What an exciting fall semester! Over sixty new beginning Theatre Arts students joined the Tractor Shed Theatre and brought a great diversity to the program. We had a lot of fun getting to know one another and getting acquainted with theatre as an art form. Play Production, which is an auditioned troupe of artists, created a new club S.A.V.E Promise (Students Against Violence Everywhere) to help better our student body by bringing the Start With Hello Week to help reduce social isolation. They put together one of our biggest Halloween shows as to date (Trick-or-Treating Extravaganza) which included live singing, acting, dancing, and science experiments all under the theme of Monster Mash. Play Production won National awards for our S.A.V.E Promise Club work including the grand prize winner for the S tudent Voices contest for a short video; were chosen as the top school in the nation for our creative ideas for the Start With Hello Week; and were invited to present our “superpower” at the National summit in April. We participated in the You Matter movement to continue our drive to spread kindness. We then designed our civic engagement project, Sticks & Stones, around the theme of bullying by joining forces with St. Stephens Elementary School where we brought to life fifth grade students’ personal stories of bullying also including our own testimonies. Follow us through our journey…
Start With Hello Week - S.A.V.E Promise Club Sandy Hook Promise Starting the week of Sept. 24-28, The Tractor Shed Theatre spearheaded this national week to help create a culture of inclusion that values each individual at SSHS. Hundreds of schools and youth organizations across the United States will participate in Start With Hello Week and teach students 2-12, the skills they need to create a culture of connectedness, and encourage them to reach out to and include those who may be dealing with social isolation. We are collaborating with some amazing clubs here at SSHS to help us reach out - Juntos, Key Club, Student Council, Cohesion, Guidance Counselors and administrators, and teachers on the Building Leadership Team for Character Education.
Check out the week and join us in our effort to make school a welcoming place for all.
We created an original series based on stories of social isolation (watch here) in which one of our videos by Natalie W. and play production group won the Students Voices Contest. See the winning video We were on the front page of the Hickory Daily Record (Mon. Sept. 24, 2018) We were featured on Hal Rowe’s Radio Show First Talk We were so inspired by the Start With Hello Week that we entered our school into the national awards and won First Place for S tudent leadership, spirit, creativity and sustainability
From Start With Hello Award Application - Fall 2018 “How did the students or young people served by your school or organization take the lead in planning and organizing your Start With Hello Week activities? (100 word limit) * Tractor Shed Theatre (TST) students reached out to their individual after school clubs and asked for collaboration in creating the Start With Hello Week to garner more support in an effort to reach the entire student body. Four TST students’ in Juntos, Cohesion, Key Club, and Student Council trained their clubs and then started designing the activities. Each club was responsible for a day of the week. All activities were student designed and led. The TST students would then report back to the theatre the progress of each activity.
Please describe the activities conducted. (250 word limit) * 9/24/18 TST video series
starts - original videos on the theme of social isolation,
“Say Hello To Someone You Don’t Know Challenge -tag (@) your friends on social media” Tag three or more people on any social media to challenge them to “Say Hello” to three or more people they don’t know face-to-face. All clubs wear Start With Hello stickers. 9/25/18 Juntos will decorate the entrance with chalk on sidewalks welcoming ALL students in different languages. Quotes and positive affirmations about kindness and inclusion will be included in their design, #Twinning Day - Match with a friend and take a snap using the snapchat filter “Start with Hello”. Better yet, take a snap with someone you don’t know that you are accidently twinning with. 9/26/18 Key Club presents “Welcome Wednesday” - Members will greet students arriving to
school with a “Hello” and a piece of candy. COHESION “Sticker surprise” - positive messages are written sticky notes and placed throughout the school. During lunches, COHESION and TST will be offering free greeting cards to whomever wants them. 9/27/18 Student Council will lead a Random Act of Kindness Challenge. During lunches, students will challenge the student body to accept a random act of kindness to perform. TST Coffeehouse evening mixer activities. 9/28/18 “No one eats alone day” or “Mix it Up” - Sit with people you normally don’t sit with at lunch. “Wear your favorite shirt day”- use it as a conversation piece. In addition to the young people at your school or youth organization, who else from your community participated in Start With Hello Week? Please list all audiences impacted by your Start With Hello Week. * Please describe how you involved each audience listed. (250 word limit) * In addition to bringing the Start With Hello Week initiative to our entire student body, a local middle school guidance counselor shared with the faculty of Jacob’s Fork Middle School our
