From the President
Dear Families and Friends of SCAPA,
I hope that your holidays have been fun and restful for we have an exciting rest of the school year to enjoy!
Some of us were working hard at gift-wrapping and I am thrilled to report that we earned a little over $2,000 for those efforts. Next year, we ought to be able to triple that amount and have more fun doing it if more people will volunteer. Thanks again to Jennifer Gorena and all those who wrapped! And Kathy Coyer has really worked those Kroger cards – please keep using them!
Also, if you review the minutes from the November FOAS meeting, you will learn that Pam Draper’s efforts and SCAPA’s matching funds commitment have yielded SCAPA a KETS Technology Grant to further enhance our childrens’ academic and technology education at SCAPA Bluegrass. But you will also see that we only had a handful of parents at the meeting and that I cancelled the December meeting.
Let’s please start off the New Year with renewed attendance at FOAS meetings. With the invaluable assistance of Jeff Stivers (architect, SCAPA parent and SCAPA faculty spouse) I hope to have some very exciting plans to discuss at the January meeting (TUESDAY, JANUARY 16th at 6:30 pm) and a request for seed money to hopefully launch a final, successful effort, in cooperation with the Fayette County Public Schools, to build a Performing Arts Facility here at SCAPA!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Kathy Warnecke Ryan
January 2009
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:
Happy New Year! Happy new grading period! Happy new start! As a leader in the artist community, I have the wonderful opportunity of watching students improve--learning something, practicing the learning, adjusting the learning with their artistic style and sharing the learning with a larger audience! Every level of continuous improvement has a new beginning. I love the times for new beginnings.
Thinking about the new year, the new day, and the new grading period, it promotes the thought of a new beginning. It becomes a time to have another chance to get it right! It becomes another chance to get it better! It becomes another chance to move from good to great! It becomes another chance to transform, energize, inspire and create!
This all becomes the foundation of opportunity. When I think of opportunities to connect between home and school, I think of your involvement in what your student is learning. You might ask the question, “How do I get involved?” My response is to look closely at the student’s agenda. It contains a guideline for how you can begin great conversations with your student. Every week has a quote at the top of the weekly outline. For example, this week’s quote is: “No matter how good you get you can always get better and that’s the exciting part.” (Tiger Woods) There is a “what matters most” and this week’s says, “Work on the skills you know you have, but don’t forget to explore new ones too.” In the right column, there is a place for students to write the title and author of the book they are reading. Under the book they are reading is another “what matters most”. This week’s skill that matters most is “good study habits will help you succeed. When and how do you study best?”
Right now, your student’s main use of the agenda is to record their in-class work and their homework assignments. About 80% of our students use their agendas daily for this purpose and our research has found that there is a direct relationship between grades and use of agendas. You can start something new by asking about the weekly quote, weekly goal, “what matters most”, etc.
Have a great new beginning for 2009 and remember that I am always interested in hearing what is on your mind.
Keep the Arts in our Hearts.
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.
Lafayette
Letter from Vicki Ritchie
Dear Friends of the Arts,
It is amazing to me that we are already beginning the second semester. The first semester went by so fast. I truly enjoyed seeing all the student performances in November and December. We have some amazingly talented students here at Lafayette.
Although our focus should be to start this new semester with the right blend of good study habits and organization, our attention will very quickly shift towards schedules for the 2009-2010 school year. Students will have their schedule choice cards in January. Please watch for those cards and discuss choices with your student. The counselors can help answer questions about courses and requirements.
In addition, please remember to check your blue brochure when we are bracing for inclement weather. We already have one make-up day scheduled for February 13th. Although February 13th was originally planned as a staff records day, students will be attending school on that Friday to make up for our December 16th snow day. If you need a blue brochure, we have additional copies in the school office.
Happy New Year,
Sincerely,
Vicki Ritchie
(Please check the SCAPA website regularly for updates)
- Monday, January 5, Classes Resume
- Saturday, January 10, 2pm, All County Honor Band Concert, Transylvania University
- Tuesday, January 13, 1-2pm, 5th Grade Minors Fair, Multipurpose Room (MPR)
- 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
- Thursday, February 5-Saturday, February 7, KMEA, Louisville , KY.
