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2014-2015 Tractor Shed Theatre Reflection 1

Fall Play Production is an auditioned troupe of artists who collaborate on several creative projects throughout the semester. The course ends with a culminating original production based on association with a local charity in order to raise awareness and funds for those in need in our community. Play Production is offered on three levels - intermediate, proficient, and advanced. The semester started off with “Getting to Know Ourselves” using a variety of personality tests. We quickly moved on to “Getting to Know Others” and participated in a slew of ensemble-building exercises. Our first project together as a class was to brainstorm, storyboard, film, and group edit a film project called “Our World” which showcased our various talents of theatre, poetry, spoken word, dance, photography, filmmaking, magic, music, singing, sign language, foreign languages, and make-up design and production. You can watch our short film here: http://www.themedialeague.com/media/1883 .

Fall Play Production voted to continue playing the online creativity game where “Artists can be all-stars”. Saint Strivers (our team name) won the championship last year and won some amazing prizes including Adobe Creative Cloud! The varsity team geared up by creating the “our world” video and was ready for Game One: Move it! The theme at first proved difficult but soon enough both Varsity and JV flooded the sandbox and my google drive with lots to choose from. The three game pieces were chosen in critique by all theatre classes and uploaded. The Media League's Game 1 - Move It! Shakes and Shimmies With Artistic Awesomeness! So that's how we do it. We dance, we skate, we run, we box, we swim, we kiss and more. Bodies moved and grooved every which way as over a dozen high schools from across North America shared their creative worlds in Game 1 of the 2014-15 Media League season. sits atop the Spirit Conference and and last year's champs Saint Strivers from St. Stephens High School in Hickory, North Carolina are out in front in the highly competitive Energy Conference. Game 1 - Move It! was all about imagining matter in motion, and the dozens of artists who uploaded their work to the game showed us an amazing kaleidoscope of kinetic creations. There were many dancers - drawn, painted, photographed and videoed. We saw mermaids, jet engines, canoeists, hockey players, spray paint, telekinesis, deep shadows, an opening eye, a world tour, a world of circles turning, a churning cheetah running so fast it lost its spots and most roads leading home to the heart. A world in motion, with our imaginative minds at the centre of it all. How cool is that? You can see the complete game here:http://www.themedialeague.com/game/1?season=2015

The 3 highest rated pieces of Game 1 - Move It! were: Apoderate, a stunning video by Saint Strivers that combines spoken word, motion graphics, music and videography to create a deep and very cool invitation to "Move fantasy out of the picture and move into reality." See it here:http://www.themedialeague.com/media/1952 I'm Alive by Patchogue-Medford High School Media Team(Medford, NY), a visually intense photograph of a dancer that captures the movement of light and energy in addition to the flow of physicality and grace. See it here:http://www.themedialeague.com/media/2149 In Your Bones by John P. Stevens High School Media Team (Edison, NJ), a beautifully rendered digital painting, a kaleidoscopic x-ray into our monochromatic world. See it here: http://www.themedialeague.com/media/1907 So the league leaders are setting the pace, but followed closely behind by teams from far and wide, with more joining all the time. Because the season is young, and there is still plenty of time to get in on the artistic action, as a player or as a fan. Media League Game Two: NIGHTMARES ON MEDIA LEAGUE STREET Game 2 - Monsters - Results - All Three Game Pieces Top Five (with Reflection in Second) Twisted and creepy? Absolutely. Weird and depraved? Without a doubt. Totally brilliant and mind-bogglingly creative? That would be a Y E S. Every one of The Media League’s imaginative teams dove headlong into Game 2 – Monsters, and the results were wonderfully monstrous! Game 2 – Monsters was a close fought creative battle in both the Spirit and Energy Conferences. Heavyweights John P. Stevens High School (New Jersey) and Saint Strivers (North Carolina) were neck and neck with Saint Strivers finally coming out on top in the Energy Conference. Patchogue-Medford High (N.Y.) and Collinsville (Illinois) also played especially strong games to finish 3rd and 4th. In the Spirit Conference newcomers Apache High School (Oklahoma) took Game 2 – Monsters, and are now in 4th place in the conference standings behind Fairhaven High (Massachusetts) who came in second, Minden High (Louisiana) and Art Schmart (New Jersey). Thanks to every player and team who played in Game 2 - Monsters for your delightfully and disturbingly dark contributions! 4

Game Three: Breaking News GOOD NEWS. BAD NEWS. YOUR NEWS! Game 3 Breaking News – Results Breaking News: Broken. Busted. Smashed to bits by teenage media-makers taking the news into their own hands, remaking, rejecting and rewiring it in their own image. Gifs, videos, photos, collages, conceptual pieces, commemorative pieces, comedy, paintings, protests, propaganda and much more most excellent creativity. Congrats to every player on every team for being part of this very necessary revolution in narrating our world! So on to the results of Game 3 – BREAKING NEWS Once again the Energy Conference winner is Saint Strivers (North Carolina). Congrats you crazy Carolinians! Meanwhile in the Spirit Conference Loyola Media Men (Quebec) made a last minute dash to the top to take Game 3. Congrats you crazy Quebecers!

First Place: Break Free from the Breaking News created a stir when other teams took us to the League Commissioner thinking we were using someone else art:

Jeremy Chan [jeremy.chan@themedialeague.com] To:

Rice, Molly

Cc:

John Sobol [john.sobol@themedialeague.com]

Inbox Tuesday, December 09, 2014 12:30 PM

You replied on 12/9/2014 1:01 PM.

Hi Molly - I hope you’re well and your kids are enjoying the games! Recently, it's come been brought to our attention from other teams in the league that your awesome “DGravity” entry also appears on a different website: http://www.dgravity.com/, which is not a St. Stephen's High School site. The Dgravity site seems is unclear as to the origin of the video, but the website mentions "young adults, high school students, and middle school students," as members of their group. As well, the music and video production values seem to be of a professional quality. Can you provide a comment as to who was involved in the production of the video? If it wasn’t wholly produced by high school students currently on your media team, we may need to ask you to replace it with another. Thanks,

Jeremy -- Jeremy Chan League Producer, The Media League 461 King Street West, 3rd Floor Toronto, ON M5V 1K4

Rice, Molly To:

jeremy.chan@themedialeague.com

Sent Items Tuesday, December 09, 2014 1:01 PM Jeremy, Thank you so much for your e-mail concerning our media piece "Defy Gravity". Christian, a current varsity member, is the sole artistic owner of the media piece in question. He has edited the piece in its entirety. It is his own original work. He is a senior in my Beginning Theatre Arts class B2. He is very talented but has taught himself all he knows about film. He also used his art on his own church's website. He slightly altered the piece for his church. The game piece's ending especially focused on the theme of protesting and the altered on had more of a concert feel. He also was the creator of two other game pieces which also showcases his talent. I saw his storyboard and saw him working on this piece. I can fully vouch that this is my student's work. Let me know if you need any further discussion. Thanks so much, Molly Rice Jeremy Chan [jeremy.chan@themedialeague.com] To: Rice, Molly Inbox Thursday, December 11, 2014 2:30 AM Thanks for your response, Molly! It’s an incredible piece, so I think it naturally raised some questions from other teams. Jeremy Jeremy Chan League Producer, The Media League

Second Place: -2 WTHC News Update. It caused no drama just a bunch of laughter! As we used green paper on the board as a green screen and Kyla & Irvin were hilarious. They also filmed in front of the class which gave us much needed laughter out loud. The team played all through the semester with a deadline for voting on Game Pieces for Game Four the last school day together. I was really proud of their commitment, dedication, and persistence at continuing to create quality art and stay on top of the league. Game Four currently has seven 6

days left to be played and we are leading. With “Quietly Existing” in first place and “Limbo” in second place. We will continue playing in the spring semester with a deadline in the first week of our return - Game Five: The Gardens of Earthly Delight.