video to coincide with their Start With Hello Week. “Hello all. The SSHS theater department produced the video below for their "Starts with Hello" week. This shows the steps in action as students act out during a lunchtime scene. If time permits, it would be a really valuable tool for our discussion here this week if you have several minutes to show. They have done a really great job as usual." We contacted the local newspaper and radio station. They both chose to interview us and we were delighted to land the front page and a 30 minute slot on a morning radio show. We contacted a local chapter of Moms Demand Action and have set a time after election to train moms. Our Tractor Shed Theatre Coffeehouse Mixer night was attended by some parents who did a personal bingo with the teens. Please list any media (newspaper, TV, radio, websites) that covered your Start With Hello Week activities. Please include name, date and link where possible. * We made the front page as a feature in the Hickory Daily Record after an interview with a reporter. Monday Sept. 24th, 2018 “Students Vow to Say Hello, fight against social isolation” https://www.hickoryrecord.com/…/article_f003874c-be99-11e8-… We were on the Hal Row First Talk Radio Show discussing the Sandy Hook Promise and the Start With Hello week and its effort to raise awareness for reducing social isolation. Tuesday Sept. 25th, 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=x-IT1TUHhKc We updated our theatre website to include a Start With Hello Page https://www.catawbaschools.net/Page/4185 We used social media to share our original videos, information about the week, and purchased filters on Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Catawba County School Website, St. Stephens High School website, and Workplace.We also used Flipgrid to reflect: https://flipgrid.com/eb3cb4b9 Please share at least one quote, personal story or statement from a student who was impacted by the Start With Hello program and why it made a difference or mattered to them. (200 word limit) *
“When I was in elementary school, social isolation was something that I had to deal with everyday. I was the kid who sat by himself at lunch or who walked around the track
alone. I didn’t have any friends and no one really talked to me. So it was really important to me when we started this promise that I do everything in my power to make people feel like that they have someone because truly all I ever wanted was to feel included.” - Coleson “The whole week was a mood-booster. Seeing others trying the activities we created lifted my spirits while lifting theirs.” - Emily “I’m an introvert at heart and don’t talk to people outside of my friend group. Sometimes I’m even the person who sits alone at lunch so when you see others sitting alone - it hits you. So I decided I wanted to become that leading force even though I knew it would be a challenge for me.” James “My friend and I sat with a guy at lunch who eats alone. We had a fun conversation and made a new friend. That was a neat experience that I won’t forget.” - Natalie Please share at least one quote, personal story or statement from an adult who was impacted by the Start With Hello program and why it made a difference or mattered to your school, school district or youth organization. (200 word limit) *
“I personally was impacted by watching our students who participated in the initial activity step out of their comfort zone and say something nice to a total stranger. It was the surprise and the smile on their faces when they got a kind response back that impacted me because I knew for the first time they realized that being kind to someone is contagious and really works and can be a powerful asset in making a difference in someone's life.” - Chris Johnson (Assistant Principal) “I was so thrilled to see Key Club members get excited about Welcome Wednesday! We had 15 members who greeted students at all 3 entrances and handed out close to 1200 Jolly Ranchers. It was a great way to impact a HUGE number of students and start their day on a positive note!” Hailey Garrou (Math Teacher) “What a great supportive week this has been with the Say Hello initiative. I am proud to be in a school that embraces such positivity and is proactive in helping our students who might feel isolated. What a great place to be and work!” - Anna Geitner (Science Teacher)
Please describe how your school or youth organization will sustain Start With Hello throughout the year. (250 word limit) * Our Theatre troupe have become a SAVE Promise Club and we are currently working with the clubs that joined us in Start With Hello Week (SWH) with the hopes of expanding. Each group/club will perform an activity similar to our SWH plans once a month. In addition to our kindness activities, we would like to have a parent session, led by our guidance department, to train parents and create a support network for them. We would also like to reach into our community and train our Moms Demand Action group. I’ve already made plans after election time to meet with and become active with our local chapter. Our Building Leadership Team for Character Education would like to incorporate SWH activities for the student body as well and help teachers use these activities in the classroom environment. We also would like to be a touch-point in helping other schools with the SWH week in the future. Please include your Start With Hello sustainability calendar of activities, including a brief description of the events planned. (250 word limit) * In addition to repeating some of the SWH activities/projects, we are currently considering student ideas such as a “Create a Third Party Compliments Box” where someone writes a letter about someone complimenting them and we film that person reading out the letter. Or High Five/Fist Pump Fridays where the clubs generate the wave of kindness gestures for the student body to follow. The students in each club would create their activity or choose from a long list that we have collated dating back to the school’s involvement with Rachel’s Challenge. We are planning on meeting in early November to set our dates for each club for the rest of the school year.
