From the President
Dear Families and Friends of SCAPA,
There is so much to be thankful for at SCAPA! Thankful for very professional productions of “Willy Wonka, Jr.” and Twelve Angry Men/Women. Thankful for the most impressive academic achievements and a very nice CATS celebration, including accolades from Superintendent Silberman and Director of Middle Schools, Michael Ernst, and a special guest appearance by Coach Billy Gillespie. Thankful for superb band, orchestra and vocal performances. Thankful for visual art displayed at the recent Coffee House. Thankful for two-for-two victories by the SCAPA speech team – with the expectation that the record will continue unbroken for the rest of this year! Thankful for 8th grade parents who are spearheading an 8th grade trip. Thankful for all the fantastic parents who have provided food and drink, transportation, money, planning, insight, and leadership in producing and supporting all of these achievements. Thankful to just be fortunate to feel all the love and caring within SCAPA and for all the parents, faculty and staff who are making my “Presidency” so easy and delightful this year! And, yes, even thankful to wrap presents at Amazon.com last night!
It would take lots of paper to try to mention and thank each of the people who contribute to SCAPA’s success, but I hope that you know that I recognize and so greatly appreciate each and every contribution! THANK YOU!
Kathy Warnecke Ryan
December 2008
Table of Contents
- From the President
- From the Principals
- Calendar of Upcoming Events
- Announcements and Reminders
- Recent Events
- SCAPA Spotlights
- Academic News
- Arts News
- Club and Team News
- Alumni News
- The Art of Parenting
- Volunteer Opportunities
- FOAS Board Officers and Representatives
Friends of the Arts School Website
From the Principals
Bluegrass
Letter from Marilynn Cunningham
Dear SCAPA Families:
Often as a school administrator, I notice that holidays can bring a joy that inspires us all. On the other hand, the holidays can destroy a routine that supports responsibility to taking care of ourselves and others. It is a time of the year when we can get so busy with the celebration of the holidays, we destroy the everyday routines that are valuable. Even though holidays are designed for reflection and celebration, we all find ourselves forgetting that purpose and becoming busy about all the unimportant things. Here is a list to offer you as a reminder of what you can do to stay in the routine of love and attention during December.
- Check for homework, agendas, backpacks as always
- Take time out for reading a special book with your children
- Give more hugs
- Find time to talk about everyday things
- Say “I love you!” more and more
- Eat foods that are healthy
- Take more naps
- Spend time talking together about memories formed during the holidays of past
The word responsibility is defined in the dictionary as being “accountable to” and “able to fill one’s obligations.” Last week, I listened to the author of the chicken soup for the soul books, Jack Cranfield. He attributes his own success to his “ability to respond” (responsibility broken down and reversed) to the public’s need to hear inspiring stories. He challenged us as an audience to begin deciding what story we want our life to tell and go about setting goals and making plans to assure we author that story that sends the message we design.
My challenge to you is to plan and design your month of December. You take charge of your family instead of allowing other distractions that tend to push us in directions we don’t want to go to do it. Let’s celebrate the simplicity of everyday living even during the holidays!
If you need help as a parent, remember, I am an email (marilynn.cunningham@fayette.kyschools.us) or phone call (859) 381-3332 away. Don’t hesitate to contact me. If we work together, it offers a structure within which your student may accomplish great things.
Keep the Arts in our Hearts.
Lafayette
Letter from Vicki Ritchie
Dear Friends of the Arts,
As we return from our Thanksgiving holiday break, I trust everyone had a restful and happy holiday weekend. This year, I had a new reason for thanksgiving. Being a part of this truly amazing Lafayette community is truly something for which to be grateful.
Now that we are back to school, it is time to buckle down to prepare for final exams. Lafayette students will be taking two final exams each day between December 16 -19.
It is very important that students begin preparing now for their final exams, which cover material from the entire semester. Although parents know these test-taking tips, we should all remind students of the importance of using previous quizzes, tests, and other study guides to prepare. In addition, studying a little each night for each class can help students avoid cramming at the last minute. After completing their finals, students and parents can look forward to a nice long winter break. The spring semester begins on January 5, 2009.