Spring Semester Play Production, Musical Theatre, and Intermediate Theatre Arts will continue to strive and stay on top of the league with hopes of winning the championship again. I believe that project-based learning is important for 21st century learning skills. The Media League has definitely provided a means of creative exploration in my classes. My students approach each theme with research (dramaturgy), collaborate with classmates either in choosing their groups or by me choosing for them. It also gives an opportunity for independent work. The student gets to pick their artistic medium and expediates the creative process in order to reach a first deadline. The class then openly critiques their work and final touches are made. All the classes critique and choose three game pieces to upload to the game. High School students across the USA and Canada comment, rate, and share 7

our work on social media. The work is then ranked in first, second, and third for each game.

Striver’s Row Joshua Bennett Performance Tractor Shed Theatre students and even TST alumni came out it droves to see Joshua Bennett perform his amazing spoken word. This is our second time having the honor. The first time, two TST students got to have lunch with him before the show. LRU's Visiting Writers Series presents spoken word poet, Joshua Bennett Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Visiting Writers Series will present award-winning spoken word poet, Joshua Bennett on Thursday, September 25 at 7:00 p.m. in Belk Centrum.Bennett has performed his poetry at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Kennedy Center, the Sundance Film Festival, the NAACP Image Awards, and President Obama’s Evening for Poetry and Music at the White House. He has also performed with Poet Laureates Billy Collins and Rita Dove.He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a double major in English and Africana Studies. He was the recipient of a Marshall Fellowship and a Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship. The Marshall Fellowship allowed him to graduate from the University of Warwick, UK with a Masters in Theater and Performance Studies. With the Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship, Bennett is pursuing a PhD in English at Princeton University.

UNC-G Super Saturday Super Saturday - High School Recruitment Day UNCG Theatre announces its 11th annual SUPER SATURDAY event on October 4, 2014, on the campus of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. High School theatre students and teachers are invited to attend workshops in a variety of areas of theatre artistry. Read the Fall 2014 Super Saturday Letter (PDF format, 116 KB). Super Saturday guests will attend one 50-minute 8

session and one session that is one hour & 20 minutes. Both sessions offer workshops in Performance and Design. There is also a special 2:00 pm matinee performance of Twelfth Night in Taylor Theatre. Lunch is available at venues on both Tate and Spring Garden streets, and in the main dining places on campus. Students will be responsible for their own lunch plans. Ashley B., Olivia W., Kyla L., and Kariey S. and I traveled up this year to Greensboro. This makes my fifth time taking students to this event. Students tend to enjoy the workshops and exploring the streets. They like meeting other drama students across NC. I currently have an alumni who is enrolled in the BFA Theatre Program at UNC-G so it was great to meet up with her for a coffee. Abigail Wilson is my first theatre student at UNC-G.

North Carolina Theatre Conference College Auditions NCTC College Discovery Day is the only event in the state that connects you with NC college theatre programs. You can audition for college representatives or present your portfolio, and your parents have the opportunity to attend workshops, covering everything from financial aid, to careers a theatre major can pursue. Students and parents visit the College Fair to meet over 20 theatre departments, all in one place, in one day! NCTC College Discovery Day is a one-stop shop for theatre students in NC! Kyla L. and Olivia W. both auditioned for over 20 colleges and universities and spent weeks after school rehearsing their audition pieces. They had to prepare a one minute monologue and a short introduction. Olivia also sang 16 bars of a song. Both student actors received callbacks.

Both students received callbacks to over 20 colleges with Olivia landing a callback to the acclaimed University of NC 9

School of the Arts (where she was wait listed in the high school program!) and Kyla was offered an acting scholarship on the spot for over $12,000! Update: Kyla chose to attend Western Carolina University with 15,000 in acting scholarships. While Olivia W. was accepted into the prestigious American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.

Scholastic Art & Writing Awards I encouraged and coached actor/artist Irvin M. to submit his outstanding photography into this prestigious contest for high school students. Inspiring Young Artists & Writers The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards began as a small writing contest with a $5 prize and six winning applicants in 1923. Today, more than 90,000 teens in grades 7 through 12 from around the nation annually submit more than 185,000 works of art and writing in 28 categories. Winning students earn opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication and scholarships. The Awards, now presented by the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, not only celebrate the rich future of artistic America, but also document its past. The program has been credited with identifying early talent in generations of America’s cultural icons, including Truman Capote (1932), Richard Avedon (1941), Andy Warhol (ca. 1945), Sylvia Plath (1947), Robert Redford (1954) and Zac Posen (1998), each of whom won the award when they were in high school. Student works are evaluated by industry leaders and exhibited in New York City venues as well as cities across the country through the traveling exhibit, ART.WRITE.NOW. These exhibitions give audiences the opportunity to see the work of the nation’s top young artists and writers, inspiring appreciation for the teens’ maturity, talent and originality. For most young winners, this recognition is their first experience of being identified as serious artists and writers, and the impact on their self-perception can be life-changing. Richard Avedon called winning his Scholastic Award, "the defining moment of my life." The program is proud to have fostered that same encouragement in millions of young people for almost a century. Since the program's inception, The Awards have encouraged more than 13 million students, recognized over nine million young 10

artists and writers, and made available $25 million in awards and scholarships. Scholastic continues to be actively involved in the evolution of the program and remains The Awards’ largest corporate funder. www.artandwriting.org. Hopefully we found out soon his placement.

Sixth Student accepted into School of the Arts TST Student Senior Mackenzie P. accepted on the spot into the acclaimed North Carolina School of the Arts for Design and Production. If Mackenzie accepts UNCSA as her university, she will be joining TST alumni Andrew Licout who currently studies in the undergrad project there for design and production. Mackenzie is considering Make-up and Wig as her career choice. She is also interested in studying Political Science. Samples of her Make-up design:

Photos from our spring productions 1984 and Alice Underground

Dear MollyCONGRATULATIONS on your theatre program’s recent nomination to apply for the 2016 American High School Theatre Festival! Your program was nominated by Keith Taylor from Weaver Academy. The American High School Theatre Festival (AHSTF) was developed in 1994 to allow the nation’s best drama students to showcase their skills in an international forum. Our festival runs each year in conjunction with the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. This 10 day experience allows these youth to experience this epic event as both performers and audience members. Not only do they get to perform on an international stage, they get to experience once in a lifetime events like attending a show on London’s West End, attending the Edinburgh Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle and more! High school theatre programs are nominated by theatre professionals, college theatre directors, and AHSTF alumni directors. Nominated schools complete a “no obligation” application process. We encourage you to submit your application and make your final decision about participation once you know whether you’ve been selected to participate. It is often much easier to garner support from administration and the community once they know you’ve been accepted! If you choose not to accept your spot in the festival, there is no penalty. For your convenience, I have attached a copy of the Festival application to this email as well as a list of Frequently Asked Questions. Applications can also be submitted online or post-marked by February 6, 2015, and if your program is selected, your troupe will be performing at the International Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland in August, 2016!! We understand that participation in a festival of this magnitude is a big undertaking and we provide our directors with immense amounts of support in crafting an effective fundraising plan. We also provide tools like the Gift of Performance to help your students raise funds. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please call me at either of the numbers listed below or send me an email. Please inform me if you DO NOT plan on applying so that we can update our records. Cheers! Casey R. Eves American High School Theater Festival Director of Admissions 877.382.0865 (office) 434.466.8801 (cell) 434.951.8595 (fax) www.ahstf.org 12