Student Voices Contest Winner Watch our Award Winning Video for the Sandy Hook Promise’s Start With Hello Student Voices Contest (Natalie W. feat Fall Play Production Troupe). “Over 1,200 students from across the country submitted Student Voices entries. Sandy Hook Promise will be showcasing your student’s award-winning artwork, essays, and video links in press releases as well as at the 2019 Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) Promise Club Summit in Charlotte, NC on April 13th, 2019.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iOP1j4qLzc&list=PLgq3eUBML4FpeExCeQUD6qAXpaL 7IRSRA
First-place winner for the Start With Hello Student Leadership, Spirit, Creativity and Sustainability Award: On Dec 10, 2018, at 9:44 AM, Bob Flynn <bob.flynn@sandyhookpromise.org> wrote: Dear Ms. Rice, Congratulations! Sandy Hook Promise has selected St. Stephens High School as the
first-place winner for the S tart With Hello Student Leadership, Spirit, Creativity and Sustainability Award. Considering the number of entries Sandy Hook Promise
received from across the nation and the high quality of these entries, St. Stephens High School should be very proud of this achievement. As the first-place winner, St. Stephens High School will receive: · AS tart With Hello Award plaque
· A personal visit to your school from Sandy Hook Promise · Free registration for your S AVE Promise Club members to attend the 2019 S AVE Promise Club Summit · A travel stipend of $500 to use towards your S AVE Promise Club’s travel to the 2019 SAVE Promise Club Summit · An invitation to submit a proposal to present your school’s Start With Hello Week Awards submission activities at the 2019 S AVE Promise Club Summit. If your school does present, a professional videographer will video your students’ presentation and your school will receive a copy of this video · Your Start With Hello Week Awards video submission will be played at the 2019 SAVE Promise Club Summit
· Recognition on Sandy Hook Promise’s website, social media, and related materials In addition, Sandy Hook Promise would like to schedule a visit to present the S tart With Hello School Award to the St. Stephens High School community. As part of this visit, we can help to invite local media to cover the event and video your students and SAVE Promise Club members in action. Our Events Director, Sarah Lopez, will be in touch with you soon to discuss dates and details for the visit to your school. Congratulations again and thank you for empowering your students to learn how to be more inclusive and connected to each other. Your important work is helping to reduce social isolation as well as to prevent violence in all its forms. Sincerely, Dawn Lyons Vice President, Marketing and Programs Director
Bob Flynn Programs
Bob Flynn Programs Director C: 617.905.8786 bob.flynn@sandyhookpromise.org
Selected to present at S.A.V.E Promise Club Summit 2019 Dear Ms. Rice, I am thrilled to let you know that St. Stephens High School's proposal to present a session at the SAVE Promise Club Summit on April 13, 2019 has been approved! You will receive t hree free
summit registrations for presenting a session (however, as a Start With Hello Award Winner, your club receives free registration)! You must still register for the Summit, when you register please choose Grant/Award. Please register before the early bird deadline of February 15th.
Please plan for your breakout session, Sticks & Stones: Using Theatre as a Super Power, to be approximately 40 minutes long with 5 minutes for questions and answers. You will only be presenting your session one time. As we get closer to the April date, we will give you an updated approximate number of people that may attend your session. Each breakout room will come with a smart board. If you are using powerpoint, you can bring your presentation on a flash drive. If your club would like to join us Friday Night, we will also be hosting a reception for clubs that come in the day before from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM at Winkler Middle School in Concord, NC. Should something happen that your school can no longer participate, please let us know immediately so that we can choose an alternate session. We look forward to seeing you in April! Feel free to reach out if you have questions! Carleen Wray, SAVE Promise Club Manager O: 866-343-7283 C: 919-810-0106 carleen.wray@sandyhookpromise.org PO Box 3489
Newtown, CT 06470 sandyhookpromise.org
facebook.com/SandyHookPromise twitter.com/sandyhook
Instagram: @sandyhookpromise
TST students and alumni join together to bring to life our Trick-or-Treating Extravaganza for the community of NW Hickory, NC. This is our fifth year and the students chose the theme of the Monster Mash. Students studied classic horror films and the universal monsters in order to create an original 20 minute show with live singing,
dancing, acting, and science experiments. The show looped 11 times during the evening. Thousands of Hickory residents passed through. A video was taken of our N ightmare
Before Christmas (third year) and it has gone viral with over a half a million views, 12.1K
shares and nearly 1.6K comments and 5.7K reactions. Overnight our Monster Mash video hit 1k and now has 4.7K. Check out more information here.
Our Photos on Smugmug (Photographer: TST Alumni Jackson Shoe) See how we researched Monster Mash on our Pinterest See Rehearsal shots/vids and Set-up Months of designing and researching our theme. Students learned how to create an aesthetic by designing all aspects of technical theatre - set and set construction, set dressing, hand properties, film and sound editing (and converting files!) for projection and performance, lights and wattage, how to set up a sound system and wireless mics, how to purchase and build costumes, makeup with prosthetics, wig and hair, and how to demonstrate science experiments. The show - Monster Mash - is original and student
actors have been studying the genre of classic universal monsters to build their characters. Actors are dancing and singing in character. It was an ambitious project. I’m proud of their work ethic and commitment.
View our Tech. Work to see how it came together: Costumes Sound/Music
Set/Props
Dance/Movement
Lights/Technology
Make-Up
Daytime Monster Mash Viral Video (Facebook) Nighttime Monster Mash Video (Facebook) Monster Mash Show on Youtube Students Reflect on Design & Production (Tech.) Students Reflect on Bringing their Characters to life
Headshots by TST student Coleson B.
Junior & Senior College Auditions and Portfolios Seniors Coleson B. (Acting), Hannah M. (Acting), McKenna L. (Sound Design) & Juniors Natalie W. (Stage Management) and James G. (Acting) attended North Carolina Theatre Conference’s College Discovery Day where in total these TST students received 43 callbacks based on their auditions and portfolios! See them in action in this short video
It was cool to see TST Alumni Alice Gomez on the front of her college’s brochure! Alice attends Lees-Mcrae. The TST alumni are attending and/or have graduated from: UNC School of the Arts, AMDA (New York & LA), Western Carolina, ECU, UNC-G, UNC-W, NC State University, Greensboro College, FSU, and more!
