The Arts Thrive at Mira Loma! - Mira Loma Alumni and Friends
Transcription
The Arts Thrive at Mira Loma! - Mira Loma Alumni and Friends
Volume 2, Number 2! ! What’s Inside the 2013 Spring Edition: Mira Loma Drama earned early Fame in 1969 Part III in our Principals of Mira Loma Series Artists, Sophia and Hennessy become celebrated Alumni! “to inspire and educate the Mira Loma Community through membership, communication and fundraising for the benefit of Mira Loma High School”. ! ! Spring 2013 T he Arts Thrive at Mira Loma! ! There is something about the change in the weather that inspires one to pick up a brush, pick up a guitar or act out with energy pent up all winter. If fall is Homecoming and the winter has students opening their books and studying for finals, between tests and graduation is when the students get to express themselves. ! Throughout this edition you will find stories and photos that showcase the talented students, faculty and alumni that have passed through this accomplished and artistic public school! Class of 1969 Goes Cuckoo! The (now iconic) 1975 film poster staring Jack Nicholson A 1968-1969 yearbook photo from Mira Loma’s production of Kesey’s play. Kendall Tieck (right) plays the main character Randall McMurphy. One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest was the Drama Department’s fall play. The current issue of Mira Loma Alumni and Friends focuses heavily on the Arts (Painting, Music and Theatre) and with good reason! Mira Loma High School has a history of excellence that started with first the graduating class up to our most recent graduates. The Drama Department experienced notoriety this year with its recent successful run of The Perfect Plot. Notoriety is nothing new to them however. Almost as in a passing mention Mira Loma found itself mentioned in a New Yokes Times article (May 10, 2001) when the newspaper interviewed renowned writer Ken Kesey (author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest). Kesey, being questioned about the 2001 show of his work on Broadway and then lead actor Gary Sinise’s performance, he replied to Sinise, “You did a great performance, but not quite as good as the one where you were going into space.” (Apollo 13). The New York Times article goes on to report Kesey’s next thought: “But it was not his favorite production, he added. That designation he reserved for a production he saw 15 years ago at a Sacramento high school, staged so that an elaborate display of grinding cogs and gears appeared in silhouette between scenes to illustrate the play's sinister Combine, a metaphor for society's grinding machinery.” ''I gave that one the A,” he said. (David Kirkpatrick). Since this production in 1968 the play has been across countless High School and College stages, on and off-Broadway revivals and film. For Mr. Kesey to remember the performance over thirty years later, speaks volumes to the direction, design and skill of the thespians who brought acclaim to their Alma Mater. For the complete New York Times Article please go to www.nytimes.com/2001/05/10/theater/ ken-kesey-checking-in-on-his-famous-nest.html The 1968 Production also received notoriety in Spit in the Ocean #7 a book about One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’s author Ken Kesey (various authors). To read more about this continue to page 11. Fa c u l t y Fo c u s : F Ted Weber ! rom the first year of Mira Loma until 1985 Ted Weber was the head of Music department. For the students who picked up instruments, he was the alpha and omega forging an award winning music program that built a lasting legacy long after his retirement. ! His!first!band!room,!in!1960!was!on!the!side!of!the!small! girl's!gym!