Play Production

won the FFA Holiday Food Drive

Future Farmers of America held a canned food drive to donate to Hickory Soup Kitchen. I contacted Ms. Johnson and asked if part of the donation could also go to the Grace House Day Shelter for the Homeless. She agreed and I focus my students on flip-top and canned food I know that the homeless would like due to the charity work we did last year with The Grace House. We were excited to win the contest and enjoyed a breakfast from Shell’s on the day of our show for Guardian Ad Litem. Rebecca Johnson St. Stephens High School Agriculture Teacher FFA Adviser

TST Co eehouses First and Third Thursdays of each month! Coffeehouses are open to SSHS and we enjoy seeing students of all kinds. We even had a coffeehouse to help the FFA Food Drive. Coffeehouses are open to the community and we often get local bands playing for us. Play Production students are in charge of organizing and emceeing the evening. Coffeehouses were created back in 2007 to help raise funds for the theatre. Acts have included: Full rock bands, alternative bands, singer/songwriters, acoustic guitar, poetry, spoken word, monologues, art, skype sessions with other artists, improv. games, dance (Spanish IV class!), beatboxing, and comedy routines. We’ve even had performances from teachers and our assistant principal Mr. Johnson recited an original poem.

Senior Olivia W. was chosen to represent our district for the second time by a panel of distinguished judges - poet Tim Peeler, LRU Theatre Professor Josh Yoder, Adjunct Theatre Professor at CVCC and LRU Liz Bokhoven, and Head of English and CVCC Professor Arlene Neal. Runner-up is senior Nikki W. For seven years in a row, students at the Tractor Shed Theatre at St. Stephens High School gear up each year to find the best poems that suit their voice and style to recite in the classroom competition that leads to School-Wide, District, then to the State level of the National Poetry Out Loud Recitation Contest. The District Coordinator Molly Rice says that “365,000 students, 2,200 schools, and 8,800 teachers participate in POL nationwide. Over 9,000 NC students competed in this year’s Poetry Out Loud competition. This is SSHS' seventh year. Each year we've made it to the top five and runner-up two years in a row at the state level. We are striving to make it to the National level in Washington, DC and represent Catawba County and the state of North Carolina. Being a poet myself, it would be an honor to see one of my students reach that level.” A bus of Tractor Shed Theatre student supporters travelled up with our District winner Olivia W. to State in March 2014 and was pleased with Olivia’s Top Five award. 34 students competed in the semi-finals in Greensboro in March. Given the numerical odds, just making it to the semi-finals was an extraordinary accomplishment. Olivia commented on her experience, “It has been an amazing experience to watch myself and my peers grow through pushing ourselves as performers to meet each poem in its true hold and bring to life the words from the page to stage. I learned how to collaborate within competition and the importance of active listening. In the ‘age of distraction,’ poetry requires you to slow down and focus to fully experience the poem. In delivery, I've learned the importance of performing in the present moment, as well as the personal discipline it takes to move through the process to performance.” In March, Olivia became Top Five in the State for two years in a row. Watch her recite one of her favorite poems here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtR2Z-Z3WL8 14

TST & the Catawba Valley Guardian Ad Litem Fall Play Production 2014 (an auditioned troupe of performing artists) presents Voices: Interpretive Art Based on the Life Stories of Abused and

Neglected Children in conjunction with Catawba Valley Guardian Ad Litem. The Tractor Shed Theatre is an award-winning high school theatre program known for their community outreach and creative work. In the past, the teenagers have worked with Women's Resource Center, Safe Harbor, Family Guidance Center, Children's Advocacy Center, PACE@Home, and Grace House Homeless Day Shelter to meet and hear the life stories of their participants in order to write an original show to playback to the participants and community to raise awareness and funds. Our chosen charity this year was the Catawba Valley Guardian Ad Litem program. Michelle Shield & Michelle Shepherd from GAL came in to speak with the troupe about the mission of Guardian Ad Litem and shared twelve personal stories of local abused & neglected children. The troupe chose a child's story or theme that spoke to them individually. They decided to work alone or collaborate with other cast members. They wrote original monologues, spoken word, poetry, music, testimony, photography, film, dance, and a performance art

piece with original costume. The performance was an unique walk-through performance where the audience was divided into three sections and toured with a guide through different levels of the museum. This gave the performance an intimate feel.

The show raised $1200 for the Children's

Assistance Fund for GAL. Dec. 18th 2014. Hickory Museum of Art. Molly Rice & TST students was also on 1290 WHKY Talk Radio First Talk with Hal Row. Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVSAjaAQOG0

Original Photography by Ashton B. & Irvin M.

Eckard Photographic at Hickory Museum of Art

The Charlotte Observer

Performance shines spotlight on abuse, neglect By Julia Sendor Correspondent Posted: Saturday, Dec. 13, 2014

COURTESY OF MOLLY RICE (cast photo Eckard Photographic)

Weaving together monologues, spoken word poetry, music and photography, St. Stephens play production students will shine a spotlight on child abuse and neglect on Dec. 18 at the Hickory Museum of Art. Cast members are, from left, Dalton Pope, Katherine Spuller, Nikki Witt, Mackenzie Patton, Kyla Little, Madison Phelps, Kariey Smith, Molly Rice, Carson Gantt, Olivia Wilson, Ashton Burgess, Alice Gomez, Julia Parham, Ashley Barnett and Irvin Maldonado.

WANT TO GO?

The St. Stephens play production class will perform a creative arts show and service project hosted by the Hickory Museum of Art at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 18. Tickets are $10, and proceeds go to the Catawba Valley GAL Association, a nonprofit that supports the North Carolina Guardian ad Litem program. For information about the performance, contact Molly Rice at Molly_Rice@catawbaschools.net. For information about the Catawba Valley GAL Association, go to www.cvgal.org.

Kyla Little remembers waking up, alone in her house, without her mother. She would have to climb up on the kitchen counters to search for something to eat. After the Department of Social Services took Little from her mother, she moved in with father, where she still lives. Now 18 and a senior at St. Stephens High School, Little will share a monologue of the neglect she survived, as part of a creative arts show and service project by the St. Stephen’s play production class. Through monologues, spoken word poetry, music, and photography, students will shine a spotlight on child abuse and neglect, drawing from true stories collected by the local Guardian ad Litem program as well as personal testimonies from Little and other students. “I really believe in art therapy,” said Little. “I really think that art heals, and (telling my story) really shows the progress that I’ve made. Molly Rice, theater arts director at St. Stephens, explained the show will employ art as a force of healing and also to honor the voices of abused children, awaken empathy in audience members, and even compel people to act. Those who attend the show should not expect a passive, sit-down theater experience. It’s more of a “shindig,” Rice explained. The students will perform their pieces at stations throughout the museum, and play production class alumni will guide audience members in groups from one station to the next. Tours will begin in the Coe Gallery. “You’re kind of creating a sense of taking (the audience members) out of their comfort zones a bit, where they’re not just a viewer or voyeur or a fly on the wall,” said Rice. Complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served, and Guardian ad Litem volunteers will provide attendees with information about becoming a guardian. The program provides trained, independent advocates to represent and promote the best interests of abused and neglected children in the court system and to work toward a plan that will ensure the children are in a safe, permanent home. Michelle Shield, a local GAL volunteer, estimated that of the 232 children in foster care in Catawba County, 80 do not have an assigned guardian. For children without a guardian, the county supervises the case, but those children go without the support and advocacy a personal guardian can provide.