Readying Senior Musical Theatre Student Peyton B. for AMDA audition In October, my planning time turned into rehearsals for this amazing kid! Peyton auditioned October 14th in Charlotte for the prestigious American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York for Musical Theatre. If she makes it in, it will be Saint’s second TST alumni to be accepted. Olivia Wilson (Who played our Antigone.) attended both the New York and LA locations. Olivia is still living and working as an actor and educator in New York City. Here is a clip of Peyton and I working together...
Update: Hi Mrs. Rice!!❤ I just wanted to let you know that I was Accepted to AMDA today with scholarship!! I wanted to let you know how thankful I am for you and
your amazing help with my audition! I couldn’t have done this without you! You truly have helped me make my dream come true! -much love, Peyton
You Matter Marathon We continued our Kindness trail as we joined the You Matter movement and left these cards with others who needed to be reminded that they matter in this world. “We’re living in a world where people crave connection, yet feel more isolated than ever. Every one of us is here for a reason. We are all essential. We need, and are needed by, each other. Especially now. The purpose of the You Matter Marathon is to create and enrich positive connections between people and within communities by sharing You Matter cards during November. When you sign up to share the You Matter magic, we’ll mail you 30 You Matter cards for free. You can also participate as an Ambassador for a group such as a school, a company, or a religious organization. Cards are mailed in mid-October.
Find out more about the You Matter Marathon
TST Coffeehouse is in its 13th year! Led by Play Production, TST Coffeehouse happens twice a month on the evening of Thursday lasting from 6pm - 8pm. The Coffeehouse provides a safe venue for performers of all sorts to gather and commune in the arts. Our favorite Coffeehouse this fall was when the young band Propag&a performed an amazing set. Propag&a is known in our community and has played gigs such as Octoberfest. Two Tractor Shed Theatre Students, Isaiah C. on bass and vocals and musical theatre student Sarah B. on lead vocals. Looking forward to watching this band grow. Coleson B. is head of the TST Coffeehouse committee and does all of its Public Relations
Upcoming: Spring Semester - back by popular demand - TST Live! Our tribute to Saturday Night Live sketch comedy.
Check out Photos/Videos from the Evening Join Propag&a on Social Media
Dewey’s Bakery Fundraiser We are in our third year of selling these amazing cookies! As we are not funded by the school, county, or state our theatre program relies on fundraising to provide students with the opportunity to be in productions. Shows are very expensive. We sell in December to arrive for the holidays. If you didn’t order cookies this time from us maybe you will consider next year!
Dodgeball (Coaches Vs. Cancer) Each year we raise around $300 for the Coaches Vs. Cancer fundraiser by playing dodgeball. This year we had two co-ed teams and one all girl team. We love to show our support and help raise awareness and funds for this important school-wide fundraiser. Civic Engagement Project This year's civic engagement project was a personal one. My students wanted to revisit their childhoods by choosing a district-feeder elementary school and share with them an original play based on personal testimony about bullying and to bring to life the stories from current fifth graders at St. Stephens Elementary School (SSES) on their own stories of hate, meanness, and bullying. (Cool
note: Some of the cast’s teachers are still teaching the fifth grade!) The fifth grade teaching team got their students to create google slides based on their experiences of bullying at school. Once we received the slides, the actors got to work. The actors had already chosen to recite parts of Shane Koyza’s spoken word piece “To This Day” and intertwine it with the popular “This is Me” from the Greatest Showman soundtrack. The actors worked in small groups and chose a story of bullying from the fifth graders to enact. The show also included two testimonies from seniors Coleson B. & Anthony B. they gave the students a heart-to-heart on how bullying affected them. Sticks and Stones is also further outreach efforts based on our S.A.V.E (Students Against Violence Everywhere) Promise club work. On January, 2nd, 2019 we traveled to SSES on a teacher workday to meet the fifth grade teaching team, explore the space, and touch base with teachers who had been such a lovely influence on the actors’ lives. The next day we performed in the media center for 110 fifth grade students who were captivated. After the show, we spent time with the fifth graders in helping them with a “Kindness Rocks” project. The children opened up and further shared their experiences and their feelings. The teens offered advice on how to cope and handle negative situations. The fifth grade teaching team will use the rocks on their campus to further kindness with their student body. The TST actors created a vlog on our YouTube channel offering advice, help, and resources for social isolation, bullying, and mental health. We created a “Push Play” playlist which
includes over 40 videos. I also created a Pinterest Board for Teachers to further their ideas on how to help prevent bullying. #SAVEpromiseclub #TractorShedTheatre #SandyHookPromise Fifth Grade Teaching team: Jennifer Haltiwanger, Angel Johnson, Jennifer White, Debra Joines, & Chelsa Fillers
We will present this project at the Students Against Violence Everywhere Summit in April, 2019. Sticks & Stones Project 2019 ⭐ St. Stephens High School ⭐ Tractor Shed Theatre ⭐ S.A.V.E Promise Club 2018-2019