Sincerely,
Vicki Ritchie
(Please check the SCAPA website regularly for updates)
- Tuesday, December 2, 8:25-10:45am, CATS Celebration, Beeler Auditorium and SCAPA Bluegrass
- Thursday, December 4, 6:30pm, Elementary Band/Strings Concert, MPR
- Thursday, December 4, 6:30pm, MS Vocal majors to Cardinal Hill
- Friday, December 5, 8am, Bluegrass Vocals to Gingerbread House Event at the Radisson
- Friday, December 5, Lafayette SCAPA Vocal Majors Recital
- Saturday, December 6, 9am-?, Bluegrass SCAPA Auditions
- Monday, December 8, 7:30pm Lafayette Area Band Concert, Lafayette HS Gymnasium
- Thursday, December 11, 6:30pm, Vocal Concert, MPR
- Thursday, December 11, 7:30pm, Lafayette HS Singers, Chorale, Madrigals Winter Concert, UK’s Memorial Hall (not to be confused with Memorial Colliseum)
- Saturday, December 13, EKU Middle School Honor Band
- Monday, December 15, 7:30pm, Lafayette HS String, Concert, Symphony Orchestra Winter Concert, Singletary Center
- Tuesday, December 16, 5:30pm, Family/School Conversations, Helm Hall
Tuesday, December 16, 6:30pm, FOAS Meeting, Bluegrass SCAPA Library- Cancelled
- Tuesday, December 16, 8pm, Kentucky Christmas Chorus, Rupp Arena
- Friday, December 19, Last Day of Classes
- Monday, December 22, Winter Break Begins
- Saturday, December 27, 7-10pm, SCAPA Reunion, Bluegrass SCAPA
- Monday, January 5, Classes Resume
- Saturday, January 10, 2pm, All County Honor Band Concert, Transylvania University
- Wednesday, January 14, 6-7:30pm, 4th & 7th Grade Science Fair Open House, Bluegrass SCAPA Library
- Thursday, January 15- Sunday, January 18, LHS production of “Seussical!”, Beeler Auditorium
- Monday, January 19, Martin Luther King Day, No School
- Tuesday, January 20, 5:30pm, Family-School Conversations, Helm Hall
- Tuesday, January 20, 6:30pm, FOAS Meeting, Bluegrass SCAPA Library
- Thursday, January 29, Fayette County Choral Festival, Calvary Baptist Church
- Saturday, January 31, 7pm, Bluegrass SCAPA Drama Informance, Helm Hall
Thinking About Changing Your Major??
FOAS Meeting Cancelled
There will not be a December FOAS meeting. We hope you will all join us for the Kentucky Christmas Chorus at Rupp Arena where 35 of our students will be participating in the annual community event.
Science Fair Projects
A special reminder for 7th grade students and parents: 7th grade Science Fair projects will be due on Monday, January 22nd. Please check with your child regularly to make sure that he/she is making progress on his/her project. The goal is for all students to finish their projects before winter break so that they can enjoy their vacation! Any project that is not finished by winter break should be completed during the break since regular homework assignments will resume in January. Also, please do not schedule any appointments for your child on the morning of January 22nd since the judging of projects will take place then and cannot be done at any other time.
CHILD NUTRITON PROGRAM
We are excited to announce that the grams of carbohydrates for menu items served (breakfast & lunch) have been added on the November Menu. This has been noted by a small (g) after the carbohydrate count.
Breakfast: Sunrise Stick/Salsa (29g)
Lunch: W.G. Stuffed Crust Pizza (23g)
School Choice Tossed Salad (2g)
Mixed Vegetables (12g)
California Veg. Blend (2g)
Fruit Choices (16g)
Seussical!
Congratulations to all of these SCAPA students for being cast in the Lafayette Drama Department’s production of Seussical! - Ryan Story, Tyler Stahl, Sydney Steele, Ellie Todd, Elaina Henderson, Will Swisher, Erin Brown, Jimmy Betts, Kenny Demus, Greg Misner, Alaina Broderson, Katherine Bennett, Becca Howell, Ema Horvath, Fiona Mowbry, Emily Lee, Nicole VanDenburg, Jacob Yates, Beth Bollinger, Victoria Hale, Carey Parsons, Jami Hart, Jennifer Rhodenhiser, Ola Pater and Chloe Bingham as well as Bluegrass SCAPA students – Glen Krebs, Callie Babcock, Shelby Nance, and Maggie Thomas.