“These children need a voice that is solely their own in court, that is looking after their best interest,” said Shield. As a guardian, “you are the eyes and the ears for the judge of this child.” Carson Gantt, a 15-year-old sophomore at St. Stephens, said she hoped the show would inspire audience members to volunteer as a guardian. “People are so comfortable, they don’t know what’s going on,” Gantt said. “We have the possibility this time to make a really big difference…getting people really involved, if we’re successful.”

‘This is who we are’ The performance will be Rice’s fourth time challenging her students to create theater that doubles as community service. Last year, the play production class raised $460 for the Grace House Day Shelter in Hickory with a performance about homelessness. This year, GAL provided the students with 12 stories of abused and neglected children because, for legal reasons, students could not meet the children in person. Even one step removed from the children, some of the students feared the stories would be too painful for them to explore deeply, Rice said. But they chose to commit to the project anyway. “They decided, ‘no, we’re going to do it, this is who we are, what we do,’” said Rice. Olivia Wilson, a 17-year-old senior, said she viewed taking on the children’s stories, painful as they may be, as an essential part of making art. “We have to put ourselves … in (the children’s) places, and that’s what we were told to do as an artist – to think how they would feel,” said Wilson. “It’s heartbreaking, but it motivates you that much more to be their voice, because they can’t have one … I’ve learned how beautiful and important it is to ‘torch-bear.’ ” “Good theater to me makes you think, makes you consider something that you hadn’t before, and that’s what I want to do with my life – it’s to shed light,” said Wilson. Wilson will tell the story of a neglected child, by weaving original spoken word poetry with pieces of the song, “Mama Said,” by The Shirelles. “What struck me when I read (the child’s) story was that all she wanted was for her mother to choose her … so my piece is about the need for love and attention,” said Wilson. Students Irvin Maldonado and Ashton Burgess are collaborating on a photography piece, staging scenes that capture the essence of the children’s stories. Burgess, a 17-year-old senior, described one shot that will portray a child on a bed, trying to protect him or herself from a hand wielding a belt. 24

Maldonado, a 16-year-old junior, described a particular story that resonated with him: a young woman on the verge of killing herself, who began to heal by making art with supplies given by the Children’s Assistance Fund of the Catawba Valley GAL Association. The fund collects donations to support the children and teenagers in activities that help them feel normal – like making art or getting to go on the school band trip, Maldonado said. Maldonado explained he understood the need to create art to survive painful times. “That’s one of the ways that I’m still here,” Maldonado said. Little, whose father and sister will attend her performance, said she hopes her monologue will not only reveal how much she’s healed through art, but also galvanize her community to help other children heal. “I just hope that people will realize that this is a prominent (problem) in our county, because this kind of thing really does happen,” said Little. Rice described the performance’s two-fold potential: supporting abused and neglected children while instilling in her students a life-long dedication to advocacy. “Of course they’re going to be advocates,” said Rice. “They’re enlightened and awake. If they see the wrong, they’re going to help. Julia Sendor is a freelance writer. Have a story idea for Julia? Email her at julia.b.sendor@gmail.com.

Read online here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/12/13/5375233/performance-shines-spotlight-on.html#.VL_lAkfF9 8F#storylink=cpy

See our touching promotional video here filmed in class and intertwined with the award-winning short “Removed” a film based on the lives of abused and neglected children.

Measure of Success

Reflection

Newspaper 25

The Hickory Daily Record

Theater class hosts art show to raise funds, awareness for abused children

Submitted St. Stephens High theater director Molly Rice and her theater group will perform a show today at Hickory Museum of Art. Tickets are $10. The show will benefit the Catawba Valley Guardian ad Litem Association. Posted: Wednesday, December 17, 2014 7:00 pm | Updated: 7:01 pm, Wed Dec 17, 2014. By DAPHNE CHEN dchen@hickoryrecord.com

HICKORY, N.C. — They’d won the awards. They’d gotten the accolades. Now, they want to make a difference. The award-winning theater group led by St. Stephens High School theater director Molly Rice is teaming up with the Catawba Valley Guardian ad Litem Association to shine a light on child abuse. “Theater is the study of life,” Rice said. “For me, art is where it’s at for social change.” Rice returned to the area to teach theater after five years doing peace work through art in Ireland. Every year, her theater class picks a different cause for their fall production. In past years, they fundraised for the homeless, the elderly and battered women. This year, proceeds from their show will be donated to the Children’s Assistance Fund, administered by the nonprofit Catawba Valley GAL Association. By attending the show, “that audience member has actually directly helped a child right here in Catawba County with whatever it is that they need,” Rice said.

According to Michelle Shield, a CVGAL board member and manager of the Children’s Assistance Fund, the fund has distributed more than $4,800 to abused and neglected children in Catawba, Caldwell and Burke counties. “We try hard to make it as normal for being in foster care as possible with this fund,” Shield said. “Kids who live at home, they get to do things, they get to go on field trips, they get yearbooks, they get eyeglasses. Children in DSS don’t get those luxuries.” A Guardian ad Litem is a court-appointed advocate who represents a child in court proceedings. As volunteers, they are unpaid, and dedicate their time to advocating for the child through the duration of his or her case, whether it takes three months or three years. “We are the child’s voice in court,” district administrator Sydney Smith said. “Parents have attorneys, DSS has attorneys, and that’s why it’s important for these children to have a volunteer that can be their voice in court.” Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba are some of the most desperately underserved counties in the state in terms of guardians. According to data provided by the North Carolina Guardian ad Litem program, 45 percent of children in DSS custody in the district did not have a guardian. Statewide, the average percentage of children who did not have a court-appointed guardian was 18 percent. In an effort to educate local residents about the Guardian ad Litem program, CVGAL provided Rice’s students with 12 stories of child abuse, neglect, and abandonment cases in the area — stories that ended up being all-too-familiar to some of Rice’s students, and to Rice herself, who grew up in an abusive household. “We had to batten down the hatches,” Rice said. “We sat down together and we knew it was going to be emotional, and we sat in a circle and read out all the stories.” Senior Kyla Little, who was taken out of her mother’s care in kindergarten, found herself recalling the neglect she experienced as a young child. “All I could think of was, ‘Wow, I could’ve been one of those people. I could have been one of those children if my dad hadn’t come to take me,’” Little said. Little’s mother went through “bouts of depression” and often left her alone in the house, even as a toddler. One day, Little walked home from the school bus to find her mother passed out on the floor.

“She just didn’t really have a really good hold on her life,” Little said. “She was going through a lot, and you just can’t take care of a child if you can’t take care of yourself. And I understand that now.” Little’s performance — a monologue addressed to her mother — will be one of many sprinkled throughout the Coe Gallery, which will become an interactive space showcasing the students’ art, music, photography and poetry. “A lot of places in the museum, you’ll feel like you’re seeing things you shouldn’t,” Rice said. “We’re trying to make the audience think, and that’s going to take them out of their comfort zone. If they have to actually get up, walk and stand very close to an actor … then I just feel like this style of theater best suits the stories of the children.” The show will take place today at the Hickory Museum of Art. The reception is at 6:30 p.m. and the show begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10. http://www.hickoryrecord.com/life_entertainment/theater-class-hosts-art-show-to-raise-funds-aw areness-for/article_e1c6656a-8648-11e4-9bc5-234f7cfee8cd.html

The Focus Magazine: Dec. 12th, 2015 (Focus does not currently archive) The Hickory City Website: The Tractor Shed Theatre, the much-awarded theatre department at Saint Stephen’s High School, lead by Molly Rice and Guardian Ad Litem pair up for a one-of-a-kind performance to raise awareness and funds for Catawba County children in need. The performance is December 18 at 7 p.m. in the Hickory Museum of Art

Since 2010, Saint Stephens High School Play Production (an auditioned troupe of artists) has collaborated with a chosen local charity or organization to raise awareness and funds to foster communication and art between teens and the community. The group has worked with the Children's Advocacy Center, Safe Harbor Rescue Mission, the Women's Resource Center, the Family Guidance Center, Pace@Home (All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) and The Grace House Day Shelter for the Homeless. This year, the Tractor Shed Theatre will partner with the Catawba Valley Guardian Ad Litem Association (GAL) as they present a unique original performance piece sharing the stories of foster children in the Unifour area.