Sticks & Stones (​An original play based on St. Stephens Elementary Fifth Grade stories of bullying.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0OQK3dzlwQ&list=PLgq3eUBML4FoCJ8QfmAmunQx WQJ27syDc
Sticks & Stones (Curtain Speech) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un7O8d5upZk
Sticks & Stones (Kindness Rocks Project) Fifth Graders paint rocks for the Sticks & Stones Project to hide around the school in conjunction with school announcements. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMdtPoVA8QY&t=10s
Fifth Grade Teachers Reflect of Sticks & Stones Project SSHS & SSES 2019 https://photos.app.goo.gl/GThS4YxvDdSmBN7s9
TST Actors Reflection https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CVZXVyNhjUoY6iF6c_11uEleLf-ef6d7
Fifth Graders Reflection https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN-LMzll4Ms&list=PLgq3eUBML4FopUTpmKauDIb5323 KXyDt_
Teen’s Advice to Stories of Fifth Grade Bullying or Meanness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWr1kVIP6Is&list=PLgq3eUBML4Foy62JhhP2ke_744Sa W0Psz
Push Play (A collection of 48 videos on bullying, kindness, empathy, etc for our friends in Fifth Grade) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgq3eUBML4FpeExCeQUD6qAXpaL7IRSRA
Our YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpWcG9D93VgcugwD35q21Yg?view_as=subscriber
S.A.V.E. Promise Club ⭐ Tractor Shed Theatre ⭐ St. Stephens High School & St. Stephens Elementary Schools’ Fifth Grade ⭐Sticks & Stones Project 2018-2019
Spring Semester 2019 R eflection Spring brought in new classes of Intermediate Theatre Arts, Musical Theatre, & Spring Play Production filled with amazing students! Fall brought us awards with our newly made Students Against Violence Everywhere Promise Club and spring only upped the ante in commitment, stellar performances, and further community collaboration. Here are a few of our spring highlights:
Sandy Hook S tart With Hello Award Ceremony It was an honor to have members of Sandy Hook Promise to present us with the Award of Excellence for Leadership, Spirit, Creativity, and Sustainability. Special thanks to Scottie Houston, Jason Fulbright & Tammy Cordeiro for helping to set up and strike the ceremony and Julie Harris for helping us in the gym. It was wonderful to also have Maria Ballard and School board member Leslie Barnette in attendance. Also kudos to Holly Ellwanger (Juntos), Hailey Garrou (Key Club), Stephanie Weber (student council) and student-led Cohesion Club for helping to organize their students in the #startwithhello week activities. #sandyhookpromise #savepromise
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On the news: (video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85FU-WhlLLg
Article: https://www.hickoryrecord.com/news/local/st-stephens-students-receive-national-recogni tion-for-anti-bullying-efforts/article_d1d5817c-3ae9-11e9-bb79-fbdee5be8608.html
Hickory Playground Grant Winners three years in a row. https://www.hickoryplayground.com/
“The funding helps us continue our civic engagement and creative arts work… We have won national awards and the Hickory Playground gives us the resources to continue bettering our communities. — Molly Rice, Theater Teacher, Saint Stephen’s High School (Catawba County Schools)
Theatre-in-Our-Schools Month (March) Each year we advocate why theatre is important in our schools. Theatre saved my life. I'm so grateful to teach some amazing students at Saint Stephens High School. I'm heading into my fourteenth year directing the Tractor Shed Theatre. In 13 years, we have produced 13 full-length spring productions; 14 original devised theatre for civic engagement; 5 original Trick-or-Treating Extravaganza shows; 7 original children's shows with tours; 5 Musical Theatre Revue shows; 4 original art based shows at Hickory Museum of Art; and 3 one-act plays for North Carolina Theatre Conference. Stayed in the Top Five in NC for reciting poetry for nearly 10 years with runner-up twice, and won many awards. We are nearly over 50 shows for our community! I spend 700-800 hours in a year after-school with students for free. My students bring me hope and light in this sometimes darkened path. Theatre is absolutely necessary for a child's education. It teaches all the "soft" skills that any employer would need in an employee.
Check out Melani L.'s advocacy video introducing you to the cast of this year's spring play production: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PpIXGjfAtU
Say Something Week: A Call to Action Sandy Hook Promise and Students Against
Violence Everywhere initiative to help spot the signs, act immediately, take it seriously and tell a trusted adult when they see at school or on social media when an individual may be threatening to hurt themselves or others. "See Something, Say Something" The Students Against Violence Everywhere Promise Club (S.A.V.E Promise) placed boxes around the school on Friday and Monday to kick-off the Say Something Week via Sandy Hook Promise to collect "third party" anonymous compliments from our faculty, staff, and students. Delighted that Juntos, Student Council, and Key Club joined us again this week.
Here is a video capturing their reaction to a received compliment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-07iMBMDso
Leading Community Theatre Seniors Coleson B. & Hannah M., two TST seniors who have been rocking the lead roles in community theatre this year. Coleson landed Tom Sawyer in the Green Room's Production of Tom Sawyer (musical) and Hannah in Hickory Community Theatre's End Days. Lovely to see both of them performing for our community. TST Students Mckenna L., Kaitlin M., Natalie W., have also participated in acting and teching in local community theatre.