Seussical is pure Seussimania! Follow the adventures of Horton, the elephant, as in Horton Hears a Who and Horton Hatches an Egg - of course! When chaos erupts in the Jungle of Nool, Horton and a host of your favorites, including the Cat in the Hat and Gertrude McFuzz, must bring harmony back to their world. A world where anything is possible..
Dr Seuss' most beloved characters come tumbling right out of the books and up onto our stage in this joyful, smart musical romp through the heart of Seussdom.
Performance dates are:
January 15-18, 2009 in Beeler Auditorium.
Call 489-8572 to reserve your tickets.
Science Fair Judges Needed
Our annual science fair is rapidly approaching, and we are looking for volunteers with a science-related background to judge student projects. This year's judging will take place on Monday, January 12th for 7th grade projects and Tuesday, January 13th for 4th grade projects. If you are free on one or both of those days from 8 a.m. until approximately noon and are willing to serve as a judge, we would appreciate your help. Please contact either Libbi Sergent (elizabeth.sergent@fayette.kyschools.us) or Ashlie Beals (ashlie.beals@fayette.kyschools.us), and we will get back to you with judging criteria and general information. Also, if you know of anyone else who would be interested in judging, please feel free to pass this information on, or let Mrs. Sergent or Ms. Beals know and we would be happy to contact them ourselves.
One other request: If you are a parent of a 4th or 7th grader, we would ask that you volunteer to judge the projects for the grade level of which your student is not a member. This will help us keep the judging as impartial as possible.
Math Tutoring
7th & 8th grade math tutoring available after school from 3:45-4:45pm every Monday in Ms. Bird's room starting October 6th.
SCAPA Annual Reunion
SAVE the DATE! Mark your calendar for SCAPA's Annual Reunion featuring the Class of 1998! We will be celebrating from 7-10pm on Saturday, December 27th at Bluegrass SCAPA in the Multipurpose room. Alumni from the graduating class of 1998 will provide a showcase performance! There will be food, music and dancing, but mostly there will be fun and fellowship with our SCAPA family, past and present. Don't miss it!
If you are a member of the 1998 SCAPA class, please contact Matt Krebs, vmkrebs@gmail.com, (859) 221-5243. If you would like to be involved with planning the reunion, donating food, or simply to learn more, please contact Carolyn Waterbury-Tieman, carolyn.tieman@fayette.kyschools.us, (859) 536-1313.
HELP! I NEED YOU!
The SCAPA Reunion will take place on Saturday, December 27th from 7-10pm in the Multipurpose Room at Bluegrass SCAPA. I desperately need volunteers to bring food! I do not want to have this event catered and am hoping we can manage to provide enough finger food, snacks and desserts amongst ourselves. Please contact me if you can help. My number at school is 381-3332 ext. 1102. My cell is 536-1313. My email is carolyn.tieman@fayette.kyschools.us. Let’s make this another memorable SCAPA family reunion! Thank you so much in advance.
Kentucky Christmas Chorus
If your student wants to participate in this year’s televised Kentucky Christmas Chorus you need to send the following information to Carolyn Waterbury-Tieman, carolyn.tieman@fayette.kyschools.us, by December 8th. The event takes place on Tuesday, December 16th at 8:00pm in Rupp Arena. When I receive your information, I will send you the details.
Student name
Age
Grade
Major
Parent(s) name(s)
Home address
Phone number
Email address
There are currently 32 students signed up. Please consider involving your student in this annual community holiday event! Thank you.
Lost and Found
Lost and Found at Bluegrass SCAPA is overflowing! The current protocol is to leave whatever is in there alone for one month. On the last Monday of each month everything is put out on tables in the MPR during lunch. Whatever is not claimed at that time is then donated to needy groups. PLEASE remind your students to check Lost and Found regularly if they have a habit of misplacing things, especially lunch boxes/bags as they become truly disgusting. Parents, you are welcome to come look for yourself as well.
Friends of the Arts School (FOAS) Meetings
The next Friends of the Arts School (FOAS) meeting will take place on Tuesday, August 19, at 6:30pm in the Bluegrass SCAPA library.