- Friday, February 6 and Saturday, February 7, 8pm, Dance SCAPA, Lexington Opera House
- Wednesday, February 11, 5:30pm, 6th Grade Orientation, Bluegrass SCAPA
- Friday, February 13, Snow Make-Up Day, There will be school on this day!
- Monday, February 16, Presidents’ Day, No School
- Tuesday, February 17, 5:30pm, Family-School Conversations, Helm Hall (Please RSVP if you plan to attend to Carolyn Waterbury-Tieman, carolyn.tieman@fayette.kyschools.us)
- Tuesday, February 17, 6:30pm, FOAS Meeting, Bluegrass SCAPA Library
- Saturday, February 21, KMEA Band Solo/Ensemble Festival, Lexington Catholic
- Thursday, January 22, 4-9pm, For 7th & 8th Graders, Lafayette Choir Invitational, Beeler Auditorium
- Thursday, February 26-Saturday, February 28, Mill Girls, Downtown Arts Center
- Saturday, February 28, Vocal Solo and Ensemble Festival, Scott County.
SCAPA Video Production Class
SCAPA Video Production class has submitted three videos to the Green Team Kentucky Online Film Festival. Public voting on the submitted films will begin on January 1, 2009 and continue through February 15, 2009 at the Green Team KY YouTube website. On this site, there will be a web form listing all films, and the public may vote for their choices in each category. The top ten vote-getters in each of the three categories will be announced on February 16, 2009, and their films will be embedded for viewing on this site. Celebrity judges who include Ashley Judd, Florence Henderson, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and UK coach Billy Gillispie, will choose one winner from the top ten vote-getters in each of the three categories.
SCAPA videos are entitled: Stash Your Trash (public service announcement) and two short films entitled A Crisis Carol and Green Up Kentucky. Please check them out and VOTE! For more information, you may visit: http://www.greenteam.ky.gov/filmfestival/
The Lafayette Choirs Annual Choral Invitational
The Lafayette Choirs will be hosting their annual choral invitational on Thursday, January 22nd. All of the 7th and 8th grade chorus students at our schools should receive an individual invitation by mail. Mr. Marsh welcomes ANY 7thor 8th grade student - they do not have to be currently enrolled in a chorus. There are many band and orchestra students who participate in the Lafayette Choirs. It will be a fun and free event for all.
Register Online or by phone at 381-3492. Still accepting registration.
"The Last of Mrs. Lincoln" for Studio Players
Paul Thomas will be directing "The Last of Mrs. Lincoln" for Studio Players at the Carriage House from January 15 - February 1. The cast includes SCAPA students Miles Conger, Jimmy Betts, and Blake Sugarman. Also in the cast are Renea Brown's sister, Anaya Brown, and Lisa Thomas. Details at http://www.studioplayers.org
High School Course Selections
SCAPA 8th Grade Students will be preparing their high school course selections beginning January 12 with an assembly program hosted by high school counselors at SCAPA. Materials will be sent home for parent/student completion. Parents and students will meet with Mrs. Erbe in January to review course selections, EXPLORE test results, career interests and ILP information
Science Fair Open House
When: Wednesday, January 14th from 6-7:30 p.m.
Where: SCAPA LibraryScience fair projects will be on display and winners will be announced - hope to see you there.
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.
Friends of the Arts School (FOAS) Meetings
Mark you calendars for the meeting dates in 2008-09:
- August 19 - Meeting Minutes
- September 16 - Meeting Minutes
- October 21 - Meeting Minutes
- November 18 - Meeting Minutes
December 16- Cancelled- January 20
- February 17
- March 17
- April 21
- May 19
Alumni Reunion - Class of 98
A dedicated group of SCAPA Alums from the Class of 1998 celebrated their 10-year reunion on Saturday, December 27th here at Bluegrass SCAPA in the Multipurpose Room. Matt Krebs was the primary organizer and his family accounted for nearly half of those in attendance. The von Krebs Family Singers (which included four SCAPA graduates, a current SCAPA senior and a current SCAPA 7th grader) provided a couple of vocal numbers. There was a delicious array of food provided by several SCAPA parents and the school looked wonderful thanks to the hard work of our custodians under the leadership of Petya Little. It was a lovely evening of reminiscing. We will be hosting the 10-year reunion for the class of 1999 next December. We will keep you posted on those plans.