The event will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 18, at the Hickory Museum of Art on the SALT Block. Tickets are $10 with all proceeds going to the Children's Assistance Funds. Hors d'Oeuvres will be served. http://www.whky.com/archive/item/4088-tractor-shed-theater-partners-with-guardian-ad-litem#.VMYkSkfF-So

Kudos and Congratulations for GAL Performance: Dear Educators: It was my pleasure recently to work with the very talented and passionate students of St. Stephen’s Tractor Shed Theatre during their winter presentation entitled “Voices” at the Hickory Museum of Art on December 18. Molly Rice and her students selected our nonprofit, Catawba Valley Guardian ad Litem Association, to raise awareness about abuse and the role of the guardian ad litem(GAL) and also to raise funds for local foster children to be distributed by the nonprofit. These students took on the very difficult subject matter of child abuse with their whole hearts and crafted individual performances based on the true stories of local children shared with them anonymously by the GAL program. Several students shared their very personal stories of the abuse they suffered as a child. The courage that it took for these students to reveal that part of their lives overwhelmed us all. The goal of this performance was to inspire action from the audience, and we feel they absolutely achieved this goal! In addition, over $1,200 was raised to be used to help local foster children to participate in sports, school field trips, receive tutoring and technology to meet special needs and much more! Molly Rice is more than a drama teacher. She is leading by example and teaching the next generation of young adults that giving back and getting involved is life’s greatest work. She is inspiring them to look around, take a stand and then act accordingly. These young students of “life” should be celebrated for standing up for those who have no voice. Our organization desperately needs volunteers to advocate for the abused and neglected children of the area. As the number of abuse cases grow exponentially, these students gave us the greatest gift, the gift of education and awareness about this need. We can never adequately express the gratitude we feel, but the administrators at St. Stephen’s should be so very proud of these students who bear their school name. Every day in the news, we read about youth who are doing harm and getting into trouble, but there is never enough good news celebrating the youth who are making a difference. I implore you to take a moment and tell these 22 students how very proud you are of them and their efforts. As Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” With Kind Regards, Tami Barker, President Catawba Valley Guardian ad Litem Assoc. 704-995-4950 www.cvgal.org *Advocating for abused and neglected children in Caldwell, Catawba, and Burke Counties*

From: "Brigman, Dan" <Dan_Brigman@catawbaschools.net> To: Catawba Valley GALA <cvgala@bellsouth.net>, "june.atkinson@dpi.nc.gov" <june.atkinson@dpi.nc.gov>, "Butler, Sherry" <Sherry_Butler@catawbaschools.net>, "DeAnna_Taylor@catawbaschools.net" <DeAnna_Taylor@catawbaschools.net>, "Taylor, Jeff" <Jeff_Taylor@catawbaschools.net>, "Rucker, Amy" <Amy_Rucker@catawbaschools.net>, "Johnson, Chris" <Chris_Johnson@catawbaschools.net>, "Hollifield, Heather" <Heather_Hollifield@catawbaschools.net> Subject: RE: Tractor Shed Theatre Date: December 23, 2014 at 10:02:22 AM EST Good morning Ms. Barker! Thank you for taking time to share the positive words about our students and faculty members, particularly Molly Rice. I am glad to hear that the recent performance was a huge success and your organization greatly benefited from the efforts of so many students. Thank you for your support for abused and neglected children in our region. I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Sincerely, Dan Brigman, Ed.D. Dr. Dan Brigman Superintendent of Schools Catawba County School System PO Box 1010 Newton, NC 28658 P: 828-464-8333 F: 828-464-0925 www.catawbaschools.net

Wishing you all a peaceful and restful holiday season... SSHS TST raised $1200 for foster children in our area through the Catawba Valley Guardian Ad Litem Children's Assistance Fund with admission fees for our original performance - Voices: an interpretive performance piece based on the life stories of abused and neglected children in our area. It was great to see Ms. Johansen, Mr. Hoke, Ms. Watson, Mrs. Gantt, and Mrs. Kipp there to help represent Saint in our community. The audience consist of SSHS students, alumni, doctors, dentists, lawyers, parents, and packed full! It was beautiful to see so many different walks of life at the show. DeAnna Taylor and Zack were there which was a beautiful surprise. Thought I'd share some words from the community about our SSHS student actors:

Dear Molly, Congratulations to you and your students for such a meaningful offering they shared with this community and which also resulted in funds for such an important cause. Please let your students know how much I personally enjoyed their words, music and their passion about something that is important and which they decided to do something about. And, thanks to you for your leadership and persistence! Lisë C. Swensson Executive Director (Hickory Museum of Art) Merry Christmas to one of the brightest and most talented women I know. I just wanted to say thank you for the gift of that wonderful performance last night. It was obvious that your students were well prepared, but even more important was the compassion and understanding your students walked away with-a priceless gift. Thank you for pouring your heart and soul into the Tractor Shed. You have made a positive difference in the lives of many, many students. DeAnna Taylor Director of Secondary Education (Catawba County Schools) 31

from Guardian Ad Litem District 25: Thank you to everyone who came out last night to support the talented students at Tractor Shed Theatre. They tackled a very difficult subject with their entire heart and poured their time and talent into raising awareness about child abuse and neglect. In addition, they raised an amazing amount of money for local children in foster care. Molly Rice, we are overwhelmed by your support!! Thank you to Michelle Shepherd and Michelle Shield for sharing the stories with the students, organizing the food and venue, and much more! It truly was an evening to remember!! Michelle Asher Shepherd (GAL): Molly Rice's students moved me deeply last night . What a beautiful group of teenagers...sensitive, creative, and so very talented! Molly, thank you for for all you do for the arts in our community! Thank you Tractor Shed Theatre, for choosing The Guardian Ad Litem Program and helping raise awareness and funds for this wonderful organization. You blew me away! From Katharina Carrasquillo (GAL): Thank you for such a great performance. You and your group are simply phenomenal. Being a GAL I was in awe how much love and dedication these young adults have .......I am speechless. Thank you for your support. From Tami Baxter (Gal): The show & your students left quite an impression on me. They went above & beyond with the heart & soul they put into this project. You are a sweet angel & I'm honored to know you! Thank you for letting us share our hearts work with you. I am stunned!! Everything just went beautifully!! The total is $1,200! I am STUNNED by this Molly....really I am!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! From Michelle Shield (GAL): I would like to thank Molly and the Tractor Shen performers for a wonderful performance last night. All the performers gave up their evening to advocate for the children who can't speak up for themselves in court. I have a feeling that some of the young performers will at one time in their lives commit to being a GAL, and they will find it very rewarding when they do. Thank you again for all your help with our GAL organization. I would be happy to talk more to any of the students who have more questions. Michelle Shield

From a GAL Board Member: "I cannot thank you and your students enough for the wonderful work you are doing. My heart is so full, I could just explode. The video this morning and then the article in the Observer has left me a tearful mess. I don't know how I will get through the performances on Thursday...two of the teens I advocate for are being spotlighted. The teen who talked of suicide and uses art to heal and also the young lady who only wants her mother to "choose her." Both of these have been extremely difficult cases for me and they are both still in the system today. I can't wait to meet you and just thank you personally for the attention you have created for these children and the need for GAL's. You are AWESOME!!!" From a Parent and Colleague: I am certain I do not have the means to express my thoughts and feelings about last nights performance. However, I feel I should give it a try. I was very impressed the choice of subject for a high school play production class. When I think about the age and experience range of your students in the class, I am amazed they took on such an emotionally charged topic. The performances were astounding in that they were written by youth in response to situations that may be so foreign to their own daily lives. The compassion and empathy the students felt was so developed for their ages. That they could convey those feelings so effectively, in such a short time frame was amazing. The level of passion that was expressed through the words, songs and performance was deep and true. That passion was felt in the audience. That the students could repeat that passion throughout the night was extraordinary. The gallery space and movements of the audience provided a different sense of time, setting and theme. Thank you to you and your students for their hard work and bringing awareness to a worthy cause. Diane Gantt

Tami Baxter Barker December 18, 2014

I am still overwhelmed by this wonderful group of talented, caring students. Thank you for tackling this very difficult social issue with grace and amazing amounts of heart!