Hannah rocked a goth character in End Days and Coleson wowed audiences as Tom Sawyer where he sang, acted, and danced. Micah had Coleson sign his Tom Sawyer’s Adventures book as if he was the real Tom Sawyer.
Students Against Violence Everywhere Promise Club Summit April 13th, 2019 We headed to Concord to join other young people from around the nation to lift our voices and to put our minds together to help reduce social isolation, help prevent bullying, and to stand against Violence Everywhere. We were honored to have been chosen to lead a breakout session where we taught others how we use theatre as our “superpower” for civic engagement. I’m humbled to have had the opportunity to meet Mark Braden, father of one of the 20 first-graders murdered at Sandy Hook, Natalie Barden, a junior at Newtown High School whose brother Daniel was murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary, & Nicole Hockley, mother of Dylan Hockley, who was killed at Sandy
Hook (and who chose our video for the Student Voices contest). It was inspiring and empowering to be around so many caring young people who are “Students Against Violence Everywhere”. We also were invited to perform a cutting of our Sticks & Stones play before closing remarks on the main stage. The fifth-grade teaching team of St. Stephens Elementary School joined us at the Summit. I'm proud of the passionate and dedicated students I lead. They should be celebrated for their important work. #Sandyhookpromise#SAVEPromiseclub #SAVESummit #Tractorshedtheatre
Sticks & Stones: Using Theatre as a Superpower
We had several students, parents, teachers, and counselors attend our session. TST students performed their show Sticks & Stones and then presented a google slideshow breaking down the elements of design and production of the original show and project with the elementary school. Delighted to have our St. Stephens Elementary School fifth-grade teaching team as well to speak about our kindness project. During our break out session, we met an awesome advocate and leader Erika Newman! She was so encouraging and inspiring! Watch Erika sing the praises of the TST here:
https://youtu.be/qiJMH7JxAhI See the photo slideshow that Erika created here: https://youtu.be/o_wx3u4_8Jo
HI Molly, I am still buzzing from the youth summit. I am without words to express how transformational the experience of meeting you, your students, and the adult champions that also came along to support. The work that you are doing using theatre as a form of expression, empowerment, healing, and to create space for conversations is unlike anything I have experienced before. I’d rather travel to your school to watch a performance by Tractor Shed Theatre than a Broadway play any day. Below is a link you can click to download a little slide show I threw together with some pics I took of the club and the summit. (scroll all the way down to see the link) I was especially impacted by the students that approached Anthony wanting to talk to him and share their story with him after the workshop. It was a really special moment and I am glad I captured it.
I also created a short 1-minute video for you and the students. I am sending that separately with another link you can download. I hope you can share both of these short videos with everyone to express how proud I am of what you are all doing and how grateful I am to have met you. Thank you for everything you do!
Erika Newman School Outreach Coordinator Pronouns: She/Her/Hers Hablo Español O: 203-304-9780 Ext. 152 C: 312-513-0041
Anthony B. talks about bullying with other SAVE Promise Club members at the National Summit.
McKenna L. presenting at the National SAVE Promise Club Summit. The crew including the Fifth-grade teaching team from SSE.
National Summit for SAVE Promise. Students and leaders from across the nation gathered to hear some amazing speakers! We were honored to be included in the program and perform our original show for such a powerful group of people.
Our video was showcased at the SAVE Summit.
Hickory Daily Record “SAVE Promise Club Honored for Project” Article: https://www.hickoryrecord.com/news/save-promise-club-honored-for-project/article_212 2616e-768b-11e9-8380-2f5d0b783c04.html?fbclid=IwAR3gKHc4Lp_GXfcXQ7z1f2O_bHo Qw3zrnxflWE_a6EhEWow08E-F0p2cmcw
Teaching Award Nominations: So honored to be nominated and voted for NCSchoolHeroes, https://www.ncschoolheroes.com/?eid=2022236 Claes Nobel Educator of the Year, Tony Educator, & Stephen Sondheim Educator Award. Many students, alumni, community members, a school board member, and the superintendent pushed me forward this year in some big awards! Grateful for their recognition! Here is an example of many nomination letters: “I am an alumnus of Molly Rice, and I can say with certainty that I have never had another teacher impact me and the community has strongly as she has. Molly has gone above and beyond what is expected out of a teacher. She has been a mentor for not only me but countless other students. She has used theatre to teach us skills that we can acquire nowhere else, not just for those pursuing a career in theatre but skills valued in any life path. Leadership, communication, resolve, initiative, soft skills that are needed for anyone to excel in the world. Molly pushed us to be the very best we can be, and I will forever be grateful for this. Her influence happened at a critical point in my life, being young and impressionable, easy for someone to go through their adolescents and miss these important life long skills. Like any teacher, she has helped shape the next generation, but unlike any teacher, she did it with grace and compassion rarely seen in most people. Her impact is not solely felt on her students, it can be felt in the entire community as well. Part of her curriculum is that we participate in a community outreach program that changes every year. From working with the elderly to assisting the mentally ill and homeless. These are just the ones I participated in but there are many more, for this is something she and her students have done for the last several years. This has inspired not only me but many of her former students to participate in volunteer activities long since leaving her classroom. The importance of helping one’s community is a lesson that needs to be taught by more educators. Having compassion and empathy for your fellow man is difficult to teach yet none the less Molly has been up to the challenge. Molly not only teaches theatre but several other arts as well. Poetry, music, dance, even yoga. Whatever her students are passionate about she incorporates
into her lectures and lessons. She takes a personal interest in whatever her students are interested in. This gives us a well-rounded education in the arts as a whole, rather than just theatre specifically. I have met few teachers that take such a personal interest in their students’ success no matter the field. In the end, Molly was much more than just a mentor she is also a dear friend. One whose advice and wisdom I rely upon and greatly appreciate.” Triston Parkins
Board of Education and staff Recognition: Mrs. Molly Rice and her students from SSHS were recognized for the "Starts with Hello" campaign and the national recognition they received.