Students Perform at National Society for Arts and Letters Meeting
The following SCAPA Lafayette students shared their talents with members of the National Society for Arts and Letters (NSAL) on Sunday, December 14th during their annual Winter Holiday Celebration/Meeting. The mission of NSAL is to support young artists. They were thoroughly impressed by the performances and have asked SCAPA to present a program annually. Next year they will come to SCAPA Bluegrass for this event. (Photo provided by Larry Neuzel.)
(l to r) James Arnold, drama, Madison Heltzel, creative writing, Michael Hustedde, strings,
Heepke Wendroth, piano, Eric Burnside, visual art, and Gabrielle Barker, voice
Kentucky Christmas Chorus
The following SCAPA students and their parents, along with Mrs. Cunningham and Mrs. Waterbury-Tieman, braved the snowy conditions to participate in the 2008 Kentucky Christmas Chorus on Tuesday, December 16 at Rupp Arena. SCAPA's presence was announced by the conductor, Jeff Johnson, and everyone had a great time singing along with the Lexington Singers and the Lexington Philharmonic. Plans are in the works for the SCAPA vocal majors, grades 4-12, to be the featured group on stage next year in addition to having a group in the bleachers. Make plans now to be a part of this annual holiday tradition!
Alex Nelson, Bennett Creech, Clark Davis, Anna Smiley, Sydney Mullins, Kelli Crawford,
Denise Henault, Julia Crandall, Jarod Frank, and Herman Bratcher
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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The NutcrackerSCAPA students perform in the The Nutcracker. Several SCAPA students are featured in the pictures, especially former SCAPA student Jason Feese as the Nutcracker Prince in the Bluegrass Youth Ballet. |
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Submit information to Beth Poulton (bpoulton@insightbb.com)
Middle School Science
Ms. Randolph’s 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
Nothing submitted this month
Creative Writing
Nothing submitted this month
Orchestra
Nothing submitted this month
Vocal
Congratulations to Mrs. Fields and the following Bluegrass SCAPA fifth and sixth grade students who will be participating in the KMEA All State Children's chorus in February. These students were selected by taped audition.
Katie Swim
Alex Francke
Sydney Cubit
Scott DiMeo
Victoria Hall
Kate Helnonen
Shelby Burgess
Clarke Davis
Hannah Hetzel-Evvens
Holly Bennett
Melissa Findley
Kurtis Brown
Grace England
Madeline Lillich
Adrienne Omelchenko
Stephanie Stumbur
Troy Walton
Herman Bratcher
Hunter England
Margaret Prewitt
Jordan LucianoSCAPA students and administrators have graced the airwaves on Lexington's local broadcast television stations, bringing music to our community throughout the holiday season.
KYT TV kicked things off in November by featuring SCAPA's fifth and sixth grade vocal majors who sang and danced to the Stephen Foster favorite "Camptown Ladies." Fifth grader Kurtis Brown sang the lead. Everyone dressed in clothing representative of Stephen Foster's day. This appearance publicized the Holly Day Market performances where each student sang a solo to support the fundraising efforts of the Junior League. These students have also taken their gifts of song and dance to local nursing homes as they polish their program in preparation for their scheduled performance at the 2010 World Equestrian Games. In December, Principal Cunningham, Ms. Waterbury-Tieman, SCAPA's Arts facilitator, and about a dozen SCAPA students appeared on WKYT as part of the Kentucky Christmas Chorus. The rousing finale, the Hallelujah Chorus, featured close-ups of Principal Cunningham, Ms. Waterbury-Tieman, fifth grade boys Jarod Frank and Herman Bratcher, and a row of beautiful SCAPA girls who held the school banner. Fourth grade voice major Julia Crandall anchored the banner in a sparkling red and green reindeer headdress. Later in December, WTVQ featured more SCAPA singers. The middle school vocal majors directed by Ms. Fields performed several holiday numbers. Their stunning multipart a capella pieces were the high point of the local school performances, standing out above high school choirs and bands with a grand show of vocal rowess.
