Focus and Fun Make for Success in Shakespeare

By JESS RAU


Students bang on a table shouting “Hold thy peace!” in sing-song voices of perfect unison as the lights dim. Meanwhile, the director and some cast members intensely discuss the specifics of hat-wearing. Music is growing in the background, rising and falling as swords emerge from their sheaths for feigned battles between mistaken enemies. This is a typical rehearsal night for the Advanced Studies Program's Shakespeare for Performance class that is responsible for learning and performing two Shakespeare plays in a five-week span.

A play that would normally take the students two months to prepare, they need to prepare in two weeks. For many, the task seemed daunting at first, but the group quickly grew into a community with a “strong team dynamic,” according to Intern Alena Allegrette.

The students have taken on this ambitious challenge with intense drive and lots of rehearsal time. In addition to regular class hours, the students rehearse together every night starting after dinner and continuing through study hours.  They also spend much of their free time reading lines with their classmates and closely examining their character’s perspective to assess often the tiniest details, such as how their hat should be worn in each scene.

“We feed off of each other and also give to each other,” said Shakespeare student Sam Kilbride.

Mishop Means Magic to ASP Students

By MERIDETH TUMASZ

A totally new type of scavenger hunt filled the red barn at St. Paul’s School (SPS) on Wednesday, July 7. Adventures lurked in every rack and surprises were found on every hanger. With an eclectic collection of items ranging from hockey goalie pads to jumpsuits, the Advanced Studies Program (ASP) community was in for an interesting afternoon.

The afternoon marked the summer's grand opening of the Mishop, a thrift store run by the St. Paul's School Missionary Society. All things in the Mishop were either left behind or donated by the winter school students.

“Nothing is wasted,” said Ann Rettew, a key member in running Mishop during the summer.

With every item only a dollar, kids wanted to spend, spend, spend. The first Mishop during this summer's ASP was able to collect $730. All the proceeds from the Mishop go to the Missionary Society, which is the oldest and longest running SPS organization. They do a wide variety of community service projects throughout the winter school and the money they raise from Mishop goes to programs that help children and women in the greater Concord Area. The next opening will be held Wednesday, July 28, from 2-4 pm at the red barn across from Memorial Hall. What follows here is a sampling of what ASP students discovered during their adventures in the Mishop.

“If Jesus was a store, and it wasn’t The Gap, it would be Mishop.” This is how Manville’s Jordan D. described St. Paul’s own version of a yard sale. “It was a crowded, sweaty, slice of heaven,” said Jordan.

Jordan was able to find: teddy bear pajama shirt, blue blazer, American Eagle cardigan, French girl t-shirt, rainbow toe socks, red jacket, sparkly cowboy hat, brown checkered shirt, black jean shorts, embellished New York shirt, and a pair of bright red corduroy pants, only for $11. All items purchased will be part of his everyday school attire at Bedford High School, he says.

Students Run (and Walk) for Funds

By TAYLOR LEONARD

The Advanced Studies Program community will engage in the second annual Fundraising Walk/Run, commonly known as the Fun Run, today to raise scholarship money for next year’s ASP participants.

The Fun Run, officially organized last year, represents one way for students of the ASP to give back to the program. Every dollar raised by an ASP student or staff member goes directly towards the tuition of a student in next year’s ASP class who needs financial aid.

Through the efforts of last year’s participants, two students received full scholarships for the current 2010 program, equivalent to a total of about $6,000. The students raised the cost of one scholarship through donations from family and friends and an anonymous donor contributed the funds for the other.

Alums and the ASP

By ABIDJAN WALKER
 
Note: For a slideshow of pictures associated with this article, please click on the title above.


"ASP (the Advanced Studies Program) changed my life," said current ASP Intern Kim Ndombe, graduate of the ASP in 2006.  Ms. Ndombe's ASP experience in the Mass Media course caused her to re-examine her interests. Before the ASP, she planned to follow the pre-law track and instead decided afterwards to double major in Television, Radio, and Film and Political Science at Syracuse University. Ms. Ndombe returned to ASP as a Writing Workshop Intern this year.

This past Saturday, July 17, alumni returned to campus to reconnect with friends and teachers, and celebrate their fantastic experience at ASP for Alumni Day. They traveled from around New Hampshire and beyond. Yet, some like Ms. Ndombe, Alicia Pacelli, and Becky Houran did not come from far.
          
Interns this summer along with Ms. Ndombe, Ms. Pacelli and Ms. Houran, also graduated from the ASP in 2006. Their program lasted only four weeks, due to a flood that damaged buildings throughout the grounds of St. Paul's School. However, they still had a wonderful time at ASP, a sentiment that is shared by many other ASP alumni.

Jeff Bereault, Conor Burke, Kevin McClure, Ali Grise, and Ali Vivinetto, all Mass Media students in 2009, remember how they often sat on the floor in class. Jay Jacobs, a 1981 ASP alum, remembers hanging out and studying in front of the old library in the shade of a tree. He also remembers when his dorm invited a girl's dorm over for a pillow fight. One of the pillows burst and one of his dorm mates covered himself with chocolate sauce so that the feathers of the pillow would stick to him.

Carrying the Weight of the Work

By MEAGHAN MACDONALD


Now that classes are in full swing, the students of the Advanced Studies Program are feeling the weight of the work load.

Essays, readings, projects, and other general work consume a lot of time at the ASP, and pose challenges for all of the students in the program. With expectations consistently increasing, students have had to adjust and learn how to rise to the occasion.

“They expect so much more from us here than they did at my high school, and we have so much more work. Procrastination is not an option here and I really have to manage my time,” said Haley Scavotto, a student in Changing The World.

Time management is the key to dealing with the heavy workload, according to a student survey. Planning the amount of time necessary to complete all of the required work and then ensuring that it gets done stands as the core idea of time management.

Breaking the Bubble - Darfur Podcast and Discussion

This Friday (July 16th) during lunch in the Lowest, members of the Mass Media class will lead a discussion on the situation in Darfur that will draw on the information presented in both the accompanying podcast (click the title of this post to access it) and editorial (found here: http://aspmassmedia.blogspot.com/2010/07/dont-forget-darfur.html).


Part of the "Breaking the Bubble" series, the larger goal of the discussion will be to encourage increased inquiry into the crisis, dialogue on the various issues surrounding the topic, and activism on the part of students and adults alike.


Future installments of the "Breaking the Bubble" series will focus on the BP oil spill and the recent immigration law passed in Arizona, so keep checking in with The Pelican Brief for more details!

Hitting the Airwaves

Each night this week, the Mass Media class will broadcast their own radio shows live on WSPS Radio, 90.5 FM and online at wsps.sps.edu. From 7:30-9 PM, tune in and enjoy the musical selections of our very own DJs. To stream the music live, go to http://wsps.sps.edu/pages/listennow.aspx - the full schedule of shows is included below.

MONDAY (7/12): DJ Walker and DJ Jones - "Summer Lovin'" (summer songs - Abidjan and Meg)
TUESDAY (7/13): DJ Junior and Petey the Pob - "Ladies' Night" (female artists - John and Peter)
WEDNESDAY (7/14): DJ Crane and DJ Mac - "Hot Nights, Cool Music" (Disney music, etc. - Abigail and Meaghan)
THURSDAY (7/15): DJ Josiah and DJ Megadeth - "Fiesta For All" (Alt. Rock - Josh and Merideth)
FRIDAY (7/16): DJ G and DJ R - "Rock 'n' Roll Rampage" (Rock - Jess and James)
SUNDAY (7/18): DJ Pam and The Night Writer - "Sunday Night Special" (Oldies/Pop-Rock - Taylor and Katie)