TST Live! For the third year in a row, spring brings a special TST Coffeehouse - TST Live! An evening of Saturday Night Live sketch comedy! We sold out two showings of our hilarious scenes and commercials.
Great year for freshman Evan P. & newcomer Jr. Jordan S.
Senior Oliver L. shooting some vocal arrows along with Evan, & seniors Anthony B. & Coleson B. A hilarious actor’s police line-up! Freshman Taylor D. played law enforcement a lot this year - helps that she has family members who serve on a daily!
Jordan S. as OJ was so funny and Melani as his date even better!
Evan as the embarrassed teen and James G. (as per usual) rocking the eccentric characters! James as Oil Baron Abraham H. Parnassus
Natalie W. (mom), Coleson B. (dad), & Addi W. (teen) in Dysfunctional Family
These three tore down the house in this epic shouting match of familial love.
Barbie Instagram has us all in tears when Hannah M, Jacey P, Mckenna L, Melanie C-L, and Seven L. took the stage!
Prom Promise TST's second annual Prom Promise mock car crash raising awareness against driving distracted or under the influence. Special thanks to St. Stephens Fire Department, Catawba County Sheriff's Department, Catawba County EMS, Novant Medic Flight, Springs Road Auto Express, and Precision Paving. This year, a medical helicopter was added to the scene. The Tractor Shed Theatre looks forward to collaborating with Deputy Chief Josh Randolph & our Resource Officer Dale Lail and continuing our study in crisis acting. Photos Hickory Daily Record’s Kristen Hart
Check out our video of the mock crash scene here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8PyRe2mvfc Read the Hickory Daily Record Article here:
https://www.hickoryrecord.com/gallery/st-stephens-high-school-holds-car-accident-demo nstration-ahead-of/article_6200c2ec-6d18-11e9-8f92-87dd004715e4.html?fbclid=IwAR3O LCTzAHqe1Qmz9nFgoLnEMDo1jmcJUIT9byql6glPoYdwvbY44OomIpY
The next two photos are from our very own photography teacher Lori Deal-Flynn. We were excited to have her on the scene.
Intermediate Theatre Arts This spring we had a diverse group of Intermediate Theatre Arts students who worked hard in delving deeper into acting and design & production. They did scene study, wrote original pieces - monologues, poetry, rap, stories, and spoken word. They learned how to audition and deliver a monologue. They read a play and discussed plot, theme, character & dialogue. For Design & Production, they broke into small groups and chose from stage management, dramaturgy, props, set, costumes, hair/wig and make-up, music and sound effects, and public relations. They studied each aspect of their tech. and designed based on the era of 1978. The students put together a Google slideshow and taught the class their specific area. Intermediate Theatre Arts also, for the first time ever, led their own TST Coffeehouse with a spring theme! Check out the Intermediate Theatre Arts page here for a showcase of their work. https://www.catawbaschools.net/Page/9418
TST Coffeehouses
TST Coffeehouses have been a tradition for the Tractor Shed Theatre for 12 years now! It is our creative fundraiser to help raise money for the program and to give the school and community and open mic. to share their many talents. TST Coffeehouses are usually the first and third Thursday of each month. Acts included singing, dancing, reading poetry, performing spoken word, playing an instrument, a full band performing, and magic by freshman Jack! We also enjoyed our special themed Coffeehouses - Halloween, Valentine’s, TST Live!, and Senior Nite.
Musical Theatre Revue
This spring saw a new group of performers who were extremely well together! The leadership team Honors students Peyton B., Sarah B., and Rylee R. worked hard to devise an amazing team who created every aspect of their curriculum. The students chose which musicals to watch, which cast mates to perform with, which musical selections to perform, and in the end, designed an outstanding Musical Theatre Revue which culminated in a full show! For the first time, the show was designed for in-the-round! Check out our Musical Theatre page on our website to see their creative work: https://www.catawbaschools.net/Page/10317
The Cast of Musical Theatre 2019
Left to Right: Maddie W, Sarah B, Kaitlin M, Rylee R, Peyton B, Sammie H, McKenna L, Nisha P, Montasia M, Sheena C, and Chloe W.