Mark you calendars for the remaining meeting dates in 2008-09:
- August 19 - Meeting Minutes
- September 16 - Meeting Minutes
- October 21 - Meeting Minutes
- November 18
- December 16
- January 20
- February 17
- March 17
- April 21
- May 19
SCAPA Art Lease/Coffee House
The annual Art Lease/Coffee House event took place on Friday, November 21st at Bluegrass SCAPA. Those who attended were treated to some incredible works of art by our 4th – 12th grade visual arts majors as well as entertainment by Bluegrass SCAPA vocalists, band majors, string majors and piano majors. Thank you to Robert Love, Vicki Jenkins, Millie Fields, Robin Barker, Nancy Campbell and David Gillespie for making this such an enjoyable evening. The hot cocoa was awesome, Vicki!
This section is reserved for recognizing accomplishments by SCAPA students, parents, faculty and staff. Please send arts accomplishments to Melissa Frank (melissa@melissavoiceover.com), academic accomplishments to Beth Poulton (bpoulton@insightbb.com) and anything else to Carolyn Waterbury-Tieman (carolyn.tieman@fayette.kyschools.us). Space limitations will determine how many we can include in any given month.
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Submit information to Beth Poulton (bpoulton@insightbb.com)
Middle School Science
Great things are happening in middle school science! The 6th graders (Ms. Beals’ class) are taking a whirlwind tour through the different kingdoms of organisms, the 7th graders are completing an in-depth study of cell reproduction and heredity, and the 8th graders are currently studying energy resources and our impact on our environment. Be sure to have conversations with your child about things like Brassica experiments (6th grade), Baby Mars Mallows (7th grade), and climate challenge action plans (8th grade)!
Individual Learning Plan (ILP)
Parents/Guardians of Students Grades 6, 7 and 8: All students enrolled in a Kentucky school grades 6 - 12 will be completing their ILP every year. This is accessed via the internet at www.careercruising.com/ilp. Both students and parents have their own individual user and pass codes (numbers). Parent codes may not be mailed or given to their children. Parents will need to pick up and sign for their numbers at SCAPA. If you have not picked yours up, please do so. Mrs. Erbe has them ready for you. Students will be receiving their codes and completing their ILP during their technology classes, a nine week rotation class. More importantly for parents, new this year is a Parent Review Component. When you log on to your child’s ILP via the parent link, scroll to the middle – center, click on “Parent/Guardian ILP Review, check “YES”. Make comments if you prefer. The program is usable for five years beyond high school graduation. This is a comprehensive search engine for careers, high education, plus links to your child’s saved documents, resume’s, etc. Enjoy!
Ms. Randolph’s Classroom
Ms. Randolph’s class is finishing up a geometry unit and preparing to begin a unit on place value in math. The Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Pi Day was celebrated by eating pumpkin pie as all things circles, including how to find the circumference of a circle, was reviewed. The students enjoyed this delicious math treat and some students decided they did like pumpkin pie after all. As the geometry unit ends and place value understanding begins, students will now be focusing on the importance of digit position and just what is meant by decimal numbers. Students will also begin to review their addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts as a weekly Mad Minute test over the facts will start soon.
Tuck Everlasting is the current book the students are reading in class. It makes the students stop to think about what it would be like to live forever. Even though probably all of us have said at one time that we would like to do this, Angus Tuck, a character in the book puts forth the argument that this would not be a good thing. Some great student discussions and thinking come out of this book. Natalie Babbitt, the author, weaves an interesting and clever story around a serious theme in this page-turner of a book.
The students are finishing up their Great Depression and WWII Flippers. They’ve been intrigued and saddened by many of the things they have learned during this unit as they discovered how cruel humans have been toward one another in the past. Macy Early presented her spellbinding Holocaust speech team piece, I Never Saw Another Butterfly, to the class so they could hear another piece of literature from this time period. When the flipper project is complete, Native Americans will be the next topic up for discussion. The eight regions of Native Americans (the Arctic, the Pacific Northwest Coast, the Southwest, the Plains, the Eastern Woodlands, the Mayas, the Incas, and the Aztecs) will be studied. The primary focus will be on how each region adapted to their environment.
Each member of Ms. Randolph’s class has been writing a personal narrative. Some very interesting events have been shared and the students have been learning to “explode the moment” to the fullest to make their stories come alive. In addition to learning good writing techniques, the students have just completed their nouns unit and will begin a study of verbs soon. When studying nouns, the students learned the seven rules for forming plurals and they presented little chants on how best to remember the rules. When studying verbs, they will learn that verbs do not always show action as they explore linking verbs in depth. Learning about verbs will also help the students use strong verbs as they continue their writing for various purposes both in and out of the classroom.