–!a!small!mul<Guse!room!that!over!the!years!was! used!as!a!dance!room,!!weight!room,!!storage!room!and!a! correc<ve!exercise!room,!jazz!band,!or!one!of!the!singing! groups.!!As!the!programs!and!school!grew,!he!was!a! permanent!fixture!at!Mira!Loma!doing!nothing!but! instrumental!music. ! Over!the!years!he!was!a!classroom!music!teacher!at! both!Arcade!Middle!School!and!Mira!Loma.!!Many!of!his! students!started!playing!instruments!at!Arcade!and!then! moved!down!the!road!to!be!in!his!concert!band,!his!marching! band,!his!jazz!band,!or!one!of!the!singing!groups.! Back Row:Targe Lindsay (Principal), Les Lahr (Science Teacher), Ted Weber (Band Director), Ken Waterstreet (Art Teacher). Front Row: Cindy Striplin Suchanek (Class of 1968 & Science Teacher) & Carol Weber. !!As!the!programs!and!school!grew,!he!was! a!enduring!constant!at!Mira!Loma!doing! nothing!but!instrumental!music.!To!many! of!his!past!students!he!is!a!crea<ve!genius,! as!well!as!a!friend.!He!rewrote!musical! scores!for!his!bands,!to!fit!their!needs.!!He! would!design!complicated!marching!band! schemes!to!be!preformed!at!each!of!our! home!football!games,!always!star<ng!with! the!drum!major!being!introduced!from! behind!a!bomb!that!would!explode!as!the! band!marched!onto!the!field.! !!!!He!would!bring!wonderful! jazz!talent,!such!as!Don!Ellis,!!to the!music!room!for!jam!sessions! that!urged!us!all!to!con<nue! pushing!ourselves!in!music.!!He! took!his!jazz!bands!to!mul<ple! state!and!mul<stage!compe<<ons! which!they!frequently!won.!The fourGstate!Reno!Jazz!Fes<val!trophy!came! back!to!Mira!Loma!on!at!least!10!occasions! and!one!of!those!groups!actually!was!the! warm!up!band!for!a!performance!by!the! famous!Harry!James!band. These pictures are from a recent reunion of Ted and students across several years of his creative career; Mark Alcorn, Mike Bibinoff, Ted Weber, David McClellan, Jeff Grenz, Steve Gallisdorfer and Joel Baugh. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Cover Girls! Mira Loma Alumni paint with big brushes! Behind every good piece of art there is at least one artist with a brush! In 2010 Mira Loma celebrated two artists who developed a partnership and close friendship due to their shared artistic talent and vision. Sofia Lacin and Hennessy Christophel, both IB students at Mira Loma, became friends and a creative team in 2007. Together they design and execute public art for new developments, historical spaces, and cities to inspire community curiosity and growth. With Sophia Lacin on Cover of the March 2010 issue of Sacramento Magazine clients that range from the City of San Francisco to a local commercial law firm, they have traveled throughout Northern California completing over forty murals and pieces of custom art that encourage audiences to use their imaginations and engage in their transformed surroundings. “Together we create public art, murals, installations for all kinds of audiences and spaces. We see ourselves as inventive designers that define and deepen a space through color and form. We reinterpret and re-envision a space to transform environments with our fresh, young twist and develop a beauty and identity that wasn’t there before,” Lacin described their Artist process and inspiration. ‘wish’ While she does work on canvas, Lacin explained, that she and partner Christophel will work on “Anything from a utilitarian concrete four million gallon water tank to a luxurious hotel entry way that’s missing a little soul, is a canvas with the potential to tell a story and excite people.” The water tower example is a reference to a project in Davis where the two artists were commissioned to paint the East Area Tank, a water tower north of (Continue on page 8) ‘paths’ Now Playing: Mira Loma High School’s Spring Production, 2013 Media shots from Mira Loma’s Spring play. 1976 Playbi l l Mira Loma High School has a long history of wowing its audiences with amazing talent, inspiring plays and creative productions. The 2013 spring performances of The Perfect Plot, proved to be no exception. While the run of the play may have ended, chatter about its success has not. The play was spotlighted or given notoriety by 107.9 The End and The Sacramento Bee. The Perfect Plot (contributed by director, Doniel Soto) The Perfect Plot is a theatrical piece who's story is told through narrative, dialogue, music and movement. It is a tale of love and the journey an artist takes in his quest to create the perfect plot. The performance pays homage to all creative endeavor as it presents the joys and struggles, distractions and moments of inspiration that ebb and flow, and how all the while, life moves on despite the constant bombardment of the conscious mind, the subconscious, and every day occurrences that divide the creator from his focus. What makes this work unique, is