Small Town Secrets An original whodunit written by seniors Coleson B. & Hannah M. Spring Production this year was fully student-led! Students wrote a full-length two-hour play, directed, designed & produced and starred in their own show. They used technology in the design aspects as they were joined together in small crews for costumes, make-up/wigs, props, set, music/sound effects, lights, stage management, house design, graphic design, and public relations. Check out our Pinterest for our first blush ideas on building the world of STS. https://www.pinterest.com/sshstst/ Character Introduction Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03ydRt0fW_k Watch a snippet from the show here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jVOjARnYrg
small town secrets An Original Whodunit
by Coleson B & Hannah M
Directed by Hannah M with artistic assistance by Coleson B Stage Manager/Lights & Sound: Natalie W Set in Fallenridge, Georgia, 2018. Jenny invites a reporter for tea as the story flashbacks to fall of 1978 where friendships fall apart and someone pulls a trigger. A secret, after forty years, will be told. (Mature themes.) Jenny (Present time) ……………………………………………………Jacey Parkhurst ★ Reporter …………………………………………………………………………Seven Lasley Eddie…………………………………………………………………………Coleson Berlin ★ Jenny……………………………………………………………………….Hannah Millette ★ Lisa…………………………………………………………………………………Melani Loza Oliver ………………………………………………………………………………Evan Petty Charles …………………………………………………………………………Josh Killian◆ Judge ………………………………………………………………………Anthony Badillo ★ Mary ……………………………………………………………………………Emily Hitaffer Tina ………………………………………………………………………………Addi Whaley Karen ……………………………………………………………………McKenna Lynn ★ Sheriff……………………………………………………………………………James Greene Bartender/Prosecution ……………………………………………………Jordan Smith Police ……………………………………………………………………………Taylor Day Jacqueline Ford Attorney …………………………………………Melanie Cano-Lara ★ ★ Star denotes the senior class of 2019
◆ Guest appearance by TST alumni
Saint Stephens High School’s Theatre Shed Theatre 2019
Design & Production
Costumes: Addie Whaley & Hannah Millette Makeup/Hair: Melani Loza & Seven Lasley Sound/Music: Natalie Watson & Jordan Smith Props: Jacey Parkhurst & McKenna Lynn Lights: James Greene & Evan Petty Set: Emily Hittafer, Anthony Badillo, & Melanie Cano-Lara Graphic Design: (T-shirt logo): Melanie Cano-Lara Public Relations: Coleson Berlin & Taylor Day House Design: Coleson Berlin & Hannah Millette
Playwrights’ Notes
“This year I discovered that I had a new passion besides acting - teaching & directing. I shared with Mrs. Rice my new change of heart and my wanting to follow in her footsteps. She immediately switched my schedule and allowed me to saddle up beside her in her Intermediate Theatre Arts class. I designed lesson plans and led the class. She then, after Coleson and I wrote small town secrets, handed over the reins. Directing was definitely harder than I thought it would be as I would leave the theatre every day and still have hours of work to do at home which my very loving and worried parents can testify to! I love you both. That being said, it was a dream to direct as I got to dive into a whole new world of creativity. I absolutely loved being able to write, direct and star in this production alongside Coleson Berlin, who I couldn’t have done it without.” Hannah Millette - Director & Playwright
“As a young boy, I’ve always written plays. My imagination was my best friend. One day I said to Hannah I want to write a play and she replied with “Let’s do it”, and just like that our journey began. I cannot imagine a better person to share the stage and write this show with. One of the best parts of doing this show is not only that I get to act, but I also get to explore my other passions, Design and Photography. I got to research and recreate 1970’s photography and put my own spin on it with the PR shots. I also got to do house design. I got to completely transform this space into a true 1970’s small town and I could not be prouder of the result. I’d like to dedicate this show to my hardworking mom. She has always been there for me no matter what and pushed me to reach for the stars. I love you to the moon and back, mom.” Coleson Berlin - Playwright & Designer
Special Thanks To...
Parents who provided much-needed snacks and dinners to keep us going: Jack Parkhurst, Mike & Barbara Watson, Gayla Endersbe, Elva Lara Garcia (for amazing empanadas), Salvador Loza, Keith & Jamie Petty, Stephanie Lynn, & Donna Scuffham. Parents who helped with props and mending costumes: Tamara Slape, Becky Smith, Bob Lasley, & Kristina Hill-Badillo. Mr. Bogese for the donated bed, students Autumn Rhodes for a lend of her cute pink phone and Cameo Lynch for helping to make bell-bottoms, Mrs. Jenny Houser for helping us to
manage our finances and purchases, Lori Deal-Flynn for the loan of rotary phones, cast members Addi Whaley, Mckenna Lynn, and Melanie Cano-Lara for snacks, Bill Cardwell for the lend of the power washer, SSHS Agricultural’s Ms. Hartley for the beautiful plants, and last but not least Adrian Rice and Micah Rice for their forever love & support.
Melanie C-L’s hand-drawn logo for the show and inverted for T-Shirt design.
Senior Class of 2019
Saying goodbye is always the hardest thing to do. It has been a beautiful journey, some spending four years in the Tractor Shed Theatre. Here’s to all the memories and may the road rise to meet you… Strive!
Graduating Class of 2019!
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