Check out our classroom website that lists the weekly spelling words. This might come in handy if the book or pretest is accidentally left at home the night before the test.
Submit information to Melissa Frank (melissa@melissavoiceover.com)
Bluegrass
Art
Nothing submitted this month
Dance
Nothing submitted this month
Band
The SCAPA elementary band and orchestra will have their first concert of the year on Thursday, December 4th at 6:30 p.m., in the multipurpose room. They have worked hard and are looking forward to performing.
The SCAPA middle school band played their fall concert on Thursday, November 13th. Full band numbers included: Celtic Air and Dance, Pictures at an Exhibition, Sugar Creek Overture and Call of the Champions. All band majors were featured in small group numbers. The middle school band and 5th grade band will perform again at the Lafayette Area Band concert on Monday, December 8th at 7:30 p.m. Fifth grade band students will report to the Lafayette gymnasium at 6:00 p.m. and middle school band students will report to the Lafayette gymnasium at 6:30 p.m. The middle school band will perform their Holiday Luncheon concert December 17th at SCAPA during the 11:00 and 11:30 lunch times. Parents are welcome to come and enjoy the festive music.
We enjoyed some great music at the SCAPA Coffeehouse/Art Lease. The following band students performed: Carrie Baldwin, Emily Miller, Danny Alford, Bruce Cotton, Will Lovan, Joel Nelson, Jessica Abney, Andrew Burton, and Hallie Walther.
The SCAPA middle school band students made an excellent showing at the All-County Honor band auditions. Forty-nine of our band students auditioned, and 37 were accepted. Eighteen of them were selected for first chair, which means they were the best in the county. These students will be participating in rehearsals on the evening of January 8, during the day on January 9. They will perform on January 10 at Transylvania University. The fee for Honor Band is $20.00. A check should be turned in to Ms. Barker by December 3rd. Fee includes pizza lunch and an Honor band t-shirt.
SIXTH GRADE HONOR BAND
Callie Babcock- 4th chair french horn
Holly Bennett- 1st chair flute
Shelby Burgess- 1st chair bass clarinet
Bruce Cotton- 1st chair tuba
Brandon Critchfield- 4th chair trombone
Mandy Daniel- 1st chair trombone
Jonathan Griggs- 2nd chair percussion
Julia Knight- 12th chair trumpet
Joel Nelson- 1st chair alto saxophone
Esther Putman- 1st chair oboe
Nathan Rayens- 3rd chair baritone
Jake Roney- 2nd chair french horn
Zack Schneider- 1st chair trumpet
Julien Thibault- 1st chair baritone saxophone
Hallie Walther- 1st chair clarinetSEVENTH GRADE HONOR BAND
Aly Ackerman- 17th chair clarinet
Danny Alford- 1st chair trombone
Brandyn Duncan- 5th chair percussion
Andy Edwards- 1st chair bass clarinet
Nathan Gillespie- 5th chair trumpet
Rebekah Hale- 4th chair baritone
Laira Kelley- 1st chair alto saxophone
Will Lovan- 1st chair trumpet
Dylan Rowe- 13th chair trumpet
Devan Schmidt- 2nd chair bassoon
Coleman Stivers- 1st tenor saxophone
Robert Wendroth- 8th chair trombone
Ashley Whaley- 1st chair french hornEIGHTH GRADE HONOR BAND
Jessica Abney- 7th chair clarinet
Carrie Baldwin- 2nd chair flute
Andrew Burton- 6th chair clarinet
Katie Coyer- 1st chair oboe
Chloe McIntosh- 1st chair flute
Emily Miller- 4th chair flute
Colton Ryan- 1st chair tuba
Cameron Taylor- 3rd chair french horn
Joseph Wrightson- 2nd chair alto saxophoneThe following students will be travelling to Eastern Kentucky University on Saturday, December 13th to participate in the EKU Middle School Honor Band clinic. The four honor bands will perform a concert on that evening at 6:30 p.m. at Brock Auditorium on the EKU campus. These students are: Carrie Baldwin, Chloe McIntosh, Emily Miller, Katie Coyer, Jessica Abney, Andrew Burton, Joel Nelson, Devan Schmidt, Ashley Whaley, Cameron Taylor, Will Lovan, Danny Alford, Brandyn Duncan, Joseph Wrightson, and Coleman Stivers. These students will need to bring a check to Ms. Barker for $25.00 by December 3. Ms. Barker needs 3 parent volunteers to help transport students to EKU.