that students in Spring Productions at Mira Loma are trained in Ensemble Physical Theatre. Unlike traditional theatre, the actors create not only their characters, but their physical and aural environments as well through music and movement. Doniel Soto has taught at major universities and has directed professionally throughout the US and Europe for the past twenty six years and he has been creating and directing his original work for the past twenty years. Recently, several of our students and Mr. Soto were interviewed for 107.9 The End regarding then (upcoming Spring Production of) The Perfect Plot. The exposure brought attention to Mira Loma as a High School of both scholastic, and artistic talent! The interview was done by The End’s noon show known as “The Wake-Up Call” and was posted to their website March 4, 2013. (continue on page 6) Now Playing: The Perfect Plot (Continued from Page 5) Saw it last night! It was really a hilariously entertaining show. The kids were amazingly prepared and I am constantly awed by the intricacies of these shows. Thanks Mira Loma Students and Mr. Soto for your hard work and dedication. Cast members and director of the upcoming spring production, The Perfect Plot, recently visited the 107.9 The End station and were interviewed about their show. Kyle Cox, Alison Griffith, Deven McClure, and Mr. Doniel Soto spoke about the process of creating a show and what makes this work special. “The Perfect Plot is a play about love and the search for perfection in art”, described its author and director, Doniel Soto. The show opened Thursday, March 7, 2013 and ran Thursday, Friday, and Saturday until the March 23, 2013. To hear the interview, visit the following link: http://www.endonline.com/Mira-Loma-High-School-s--The-PerfectPlot-/11353568?pid=300254 While we are talking about the Arts.... ! ! ! ! ! ! ! While many of you may have known him as Mr Waterstreet, to the art world he is known as Ken Waterstreet celebrated photorealist painter and artist. Mr Waterstreet has long since retired from Mira Loma High School were he was the chair for the Department of Visual and Performing Arts. However, the Artist is never idle! He literally just wrapped ! up an exhibit at the Alex Bult Gallery (ended April 6, 2013) in Sacramento! He has art in the collections of the Crocker Art Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonian in Washington DC, should you find yourself in one of these locations, check out his art and prepare to be inspired to pick up a brush yourself! Rolled Potluck III Gualala River An#interview#with#Mira#Loma’s#third# Principal# Dr. John Stremple Part III in our series: Mira Loma’s Principals Retired Mira Loma Teacher Jack Pelletier began the task to interview all of Mira Loma’s Principals. Their stories and interviews tell the changes and challenges and history of our great High School. ! Dr!John!Stremple!was!Mira!Loma’s!third!Principal!from!1967=71! was! presented!with!questions!about!his!time!at!this!High!School. 1.##What#is#a#principal’s#most#challenging#task? Dr.!Stremple:!To#establish#a#positive#tone#and#atmosphere#for#the#administrative# and#clerical#staff,#teachers,#janitors#and#gardeners,#and#to#ensure#that#the# instruction#of#students#is#carried#out#as#de>ined#by#the#school’s#goals#and# objectives.#Under#such#conditions,#everyone#takes#pride#in#the#school. ###2.##Were#you#a#teacher#before#moving#into#administration? Dr.!S:!Yes,#in#addition#to#being#a#coach,#I#taught#history,#math#and#English. ##3.Most#principals#attempt#to#improve#their#schools#by#proposing#new# ways#of##achieving#goals."Some#of#those#attempts#succeed#and#some#fail.## Do#you#recall#any#that#succeeded#or#failed?##And#what#did#you#learn#from# the#experience? Dr.!S:!I#attempted#to#be#progressive#by#supporting#new#teaching#methods#and#asking# faculty#for#input.##At#the#time,#we#had#about#twenty#liberal#teachers#at#ML#who#were# challenging#the#way#things#were#being#done.##With#activists#“doing#their#thing,”#we#had#a# Summer#Hills#Program#in#which#there#were#no#rules#at#all.#Jim#Henderson,#a#vice# principal,#ran#an#Alternative#Program.##It#was#an#exciting#time#to#be#a#principal,#but#it# was#not#easy. 4.##What#do#you#most#miss#about#being#a#principal? Dr.!S:!The#activities#and#all#the#energy#they#generated,#and#the#dilemmas. 