Drama
Nothing submitted this month
Video Production
Nothing submitted this month
Lafayette
Drama
Nothing submitted this month
Strings
Congratulations to the following SCAPA students for making All-State Orchestra this year. There were 27 students selected from Lafayette High School which is the most in the school's history and in the state this year.
Celeste Avery, Bass
Nick Blackburn, Bass
Geoff Britton, Viola
Darcy Cassidy, Violin
Tom Coovert, Viola
Alex DeMoll, Cello
Faith Diamond, Bass
Prangchat Fakto, Viola
Jonathan Fitzpatrick, Viola
Michael Goffinet, Violin
Marissa Goodman, Violin
Ben Healy, Bass
Michael Hustedde, Violin
Linda Jeoung, Violin
Hannah Johnson, Violin
Jonathan Karp, Violin
Julia Mead, Cello
Rea Rostosky, Viola
Heeju Son, Violin
David Takahashi, Viola
Ole Wendroth, Violin
Jacob Yates, Cello
Congratulations to these SCAPA Lafayette students for being among 16 students who qualified for State Solo & Ensemble.
Nick Blackburn, Bass
Geoff Britton, Viola
Tom Coovert, Viola
Alex DeMoll, Cello
Jonathan Fitzpatrick, Viola
Michael Hustedde, Violin
Hannah Johnson, Violin
Jonathan Karp, Violin
Amanda McAvoy, Violin
Heeju Son, Violin
David Takahashi, Viola
Emily Tincher, Cello
Jacob Yates, Cello
Band
Congratulations to the following Lafayette SCAPA students for their selection into the Kentucky All-State Jazz Band.
- Tom Coovert - Guitar
- Colleen Wagoner - Tenor Sax
Vocal
Nothing submitted this month
Submit information to Beth Poulton (bpoulton@insightbb.com)
Bluegrass
Speech Team
Lafayette
Nothing submitted this month
- Rachel Hooper is curator of the gallery at the University of Houston.
- Darnell Dials is living in Holland and playing European professional basketball.
- Megan Love is in Chicago working for a website called Banner Blindness
Submit information to Carolyn Waterbury-Tieman (carolyn.tieman@fayette.kyschools.us)
The Work of an Artist is Never Done
For the past several months, we have been considering ways in which parenting is an art form. The final installment in this series addresses the effective practice: Artists arrive at a point when they realize they have done all they can. They step back from their work, confident that they have given it all it needs to stand on its own.
Since writing those words back in July, I have done some research. I googled the question, “How does an artist know when a work of art is finished?” The responses were not what I expected. I assumed that artists clearly know when they are finished. I thought it would be obvious to them when a piece is done. Not so. Here are some of the statements I found in response to this question:
“A work of art is never finished – only abandoned.”
“A piece is finished when it is balanced – when it just “feels” right.”
“Sometimes the deadline becomes the determining factor for when a piece is finished.”
“You know you are finished when adding anything only makes it worse rather than better.”
“When you are able to step away for a period of time and still not feel the need to change anything when you return to it.”
“When you feel completely satisfied.”
I was prepared to say that this effective practice is the point at which the art of parenting and other art forms diverge. But I find instead that the work of artists, like parents, is never done. While artists may complete individual pieces of work, taking anywhere from a day to several years, “the living artist’s body of work is never finished.”
Perhaps the difference then is that once the artist stops working on a piece, it is static - incapable of changing itself, whereas even if we could stop parenting, our creation - being a dynamic one - would go right on becoming. Nevertheless, like the artist, we as parents must reach a point where we have enough confidence in the job we have done that we are willing to allow our greatest work - our children - to take on a life of their own. (Notice that I did not say stand alone, for while a work of art may do this, no human being is capable of standing alone. For us, there is no such thing as independence.)
The art of parenting takes a lifetime. There are those who say that parenting is a lifelong process of letting go. But I say it is a lifelong process of learning how to stay connected in ways that are mutually satisfying. If we accomplish this, we may be blessed with the invitation to participate in the greatest work of the artists we have created.
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.
Please be aware that a records check is required in order to participate in volunteer activities in the Fayette County School system.