Creative Writing
This month, our class wrote and shared problem stories. You can read them by going to “Student Writing” on the creative writing website. Author, Tim Callahan, came to visit our class. He wrote the book The Cave, The Cabin and the Tattoo Man. It is the first in his Kentucky Summer series about this boy named Timmy who visits his grandparent’s home near West Liberty every summer and gets into all kinds of adventures. Tim Callahan is an awesome author. It turns out that Mr. Callahan visited his grandparent’s home and used his own memories and experiences for inspiration. Most recently we collaborated with the dance majors putting together a study guide and narrating the school performance of excerpts from The Nutcracker showcasing different styles of dancing. Definitely, creative writing class rocks! (by Kristin Cavallaro)
Orchestra
KMEA String Solo & Ensemble Festival was held on Saturday at SCAPA. Out of 24 events, SCAPA students had 20 Distinguished, 2 Proficient and 2 Distinguished Plus performances.
Students receiving Distinguished Plus Solo rating:
- Kate Marshall
- Casey Ren
Students Receiving Distinguished Solo rating:
- Sarah Takahashi
- Janie Herbener
- Katie Jones
- Robert Wendroth
- Taylor Bagley
- Anna Wilson
- Aaron Karp
- Dylan Rowe
- Madi Fogarty
- Cody Taylor
- Sarah MacDonald
- Logan Rowe
- Clare Holl
- Sarah Jeoung
Student Receiving Proficient Solo Rating:
- Aly Ackerman
Students receiving Distinguished Ensemble Rating:
- Kate Marshall & Taylor Bagley duet
- Sarah MacDonald, Sarah Takahashi, Katie Jones trio
- Dylan Rowe, Logan Rowe, Robert Wendroth, Cody Taylor quartet
- Sarah Jeoung, Melissa Findley, Laura Briggs, Michael Takahashi quartet
- Clare Holl, Erin Mathews, Hailey Bishop, Anna Wilson quartet
- Clare Holl, Erin Mathews duet
Students Receiving Proficient Ensemble rating:
- Aly Ackerman, Madi Fogarty, Janie Herbener trio
Please join me in congratulating these students on their accomplishments. I’m very proud, not only of their musical work, but in the way they represented themselves and SCAPA.
Vocal
Congratulations to these students for being accepted to the Kentucky Junior High All-State Chorus!
- Caroline Balling
- Sydney Jahnigen
- Emma Centers
- Andrew Burton
- Lewis Aldridge
Drama
Nothing submitted this month
Video Production
Nothing submitted this month
Lafayette
Drama
Nothing submitted this month
Piano
- Nothing submitted this month
Band
Vocal
Nothing submitted this month
Submit information to Beth Poulton (bpoulton@insightbb.com)
Bluegrass
Speech Team
The speech team hit the ground running on November 15th at Henry Clay High School when the team met some of its familiar competition from around the state in its first tournament. When the day was over, the team had its first win under its belt and they were proud of their impressive 210 point win over the next closest competitor.
Then the next weekend was busy when the speech team had a two tournament outing at Lafayette High School. Lafayette hosted one tournament while Scott County High School hosted the other tournament. Although the day was long, it brought many new trophies to the team and two more first place team victories.
Battle of the Book’s Lunch Club
Book Club continues its march through the Battle of the Books’ list. Many fourth and fifth graders enjoy eating lunch and discussing the books on the list as they prepare for a possible position later in the year on SCAPA’s Battle of the Books Team. The upcoming discussions will be on the following books:
Tuck Everlasting December 5th
Power of Un December 19th
Molly Moon Stops the World January 9th
Among the Hidden January 23rdWe hope to see you in Ms. Randolph’s classroom for lunch at 11:26 at the next book club lunch meeting.
Lafayette
Nothing submitted this month
Sagan Rose (Class of '07) was selected this year to perform at Radio City Music Hall as one of the Rockettes. Full article at kentucky.com.
Laura Beam, class of ’06, and Douglas Waterbury-Tieman, class of ’08, appeared in Belmont University’s production of “Ragtime” November 21-23 in Nashville, TN. Both are musical theatre majors.