5.!#What#do#you#least#miss#about#being#a#principal? Dr.!S:!The#PTA#meetings.#Dealing#with#students#who#smoked#and#did#drugs.#As#a#result,# they#called#us#“narks.”#I#don’t#miss#having#to#transfer#teachers#and#>ire#staff#members. #And#I#don’t#miss#the#whining. 6.##Is#there#a#particular#student#you#remember?##Why#him#or#her? Dr.!S:!Steve#White#who#became#an#attorney#and#is#now#a#judge. 7:A#Hitting#analogy#for#a#principal#and#his/her#secretary#is#that#of#a#company# commander#and#his#Hirst#sergeant#in#the#Army.##Without#a#competent#Hirst# sergeant,#most#company#commanders#are#less#apt#to#be#successful.##For#you,# Lynn#Holton#assumed#the#role#of#Hirst#sergeant.##What#do#you#most#remember# about#Lynn? Mace Blvd. in Davis, CA. The Project was completed in 2011 using earth tone colors, sunlight and art that illuminates during the solstice. Lacin went on to explain that, “We draw our inspiration from our love of color, clean design, and our personal artwork, while connecting to the surrounding environment to capture the key notes to play upon. Our goal is to give environments a personality that speaks and communicates. Most of all, we have so much fun — our work always reflects the joy of finding the bright and the new.” The Pair are currently preparing to rent space in Downtown Sacramento where they feel they will be able add to the culture of creativity blossoming in the capital city. With both artists branching out into new mediums (Lacin has begun designing jewelry and Christophel has ventured into illustration and calligraphy) the future is sure to be filled with great art from the creative minds of these two Mira Loma Alumni! information from 63 (last newsletter Mira Loma Alumni Board What we are looking for Classmates from 63 Class of 83’ Staff and teachers who taught at Mira Loma from 1960-1963 union 30th Re turday, Sa you a classmate from 64 or 65 Are 13 28, 20 embercoming Sept Your reunions up. 6:00 pm ntoEmbassy Suites of Sacrame Riverfront Promenade 100 Capital Mall Sacramento CA (916) 326-5000 le at Guest rooms will be availab the Hotel. (Use Code: ML3) act: For more information cont Lori Calvert @ Loridcalvert@yahoo.com Class of ’72 & 73 The Cla sses of 1972 and 1973 ar a combined re e having union-gather in g August 31, 2 013 at Sierra View Country Club in Rose ville Time is 5-9 p.m. and cos t will be $20 Your point of . contact: Danise Rodg ers Skewis or Karen Bur ks Granzella email for mor e information : MLHS72@ surewest.net or MiraLoma19 73@gmail.c om. Mira Loma Alumni and Friends All Class, School-Wide BBQ When: Saturday September 28, 2013 From 11:00am-3:00 pm (ish) Where: Mira Loma High School Quad 4000 Edison Avenue, Sacramento CA, 95821 Details: Save this date! This is going to be a great opportunity to connect with the school, former classmates, and teachers! There will be food, refreshments, memories to recall and to be made! Stremple article (continued from page 7) Dr.!S:!!Without#Lynn’s#expertise,#I#could#not#have#done#my#job#as#effectively#as# I#wanted#to.##I#had#a#few#secretaries#after#Lynn,#but#none#could#match#her# competence.##Also,#I#have#very#fond#memories#of#her#family.##In#so#many#ways,# Lynn#was#special. 8.##Since#your#days#as#a#principal,#times#have#changed,#and#with# them#students#have#changed.##As#a#result,#do#you#think#the#task#of# being#a#principal#today#is#more#or#less#difHicult#than#when#you# were#in#that#leadership#role? Dr.!S:!Although#the#society#back#then#was#in#the#throes#of#some#radical# changes,#it#is#still#far#more#dif>icult#today#because#a#principal#has#to# deal#with#drugs,#guns,#gangs,#and#many#students#who#come#from#broken# homes.##In#addition,#funding#for#schools#has#decreased,#leading#to#fewer# teachers#and#counselors#as#well#as#larger#class#sizes#and#cutting# programs. Mr. Stremple in 1968. 9.##What#is#your#fondest#memory#of#your#years#at#Mira#Loma?# Dr.!S:!!Coming#to#a#new#school#and#building#a#working#team#so#that# students#have#a#great#educational#experience.##The#rallies,#the#school# spirit,#and#a#football#team#that#won#27#games#in#row.##I#once#wore# shorts#to#a#meeting#of#administrators#and#coaches#and,#when#asked# about#my#shorts,#I#said,#“When#you#are#27R0,#you#can#wear#anything#you# want.” a 1968 rally in the quad 10.