Corinne Green What an amazing group of teens! December 19, 2014 at 6:44am ·

Abigail Taylor December 18, 2014 · Hickory, NC

Very proud of the Tractor Shed Theatre, touched by the show tonight, and blessed to have been an early Tractor Shed player. Awesome work!

Melissa Gibson December 18, 2014

Noah and I are so thankful we came tonight. Awesome heartfelt evening!

Liz Allen Phothichack December 18, 2014

BRAVO!!!

Beth Deskevich Phelps You are incredible Molly Rice and it shows in those kids performances. Thank you for your loving and supportive touch you give to your students. December 20, 2014 at 10:15am

Betty O'Hearn This night made an impression on Katelyn and we both left with mascara tracks on our faces. Kudos to the actors from the Tractor Shed and Molly Rice who conveyed the work of the Guardian Ad Litem program. December 18, 2014 at 9:20pm

Johnson, Chris In response to the message from Rice, Molly, 12/21/2014 To: Rice, Molly Inbox Monday, December 22, 2014 4:20 PM

Congratulation!! Mrs. Rice, WOW!! What a worthy cause.!! Great Job Chris Johnson Assistant Principal St. Stephens High School

Teacher Reflection: This semester’s work seems like a year’s worth! With two full classes of Beginning Theatre Arts and our auditioned classes of Intermediate and Advanced (Honors) Play Production there was never a moment of downtime. At the beginning our this year, I found out that I had a B12 and Vitamin D deficiency which kept me feeling depleted and currently I’m still journeying through my health issues with a scheduled MRI upcoming. Regardless of my personal health concerns, my students and I made beautiful art together. I loved starting the year off with Professional Development by attending the North Carolina Theatre Arts Educators with was held in Belmont, NC. You can check out our workshop schedules here: http://media.wix.com/ugd/c2ce5d_009ae6608a154b9289b9519ca62035f1.pdf I also enjoyed the Super Saturday professional development opportunities. It was nice to be involved in the workshops with high school students and take part with them and their interaction with the college professor’s workshops. I also was able to make connections with a few professors whom I hadn’t met before. College Discovery Day NCTC gave the same mingling aspect with college theatre professors. To help our new theatre teachers here in Catawba County I added our new teachers to the Facebook Group I create years ago and also created a Pinterest site to help inspire them. I would like a closer network however we still have some way to go on that front since drama teachers are some of the busiest people I know. The Pinterest site I created for our new TA Educators. beginning stages still...

Of course, it is in the

Click here to check out my pins: http://www.pinterest.com/theatreteaching/ I love playing the Media League as it really has such a creative process that is like a mini production in itself. My students work hard to reach the theme artistically and build their artist’s portfolios. We create so much work, we find it difficult to keep up at times. We are in the process of showcasing all the art in the Media League’s online “Gallery”. I’m very proud that we have come so far in honest critique and choosing the right media to serve as game pieces. Our online presence in our social media aspect of leaving other players comments is very professional and I like the way the game is set up as a teaching opportunity for online etiquette. I wish that other Media League coaches would take the same opportunity with their students. Working with Guardian Ad Litem was an absolute honor. It was emotionally challenging. I’ll not forget when the class and I sat in a circle on the floor and I said “Okay. Let’s batten down the hatches.” and we each read a life story from children in our area aloud to one another. We discussed their circumstances and some liken it to their own personal life as I did as well. But some of the stories all we could do was share silence and tears. It was a terrible beauty.

A wonderful person from the community whom I do not know Ruth Clontz donated money to the Children’s Advocacy & Protection Center in the honor of me.

Notable Neighbor: Students learn about life, charity, theater Posted: Monday, October 27, 2014 11:00 pm | Updated: 7:01 pm, Wed Dec 17, 2014. By RICHARD GOULD rgould@hickoryrecord.com

ROBERT C. REED Drama teacher Molly Rice at St. Stephens High's Tractor Shed Theatre.

HICKORY, N.C. — She’s won awards – plenty of them. Championship banners hang on the black box theater wall. Her students have performed on Broadway and at Carnegie Hall. They’ve gone on to hone their craft at art schools and universities.

Molly Rice is St. Stephens High School’s drama teacher. For the past 10 years, she’s taught teens to go from script to stage. She’s good at her job, but what makes her great probably has more to do with her outlook than her subject matter. In 2012, the Long View Police Department announced that they were searching for a 22-year-old man. He was one of Rice’s former students. While officers were tracking down leads, Rice was organizing her students into search parties. A parking lot served as their civilian command center where teens and parents returned for refreshments and to share information they gathered during searches, phone calls and forays on social media. Dozens of teachers taught the man throughout his school years. When he went missing in the middle of February there was only one who was willing to spend her weekend doing everything in her power to bring him home safely. Officers and some members of the community suspected the man wasn’t in any danger — that he had left home voluntarily — and was hiding out. ROBERT C. REED Drama teacher Molly Rice (left) at St. Stephens High's Tractor Shed Theatre confers with senior Olivia Wilson about an upcoming Halloween production.

Rice didn’t care. The possibility that her former student was alone in the cold was enough to motivate her front-line efforts. And the fact the man showed up at the car dealership

where

his

mother

worked six days after he went missing, and was later charged with filing a false police report for claiming he’d been kidnapped when he’d really been hiding in an abandoned house — according to Long View police — didn’t change her mind. She’d done the right thing. That’s what mattered. And for Rice, doing the right thing is really the only thing that does matter.

Although her students continue to compete in a social-media-based arts competition, which they won at the national level last year, she doesn’t take them out on the theater competition circuit any more. She’s got them focused on bigger things. “We did that and we won awards and we got those kudos, but now we’ve decided to take that money and put it back into the community,” Rice said. “Our job as artists is to torchbear, to celebrate life’s stories in our community.” Every year the St. Stephens drama students examine a social issue. First, it was domestic violence. One year it was homelessness and another year it was child abuse. Rice’s students meet victims and volunteers. The students listen to stories and learn the humanity behind the buzzwords. Then, they write. Then, they perform. Then, they give. “Molly has a heart for others, and she’s teaching her students to give back and to be responsible community members,” St. Stephens High Principal Jeff Taylor said. “Research states that students need to connect with at least one teacher who’s passionate about her subject and that’s Molly Rice. Every kid needs something that gives them a passion for getting up and going to school, and performing arts are huge in that respect.” The money earned from the child abuse show’s ticket sales bought teddy bears and blankets, which were given to the young victims to hold as they recount their torment to detectives and social workers. It’s not surprising from a woman who survived a childhood of abuse in small town North Carolina before making her way to Northern Ireland where, she did freelance work promoting peace by teaching drama and poetry to children who committed heinous crimes. She’s a wife, a mother, a published poet. And she’s the sort of teacher students remember for a lifetime. “If I didn’t do what I do, then I wouldn’t have been saved,” Rice said referencing the substance abuse that took the lives of her parents and brother. “I come from absolute nothing — from the dirt — and I came out on top of that abuse.” When students walk down the hall they gravitate to the woman with the long strawberry blonde hair and the brown calico vest. They beam and hug her before bragging about poem they’ve written for the next open mic night at St. Stephen’s weekly Coffee House performances. Her young acolytes bring their lunches and gather around her desk for lunch instead of dining in the cafeteria.