Jessie Rose Pennington performed in the show entitled Walden: The Ballad of Thoreau presented at the Opera House in Lexington on Wednesday, November 19 and Thursday, November 20. A television crew from PBS filmed both performances for national broadcast. Michael Johnathon of Woodsongs wrote the script and Beth Kirchner of Woodford County Theatrical Arts Association was the director.
David Jackson, SCAPA LHS class of ’07, has been appearing in Rattlers, one of a trilogy of new plays being performed at the Wings Theatre in Greenwich Village , New York City. David is currently pursuing his actor training at New York ’s Fordham University. While a SCAPA drama major, David won two Best Actor honors from the Kentucky Theatre Association and appeared in countless productions (7 alone during his senior year!).
Submit information to Carolyn Waterbury-Tieman (carolyn.tieman@fayette.kyschools.us)
This month I was supposed to have the final installment of the series on effective practices of artists. However, the holidays have put me in a different frame of mind. As most of you know, I have an eight year old son and this is the year that he is struggling with the “truth about Santa.” You remember, the longing to believe but the nagging suspicion that it just wasn’t possible. Well, I’ve decided to share a story with you that I wrote years ago based on an actual event that occurred when I was about four, living in upstate New York. I hope it brings a smile of recognition to your lips for we have all experienced this struggle, both as children and as parents. May all the blessings of the holidays be visited upon you and your family.
SANTA'S BOOTS
For Dad, and all those who know the truth, but have been entrusted with keeping the spirit alive.
Christmas Eve, the year's magical night of wonder, found the tiny village of Van Hornesville deep in sleep. Children lay dreaming of treasures the morning would bring while snow fell outside, spreading a layer of shimmering whiteness over the quiet. Every surface was covered with nature's wintry wrapping so the village itself looked like a Christmas package waiting to be opened.
Cradled in darkness, the village houses settled with deep sighs, stretching wearily on their snowy mattress. Their eyes drawn tightly shut against the bitter wind did not a light reveal. The heart of every home lay in silence. In every home, that is, except for the white, two-story farmhouse with the pine green shutters. Within the slumbering walls of this particular residence a lone figure could be seen, slightly stooped and intent upon his work at the fireplace.
Roused by the muffled sounds of someone moving about below, Helen turned to awaken George. Finding only the familiar impression left by her husband's body, Helen realized the mysterious visitor downstairs was not such a mystery after all. Suddenly, shaking herself from sleep, she remembered what eve this was that found her alone in the hours that are neither morning nor night.
Hurrying into her bathrobe and slippers, Helen shuffled out of the bedroom, pulling herself together on the way. She hesitated momentarily to check on the girls. Completely unaware of her presence or the activity downstairs, their small bodies heaved and fell rhythmically with the peaceful sleep of children certain of the safety love ensures.
Captivated by the scene before her, Helen stood gazing at the three tousled heads resting on loosely clasped hands. Their ivory pink cheeks were framed by graceful wisps of auburn curls. Elegant lashes fluttered airily with each breath that escaped the slight part between satiny, rose-colored lips. Helen struggled with the temptation to rush forward and embrace these three of her life's greatest treasures, but the scuffling below brought her back to the night's task. With the ease of a parent's hand, she pulled the door to without a sound.
Descending the stairs in a flanneled hush, she reached the treelit living room where the walls, ceiling, and floor were alive with flickering reflections of colored lights. Peeking around the doorway, Helen's eyes fell upon an unexpected sight. There was George, still in his long johns, standing bent at the waist in the fireplace, his feet clad in heavy snowboots sunk deep into the remnants of yesterday's fire. Unable to contain her amusement, Helen flopped onto the couch, laughing into her robe-filled hands.
Surprised by her entrance, George's expression was that of a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar before dinner. Realizing how utterly ridiculous he must look, George broke into a hearty chuckle, sending the still empty stockings billowing out before him.
At last, her laughter under control, Helen asked, "What in the world are you doing?"
"Don't you recognize Santa Claus when you see him, young lady?" George responded in the most Santa-like voice he could muster.
"Oh George, whatever put such an idea in your head?" she sighed. Helen's face was warm with delight. Her heart reached out to this man who never failed to make Christmas memorable, however many or few gifts the tree held.