##What#advice#do#you#have#for#a#young#administrator#about#to# become#a#principal#for#the#Hirst#time? Dr.!S:!!Be#sure#you#are#fully#aware#of#all#your#legal#responsibilities.##Get# to#know#all#of#your#teachers#by#visiting#their#classrooms#and#observing# them. =!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!= Mira#Loma#was#a#steppingRstone#for#me.##From#there#I#became#District# Superintendent.##I#then#accepted#a#position#as#Superintendent#of#the# Fresno#Uni>ied#School#District#and,#while#in#that#job,#I#received#a#call# from#President#Reagan#asking#if#I#would#be#willing#to#run#the#U.S.# Department#of#Defense#Schools#located#around#the#world,#a#position# that#held#a#rank#comparable#to#a#three#star#general.##I#accepted#and#my# wife#and#I#left#Fresno#thinking#we’d#be#gone#for#a#year,#but#ended#up# staying#for#eight.##It#was#a#wonderful#way#to#end#my#career.## There are 120 schools operated by the Department of Defense all over the World (as of 2012). The (now iconic) 1975 film poster staring Jack Nicholson This excerpt is from the book Spit into the Ocean #7 a collection of stories about Ken Kesey. It is in this piece that One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is discussed in reflection. “It was a dreary day in mid-November 2001 when I received a posting from my old friend Ed McClanahan, describing his visit to Oregon and the death and funeral of his friend Ken Kesey. I had last heard from Ed back in May, when he brought to my attention an article from the Arts section of The New York Times about Kesey’s having gone to New York to see the more recent revival of the play based on his novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The article further described Kesey’s backstage visit to congratulate the lead, Gary Sinise, on his performance. In doing so he told Sinise that his favorite production of the play had been done many years before (more than thirty, in fact) by a high school group in Sacramento. The reason Ed had contacted me was that I was the director of the 1969 high school drama group that had performed it. The first time I read Cuckoo’s Nest, I was much taken with the wonderful way Kesey had somehow made the “anti-institution hero” legitimate, and how readily translatable this was to the high school experience. I happened to hear during this time that Cuckoo’s Nest had enjoyed only a short run on Broadway. I couldn’t understand this, as it had looked like a sure winner, so I ordered a copy of the Dale Wasserman script to try to determine the reason. After reading the script, I felt that with a quick four-letter word rewrite, we could do this play in public school. This was the spring of 1969, during a period of social upheaval, and most of the kids had read the novel and easily identified with it. When the notice for tryouts went out on campus the response was overwhelming. More than three hundred students in addition to the drama club tried out for speaking parts, silent stand-ins, technical crew, publicity, etc. When a boy who stood about four feet tall tried out for the part of Billy Bibbit, I knew we had something special happening. Alienated campus rebels who had shunned any and all extracurricular school activities were camped out at the drama room door during the breaks, lunch, and between classes, hoping to be a part of Cuckoo’s Nest. After casting the play, I thought of going to Oregon to see if I could find out from Kesey why the play had closed after such a short run. As it happened, Ed McClanahan and two Kentucky writer friends were going to Oregon for a visit, so I hitched a ride. I was able to talk at some length with Ken, and we agreed that this play needed to be staged so as to involve the audience as much as possible and that light projections should be used to represent Chief Bromden’s musings about the grinding machinery. Meanwhile some of the students who were later to play an integral part in the production had been expelled from Mira Loma - mostly because of violations of the current dress code: long hair, sideburns, etc. But it occurred to me that because these were kids nobody else wanted anyway, their pariah status would actually be an advantage, as it would allow them to get away with just about anything we