Rice spends her last class period of the day teaching a gaggle of teens that range from honors students to students who are failing every other class. Some are athletes. Some are growing up too early. Some know the court system from the inside. Some are safer at school than they are at home. This disparate group spent the first month of this school year taking personality assessments, learning who their peers are and learning to trust Rice. Now she’s taking this assortment of teen experience and guiding them as they struggle to discover who they are and figure out what they want — while they think they’re just learning how to perform plays. ROBERT C. REED St. Stephens High's Tractor Shed Theatre drama teacher Molly Rice and her cast of actors have won major awards for their performances.

“Theater, if it’s run right, it’s a family and it’s more of a family than I ever had,” she said. “I know I do my best work when I’m a facilitator and the students are in charge of the journey.”

Some are slump-shouldered with their hair in their eyes and their hands jammed in their pockets; others can’t stop their twitchy shuffling feet. More than one is trying on a preening-self-confidence as convincing as an ill-fitting mask. They’re all casting for an identity. The students listen to each other sing and perform spoken word, angst-riddled pieces about the moral imperative to be true to one’s self — a self they’re desperate to discover. All while Rice moves from group to group coaching, guiding and laughing as she makes sure they’re making progress on their current project — writing a five-minute piece to perform in front of the class about their life stories. When she nods at a good idea she bends at the waist and includes her torso in the gesture. “You can tell us about a scar or a necklace that you got from your grandmother. Remember your audience is made up of teenagers,” she said. “Don’t share something from your life that’s going to leave you a blubbering mess on the stage — protect yourself a bit.” And there, in St. Stephens’ Tractor Shed Theatre, a group of teenagers moves one step closer to the men and women they’re becoming under the gentle guidance of a great teacher.

Molly Rice Award-winning Saint Stephens High School drama teacher Molly Rice is the kind of person who pours her heart into her job. She’s the kind of teacher students remember for a lifetime. For 10 years she’s taught Catawba County teens to go from script to stage. Every year the St. Stephens drama students examine a social issue. First it was domestic violence. One time the subject was homelessness. This year it’s child abuse.

Her students meet the victims and the volunteers. The students listen to the 41

stories and learn the humanity behind the buzzwords. Then they write. Then they perform. Then they give the proceeds of their theatrical performances to this year’s charity. And every one of her students goes out into the world with a deeper understanding of their community’s needs and what they can do to help. It’s the kind of social awareness that some take decades to develop and Rice is creating dozens of socially aware students every year. Keli J. Osborne via Hickory Daily Record | hickoryrecord.com December 27, 2014 at 2:11pm · Molly Rice. One of the few on this list who truly helps others and does not live to climb a political ladder, but instead genuinely wants to lift others spirits and increase their quality of life. So deserving and I'm so proud of you Molly! Catie Cain Kale Soooo amazing Molly Rice!!! Soooo proud!!! December 27, 2014 at 3:34pm · Unlike · 1 Christina Kliesch Congrats Molly! It's a well deserved recognition! December 27, 2014 at 3:57pm · Unlike · 2 Julia Rush December 29, 2014 at 6:37am · Congratulations! Molly Rice! I sent this article on to Drew. ..just one of the thousands of kids who adore you. Anthony Alderman December 28, 2014 at 12:10pm · Congrats on a shout out from the HDR. What's great about you is I know you don't need and never did.

Spring Semester in the Tractor Shed Theatre 2015 Two years in a row for winning The Media League Online Creativity Contest. Beating out all other American and Canadian high schools!

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MEDIA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME GOES DOWN TO THE WIRE!

● Saint Strivers Repeat as Media League Champs! ● ●

6 INSPIRED MEDIA TEAMS BATTLED IT OUT IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME OUT BUT ONLY ONE COULD COME OUT ON TOP... By the slimmest of margins Saint Strivers Media Team of St. Stephen's High School of Hickory, North Carolina took the Media League title last night, repeating as Media League champions. Check out their art on their Team Page: http://www.themedialeague.com/team/149 Congratulations to this talented and passionate team of high school artists who deserve the title of Media League Champions and the best of the many talented high school art teams from across North America who took part in the inspired 2014-15 Media League season.

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2nd place went to Patchogue-medford High School of Patchogue, New York, and 3rd place to Fairhaven High School of Fairhaven, Massachusetts. Both of these teams were playing their inaugural seasons in the Media League, an indicator of the continuing growth of the Media League

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Congratulations to ALL of the teams in our Championship Game, who showed great creativity, commitment and inspiration, ensuring that another amazing Media League season concluded with a glorious artistic bang! To the players, coaches and the fans of all this awesome art – YOU ROCK!

Ashley B. & Kariey S. won the National Norton's Anthology Poetry Recitation Contest and won $200 each to Barnes and Noble and their names published in a Norton's Anthology which is used worldwide in colleges and universities. We are happy to announce the fourth annual Norton Anthology Student Recitation Contest Winners. - “To S.M., a Young African Painter, on Seeing His Works” by Phillis Wheatley (The Norton Anthology of American Literature and The Norton Anthology of African American Literature) Ashley Barnett, St. Stephens High School, Hickory NC - [After great pain, a formal feeling comes - ] by Emily Dickinson (The Norton Anthology of American Literature and The Norton Anthology of World Literature) Kariey Smith St. Stephens High School, Hickory, NC Memorization is encouraged but not required. Finalists will be selected based on the quality of the recitation, but creativity will also be taken into account. The contest is open to college and high school students worldwide. Eligible submissions will be judged by W. W. Norton in-house editors, who will select finalists for each of the four works; the finalists’ recitations will be featured on the W. W. Norton website. Once the recitations are posted, the public and a panel of Norton editors will vote for their favorite videos. Four winners will be selected, one for each work. Each winner will receive a $200 Barnes & Noble gift certificate and will have his or her name featured on the acknowledgments page of a Norton Anthology. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLts3R5JRR72JwV4qb93wXZTjXAHtF_lPH

Pinwheels for Prevention Invited to participate and perform an original scripted poem Harvest the Wind written by Molly Rice for The Pinwheel Project for National Child Abuse Awareness Month at the Zahra Baker All Children Playground in conjunction with The Children’s Advocacy & Protection Center of Catawba County. Measure of Success

Eating Disorder Awareness Month Invited to participate and perform an original devised spoken word piece and short film for Lenoir-Rhyne University’s counseling department for National Eating Disorder Awareness Month. Honor-level students created and directed this production to raise awareness on such an important social issue. A talk back was held afterwards and information was distributed. Measures of Success Original Short Film

Champions for Kids We work with the Conover Walmart to distribute necessary items for children who live in poverty. The program theme changes four times a year and is based on seasonal needs. Our last theme was snacks. We purchased and distributed 140 packs of snacks to hungry school kids in our community. More Info. about our connection Champions for Kids April 30 ·

Happening now: Awarding funds to the winners of our Snacks for Students participants! St. Stephens High School Tractor Shed Theatre wins $1000 from our Snacks Project. Write a comment...