Eyes sparkling, George carefully shoveled ashes over his boots. "Eating the cookies just didn't seem like enough this year," he explained. Helen nodded in understanding, shaking her head affectionately at George's antics.
"How about giving me a hand, Mrs. Santa?" he suggested as he slowly emerged from the fireplace. "You hand me the gifts and I'll put them under the tree." Anxious to help, Helen carried the various sized and shaped packages to her husband. Planning each step, he placed his foot firmly on the woolly blue carpet, making sure the print could be seen. In this way they distributed the presents around the base of the tree. Voices lowered to gleeful whispers, they giggled like a couple of pranksters.
With all the gifts under the tree, George walked slowly to the coffee table where a plate of cookies, a mug of hot cocoa, and a note had been set. He picked up the message, meticulously written by his eldest's newly trained hand, and tucked it in his sleeve. Taking a cookie for himself, he offered one to Helen and then made his way back to the hearth. There he removed one dusty gray boot at a time. After setting his boots in the corner, George joined Helen in filling the stockings.
Finished with their elfin work, they retired to the couch. Sharing the rest of the cookies and taking turns with the mug of now only lukewarm cocoa, they settled back with thoughts of the swiftly approaching morning that would bring their daughters racing downstairs to discover what had been delivered during the night.
Shortly before dawn, Helen and George heard the anticipated commotion upstairs. "Are you awake?" "It's Christmas!" "We can get up now. Hurry! Hurry!" Muted squeals floated down to announce the arrival of their three stairstep daughters. Leading the trio was Mary, whose eighth Christmas this would be. Right on her heels came Beth, a head or more shorter and three years Mary's junior. Bringing up the rear, trying desperately to keep pace with the others, was Emily, two years old and the whole family's baby.
"Mommy! Daddy!" they cried in unison as they piled onto the couch to exchange hugs, kisses, and Christmas greetings. Wiggling out from the jumble, Emily tip-toed toward the tree. At the end of the coffee table she stopped, squatting down for a better look. Then, pointing excitedly at the footprints she had discovered, she exclaimed, "Look! Santa come! Santa come! See!"
Immediately she was joined by the two older girls, the thrill in those early morning eyes equaled in their parents' faces. Following the path in a train formation, the girls came to a halt before the fireplace where the tracks began and ended. Satisfied that Santa had indeed visited their home, they reached for stockings, now bulging with goodies. Barely able to jump up and tease her own stocking from its nail-secured spot, Beth lifted her little sister to the mantle so Emily could claim her treasures.
The three scurried to the tree where Mary passed out the gifts, dutifully sounding out both the "to" and "from" names. There were the presents from grandparents, aunts, and uncles; the special treats from Mommy, Daddy, and each other; and then there were the Santa gifts. These the girls savored for the very last. Squeaks and squeals of, "Look what I got!" "Oh, it's just what I wanted." "See what Santa bringed me!" chimed out from a sea of rumpled tissue paper and open boxes.
While the two youngest girls were still tearing anxiously at ribbons and wrappings, Mary slipped over to where her parents were watching from the couch. Leaning over the back onto arms folded under her chest, her feet left the floor as she kissed Helen's cheek. Without a word she walked around to George, scrambled up onto his lap and nestled into his embrace. Gently, she pulled his head close to hers. "Thank you, Santa," she whispered.
Surprised, George's body tensed as he searched for a way to deny having any part in Santa's midnight schemes. He looked into his eldest's knowing face. Before he could utter a sound, his eyes followed hers as they drifted to the corner of the room. There, where only Mary had seen them, were the boots - empty now, resting in the midst of a telltale layer of fine, ashen gray dust.
Smiling sleepily, Mary nestled against George's chest, her hands pillowing her head. "I'm glad it's you, Daddy," she sighed.
George sat speechless, eyes glistening. The colors of the tree lights blurred as Mary's words melted into his heart. Seconds later, the sun's rays filtered into the room through narrow spaces between windowsill and shade. And so, morning found the white, two-story farmhouse with the pine green shutters filled with the spirit of Christmas.
Prior to her role as SCAPA Arts Facilitator, Carolyn Waterbury-Tieman was a Parent/Family Life Educator and licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She was the author of The Parents’ Toolbox for The Lexington Family Magazine as well as Pastoral Parenting for the Church of the Resurrection newsletter.
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