dared try. This information came from a lunch meeting with Ola Sue Dayton and Pat Monaghan (6/29/2012, Santa Cruz, CA). (continue on page 12) Cuckoo (continued from page 11) As soon as we went into production, the kids were incredibly focused. One cast member, Dirk DeLu, had to stand against the wall in a “crucified” stance throughout the entire play, which he insisted on doing even during the rehearsals. Several times I told him to take a break, but he just smiled angelically and told me it was no problem, he was practicing his yoga. After a couple of weeks of rehearsals, the actors who played the institutional guards began to assume the aggressive persona of real guards, so we took time to discuss the thenfamous “imprisonment experiment” conducted by the Stanford University psychology department and the importance of treating others in a humane way, which was, after all, the play’s primary theme. Meanwhile Ed McClanahan was trying to persuade Kesey, Roy Sebern, and assorted Pranksters to come to Sacramento to see the play. As I understand it, Kesey finally sought the advice of the I Ching, and it was decided that the trip would be auspicious. Brent Smith, a friend and fellow teacher, designed a “three-quarter round” set. Portable bleachers were used adding to the impression that the audience was part of the institution, and during the play the guards pulled members of the audience out of their seats, put them in strait-jackets and made them part of the cast. Kesey, McClanahan, and Sebern were also pressed into service. After the final curtain, Kesey hugged the two leads, Lesley Di Mare and Kendall Tieck. The play ran eight weeks, an unheardof record for a high school play of that era. Several weeks later I received a letter from Little Fox Theater in San Francisco, which had sent a tech representative to see the play, asking if we objected to its using our set and staging ideas and light projections. Cuckoo’s Nest became the longest running play in the history of San Francisco theater up to that time. Then in 2001, Ed McClanahan sent me a copy of a New York Times article which concluded as follows: But it was not his favorite production, Kesey added. That designation he reserved for a production he saw 30 years ago at a Sacramento high school, staged so that an elaborate display of grinding cogs and gears appeared between scenes to illustrate the play’s sinister “Combine,” a metaphor for society’s grinding machinery. “I gave that one the A,” he said. “Oh yeah?” Mr. Sinise replied, forcing a smile before thanking him for the autograph and heading back to his dressing room. “He is a character,” he said. Almost 45 years later, Kendall Tieck commented on his performance in the Mira Loma Production: Back at Mira Loma, the cast knew they had been part of something special. Lead actor in the High School Production, Kendall Tieck, describes that performance as “pivotal in my life and initially drove my passion for theatre in college and across 10 years in the professional theater. To this day, the role of McMurphy is at the top of a list of characters I have had the fortune to play.” Tieck’s praise of the production concluded that, “The combined talent of the young cast, brilliant staging...provided a unique rendering of a play that will forever be an American classic of the stage....And I can still feel the hug Lesley and I received from Ken Kesey!” Have something to say? Want to connect with us? Its Easy! www: miralomaalumni andfriends.com! Facebook: Mira Loma Alumni and Friends MLA&F would like to thank the following donations from : $10 Rhonda Fraga-Wade Sue Surryhne-Gasper Spencer Haggard John Kramm Joshua Kantor Jennifer Pooser-Swink twitter: miraloma Alumni email us at: Matador@mira lomaalumniand friends.com Youtube: Miraloma Alumni What we’re working on for the next issue and Friends Board Mira Loma Alumni Margaret Kane Francie Axtell Leslie CarrollTipton Mark Hoffmann ML&F BBQ Celebrates past classes and MLHS spirit !!! Series four in our Principals of Mira Loma HS Cheryl Lutz Smokey Murphy Steve Quist Cele look at A Featured Student Government Celebrate School Spirit with Sports-a-Rama Michael Selby Joshua Stinson Cindy Suchanek Lynne Walline
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