Naketa D Conley What an impactful call...everyone was a little sad by the story, but happy that great Community Champions are doing something to help even teens! smile emoticon Unlike · Reply · 3 · April 30 at 3:49pm

St. Stephens Theatre Teacher Takes Center Stage Receiving Two Awards and Helping Her Community by Pitofsky, Sally

on 5/8/2015 10:26 AM

Molly Rice, theatre teacher at St. Stephens High School, was named Catawba County Schools's Hometown Hero for April! She received the most votes of any teacher in the county. Ms. Rice was surprised earlier today in her classroom by Bob Dill of the Charles G. Monnett, III & Assoc. Law Firm in Charlotte who awarded her $250 for classroom supplies and coupons for a class pizza party. The law firm rewards one teacher in each of six counties monthly as part of its "Vote for Your Favorite Teacher" outreach program. Students, friends, and family can vote daily for their favorite teachers at www.carolinalaw.com. A few days earlier, Rice received the Hancock-Settlemyre Award at a banquet held at First United Methodist Church of Hickory. The award, presented by the Children's Advocacy and Protection Center, recognized Rice as an individual who has worked to enhance the quality of family life, reduce family stress, and reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect. Established in 1980, the award is named in honor of Jean Settlemyre Tashman, former administrator of Frye Regional Medical Center and Millie Hancock Schumpert, a retired pediatrician. Nominated by one of her students, Kyla L., Rice encourages her students to participate in community service efforts. Each year, the Tractor Shed Theatre (TST) students work to help a social cause. The students learn about the issue and produce a play to raise money for that cause. In the past, her classes have studied and helped the Guardian Ad Litem Program and the problem of homelessness in Hickory. On April 1, 2015, the TST performed at the Pinwheel Ceremony for the National Child Abuse Prevention month at the Zahra Baker All Children's Playground. They assisted the Hickory mayor in creating a pinwheel garden. Most recently, her students won a national prize for serving the local community as a "Champion for Kids." The TST distributes snacks to low income students. An emotional Rice said she was inspired to become the first member of her family to attend college by a caring teacher. "It takes that one person who says, 'You can,' " she said. Based on her students' affirmation, Molly Rice is that caring teacher for many of her students.

Local Theater Teacher Wins Hancock-Settlemyre Award from left: Nancy Hughes, executive director of the Children's Advocacy & Protection Center, and Hancock-Settlemyre Award winner Molly Rice, theater teacher at St. Stephens High School courtesy of Margaret Allen, Catawba County Social Services Public Information Officer

Molly Rice, theater teacher at St. Stephens High School, received the Hancock-Settlemyre Award at a banquet held recently at First United Methodist Church of Hickory. Rice was nominated by one of her students, Kyla Little, who said Rice spent many extra hours encouraging her students. In addition, she leads her students in adopting a social cause each year. The students learn about the issue and produce a play to help raise money for that cause. In the past, her classes have studied and helped the Guardian Ad Litem Program and the problem of homelessness in Hickory. Rice spent several years working with children in Northern Ireland, teaching them through theater that they can overcome centuries of religious intolerance and violence. Also nominated for the award was Susan Lee, executive director of the Parenting Network. She was nominated for her many years of offering parenting classes in the area. The award is presented by the Children's Advocacy & Protection Center to recognize an individual, group or business that has worked to enhance the quality of family life, reduce family stress and reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect. Established in 1980, the award is named in honor of Jean Settlemyre Tashman, former administrator at Frye Regional Medical Center; and Millie Hancock Schumpert, a retired pediatrician. For more information about the Children’s Advocacy & Protection Center, call 828-465-9296 or go to catawbacountycac.org.

THEATRE TEACHER MOLLY RICE RECEIVES HANCOCK-SETTLEMYRE AWARD HICKORY --

Molly Rice, theatre teacher at St. Stephens High School, received the Hancock-Settlemyre Award at a banquet held recently at First United Methodist Church of Hickory. The award is presented by the Children's Advocacy and Protection Center to recognize an individual, group or business that has worked to enhance the quality of family life, reduce family stress, and reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect. Established in 1980, the award is named in honor of Jean Settlemyre Tashman, former administrator of Frye Regional Medical Center; and Millie Hancock Schumpert, a retired pediatrician. Rice was nominated by one of her students, Kyla Little, who said Rice spent many extra hours encouraging her students. In addition, she leads her students in adopting a social cause each year. The students learn about the issue and produce a play to help raise money for that cause. In the past, her classes have studied and helped the Guardian Ad Litem Program and the problem of homelessness in Hickory. An emotional Rice said she was abused as a child and was inspired to become the first member of her family to attend college by a caring teacher. "It takes that one person who says, 'You can,' " she said through tears. ""The arts saved me." As an adult, she spent several years working with children in Northern Ireland and teaching them through theatre that they can overcome centuries of religious intolerance and violence. Also nominated for the award was Susan Lee, executive director of the Parenting Network, for her many years of offering parenting classes in the area. A resolution of appreciation by the CAPC Board was presented to Pamela Brooks, a retired social worker who was a leader in Catawba County's early efforts to combat child abuse and neglect. 1007 1st Ave South Conover, NC 28613 Ph: 828-465-9296 Fax: 828-464-7457 www.catawbacountycac.org Beth Brandes, retired assistant director of Catawba County Social Services, was the guest speaker. She said that although the county has done much to prevent child abuse and neglect, and to punish abusers, the need continues. She encouraged the audience to help raise funds to endow the CAPC, to ensure its future financial stability. On display at the banquet was a quilt made to memorialize the North Carolina children who died in 2014 as a result of neglect or abuse by their caregivers. The Hickory High School Art Club creates tee shirts each hear in honor of each child. These shirts are displayed at a vigil held each fall. Linda Henson, a local volunteer, then makes a quilt incorporating the shirts. The winner of last year's award decides where the quilt will be displayed in the coming year. This year, Cathi Dillon selected the CAPC for that honor. The Children’s Advocacy & Protection Center is a non-profit organization that exists to build a community dedicated to the prevention of and the coordinated response to child sexual abuse and/or severe physical abuse.

Molly Rice was chosen as Hometown Hero by Charles G. Monnett III & Associates. St. Stephens High's Molly Rice makes it a trifecta...three wins for the school this year. Molly's theater arts classes are widely known not only for their innovative stage productions, but community involvement...all housed in what used to be the tractor barn for the school. Congratulations, Molly, on winning our Hometown Hero award for April.

Spring Production 2015 A class comprised of nearly half new tractor shed theatre students some whom have never acted before to senior stalwarts who were the backbone of creative work in the tractor shed chose the mighty Sophocles’ Greek Tragedy of Antigone to produce. Several students took on the task of dissecting scripts from many versions and translations of Antigone to create our own version of this classic tale. I invited local Philosophy professor Dr. Michael Deckard to visit our class and discuss Antigone and ethics. The students really enjoyed listening and contributing to a great lecture. We delved into the main themes and as a group worked our way to concept. We settled in on a Post-apocalyptic style which was woven through the design of the production. After much 51

research and pinning on Pinterest, we also intertwined the Plato’s Cave allegory. Our chorus became part of that design being symbolic of technology and our human need for the slated opinions of social media. We worked on teaching ourselves a very complicated use of technology as we used “projection mapping” to place video onto still objects. Our King Creon was a young woman who took on the gender bend in a very believable way. I was very proud of our mature and stylish approach to college level theatre material.

Dentist & Parent Jeff Lowe: As I previously commented, thanks to the singular genius that is Molly Molly Rice lives are changed for the better. These young people will forever treasure the times in TST. Thank you Molly. I still have vivid memories of a few of my teachers from the past.Molly Rice will be such a teacher. It DOES matter!