö Essential. Apparel: Bakers, Shoe Woo, Aéropostale, Caché, Charming Charlie, Chico’s, Express, Forever 21, G. Bates, Ltd., Gymboree, H&M, Hollister, JCPenny’s, Journey’s, Justice, Lane Bryant, Macy’s, Mekos Surf Skate and More, New York & Company, Target, The Limited, Victoria’s Secret, Claire’s, Delia’s. Other Retailers: Barnes & Photo Courtesy of Peninsula Town Center Noble, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Cinébistro, Emerson’s Cigars, Finish Line, GameStop, Kay Jewelers, LensCrafters, Mattress Discounters, Sport Clips, Sports Fan, The Wine Loft.
‘Treasure Island’ Staff Report Collaboration at its best, the Hampton Roads Academy Middle School show this year “Treasure Island” brought together students from all three grade divisions of HRA as well as faculty and parents. Based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s book, “Treasure Island” takes place in a small English town by the sea. A drunken pirate, Billy Bones, played by eighth-grader Eric Massengill, walks into a tavern and shares stories of his adventures on the sea. After the party dies down, Black Dog, played by seventhgrader Caleb Rinderer, jumps out and kills Bones, looking for a map to Flint’s Treasure. Scared away before he could retrieve the map, Black Dog flees right before the townsmen enter to find Bones dead. Discovering the map, town magistrate Dr. Livesey, played by eighth-grader David Watlington, decides to get the men together, and go in out in search of the treasure. They are joined by a crew of “sailors” who truly pirates under the evil authority of one-legged Long John Silver, played by eighth-grader Jacob Stein. Full of lively choreography and high-energy sword-fighting, the story unravels pitting the sailors against the pirates. Thanks to the help of Benn Gunn, a sailor aboard Flint’s ship who was marooned on the island, the sailors prevail and take the treasure for them sails, sailing back home to their waiting ladies. Directed by middle school English Teacher Mrs. Fassio, “Treasure Island” featured upper school students on the production end, and performers from both the lower and middle schools. Senior Vanessa Arvidson served as assistant director,
focusing on blocking the scene and assisting with choreography and working with the leads on interpretation. Senior Paige Wineinger choreographed the musical, spending hours coming up with lively dance numbers that took the show to the next level. Sophomores Megan Burnett and Catherine Goodson served as stage manager and assistsnt stage manager respectively. Other upper-schoolers helped out on the tech end, for scene changes and assisting the middle schoolers in tech design and execution. The cast featured students from the middle school as well as nine fifth-graders. While a middle school production, “Treasure Island” was a collaborative effort among all three divisions of HRA. “Opportunities for cross-divisional experiences like this are part of what makes HRA special,” Ms. Fassio said. “It’s been really fun to watch upper school students share their theater expertise with and mentor the Middle School kids. I've been impressed by the energy and discipline that they showed throughout the process.” With only a three-week period of time to put it together, the show was truly amazing. The show opened for a performance to local public schools on Jan. 28. About 300 kids came from four local private elementary schools. The show opened to the general public on Jan. 29. The following week a show was given for the HRA lower school, seventh and eighth grades, and three more local private schools, an audience of 370 kids. That Friday’s performance was another success. Unfortunately, due to the snow, the Saturday performances for both weeks of the run were cancelled. However, overall the show was still a huge success.