EXTRACURRICULARS
Eurydice After Dark: The Gritty Details of the Actors Behind the Scenes
By: Camila S. ('18)
The night before one-act auditions I spent two hours reading over the script, not because I procrastinated, but because I literally decided to audition that night. Did I think I would end up being part of the cast that won “Best Distinguished Play” at the NCTC State competition? Not at all. In fact, the day the cast list was emailed out, I wasn’t even on it. I thought I got cut and cried for around two hours. Sure, that was a painful moment but 1. I got a nice college essay out of it and 2. In the scheme of things, it was all worth being part of the best cast ever, including:
Mrs. Goodfellow (Director) – Also known as Mrs. G. Apart from winning “Excellence in Directing” twice, most known for eating an avocado with a fork during rehearsals.
AJ DiNicola (Stage Manager) – Catch her eating Cuties while finishing physics problems while working on college apps while running sound and lights for the show. The ultimate multi-tasker always full of pep talks for the cast whenever we needed/need them.
JR Hecimovich (Father) – Playing a father role for about the 24th time, stole the audience’s heart when he mastered the art of a single tear falling down the cheek while lamenting the loss of his daughter. Did you know he touched Leslie Odom Jr.?
Zoe Conner (Eurydice) – An award-winning actress that wears a beanie almost every day claiming that it helps warm up her cold head when she is really just trying to be a hipster. Despite this, always brought happiness to rehearsals with her lack of understanding of sarcasm.
Nicklaus Ipock (Orpheus) – Although he is responsible for getting half of the cast sick at least three times, he kept us all together through our bonding over our coughs and runny noses and by leading many of our warmups. Mastered the art of the man spread for the very first scene.
Viki Zay (Lord of the Underworld) – Missing from the program at NCTC and being called Victoria Kay while accepting her award for “Excellence in Acting” at the state competition, this cast would not be the same without our female Hades. Sweet out of character, terrifying in character.
Peyton “Potis” Otis (Big Stone) – Stepping out of the backstage role for the first time, Potis started with a clean slate as she joined the acting world, and she rocked at it. Mastered the stone choreography and subtle movements even while considering herself a baby deer with a lack of control of her limbs.
Brooke “Brookie” Henderson (Loud Stone) – Somehow managed to keep a straight face for almost 40 minutes during our shows when really, she can’t keep a straight face for more than 20 seconds.
Stella Cohen (½ Little Stone) – My twin. Our savior. Casually readjusted one of our platforms during NCTC, allowing us to keep our blocking un-changed. Every single character’s understudy, especially since she basically memorized the entire script.
Camila Saavedra (½ Little Stone) – Stella’s twin. Mastered the death glare and infamous rbf after I was told that I looked too nice. Sometimes scared myself by how mean I looked, but hey, that’s okay.
Now that you have a better sense for the cast, cheer us on as we travel to Mobile, Alabama in March to compete at SETC, the country’s largest regional theatre conference!
Latin is Alive: My Odyssey with the Lower School
By: Sarah J. ('19)
I walk into the Lower School classroom, toting a bag close to bursting with markers and glue-sticks in one hand, another bag filled to the brim with paper gladiator helmets in the other. The third and fourth-graders look at me, disinterested, then back at their tablet or book. So, I head up to the front of the classroom and set my bags down with a thump. I’m gonna need something more than arts and crafts to get these kids interested in Latin today, I think.
I stand in the middle of the classroom, introduce myself, and start talking about Roman mythology. I see some kids perk up. They start listing names they know: Hephaestus, Zeus, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Hades… I ask if they’ve read Percy Jackson. Almost all of the hands in the room shoot up. Alright, now we’re getting somewhere, I think.
I start talking about the gods and the nature of myths, and soon everyone’s on their feet, acting out the myths I mention! It’s loud and disorganized, but who cares? I got some kids to talk about classical mythology, and that’s pretty cool.
Many people have the impression that Latin is dead. It’s something old, stuffy, potbellied historians read in their overstuffed armchairs sipping Earl Grey tea. There’s no use to learning something that you “can’t use”. However, my experience with Latin has been far from that. Young, innovative people are making Latin live by studying it through modern eyes, and we need more of those young people to keep it going.
For the past year and a half, my friend Zoe and I have organized lessons about once a month to teach about Roman culture and history to some older Lower School students. The goal is to broaden the Latin program so kids are exposed to the language before they make the tough decision to take Latin in 7th grade. I myself decided to take double-language, and Ashley Cox and I are the only two who’ve stuck with it through junior year! I love reading Latin and learning about Roman history and culture, and Mrs. Harner and Mrs. Zepsa are great teachers. We want younger kids to like Latin too, so maybe they’ll be the next generation of those innovative classicists.
This coming semester, Mrs. Zepsa and I are launching a new curriculum with the Lower School called Aequora that will be once a week and will be an organized, scheduled way to get kids excited about Latin. It’s no heavy grammar or vocabulary, but instead more about mythology, culture, and getting kids moving around and having fun. And if you like history and working with kids, this could be a great service project! (psst, fellow IBers, this is my CAS project and you guys could log this for CAS!) It’s Thursdays right after school in Mrs. Zepsa’s room, starting next semester. Please contact me at sjewett19@charlottecountryday.org if you are interested!!
Latin is very much alive, and I (and maybe you!) plan to keep it that way.
Rhodes Summer Program
By: Emily L. ('19)
Some might think summer school experiences are to add to the brag sheet many call a resume. I know I did when applying to Rhodes College Summer Writing Institute; however, my perspective quickly changed when landing in a new city and an unfamiliar campus with 90 other students ranging from grades 9-12. I walked alone to my first class scared, lost, and most importantly intimidated for my first college seminar. I sat down in the back and scanned the room of 18 students. The wide ranging outfits to hairstyles reassured me the nonexistent pressure to fit in. It was then at that moment looking at 18 completely new faces that I was given a new beginning (well at least for two weeks). Some may cringe at the idea of traveling alone and spending two weeks with a room full strangers, but I marveled at the diversity in the room.
The first day was hard: which, I admit, was to be expected. I was taking Rhodes’ “Creative Writing Course”, a college level class in which I received TWO college credits within 12 days. Some might think that is impossible, and believe me, I thought so, too, until the final day of completion finally arrived. I took two classes each day the first from 9:00-12:00 and the second from 2:00-5:00. At first I hated myself, and mainly my parents, for signing me up for what seemed to be summer school, but I soon became appreciative of every class. My classmates where all from different places ranging from Memphis, New York, Alabama, and D.C. However, I was the only one coming from Charlotte. I learned to love what some people may think of as bad luck. This not only allowed me to meet some of the smartest people but also gave me an early idea of what a college setting will be like. The friends I made were so diverse and made me realize how small and similar we all are in the Country Day community. While studying creative literature, I had deep discussions and personal reflections with my classmates whom I would have never been able to connect with if it weren’t for Rhodes Summer Writing Institute.
I now look at college summer experiences differently. I see it as an opportunity to travel to a new place and study something that interest you while meeting others who share those same interest and many others. Rhodes College exposed me to a different group of people with different backgrounds and brought us together for the mutual desire to write. For this, I am extremely thankful and glad I did this program and certainly recommend it to any and all who are considering a summer institute. It not only offers a wide range of classes depending on the school but also allowed me to form long lasting friendships with people I would have never became friends with otherwise. Although it can seem scary to take on a new adventure alone, it can be transformative and give you an incredibly diverse exposure that CCDS can’t offer.