Tractor shed theatre yearly reflection 2015 2016

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Tractor Shed Theatre Yearly Reflection

2015-2016

Winner of Hamilton & Herring Orthodontics Teacher of the Year

Hamilton & Herring Orthodontics May 2 ·

Congrats, Mrs. Molly RIce!!! You have won our "Love Your Teacher" Contest! Mrs. Molly Rice is a teacher at St. Stephens High School. She had over a 100 "likes" and 47 shares on her entries. Catawba County Schools St. Stephens High School

Hamilton & Herring Orthodontics added 2 new photos . May 5 · Hickory, NC ·

It was such an honor to meet Mrs. Molly Rice. Thank you for all of the young lives you have touched and inspired. Congrats, Mrs. Rice! # h ickorysmile # catawbacountyschools # SSHS

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Molly Rice pictured with Principal Heather Hollifield Josette Kippenhan WELL DESERVED Molly Rice and students­ love you guys. Unlike · Reply · 2 · May 2 at 6:53pm

BettyGrace McDermott O'Hearn You and your students deserve it and more!

My teacher is Mrs. Molly Rice from St. Stephens High School. Molly is an amazing teacher, mother, and artist. She has not only changed my life but she has made a large impact on many students and the community during her ten years of teaching at The Tractor Shed Theatre, Molly also genuinely listens and cares for every one of her students. Every fall semester Mrs. Rice and The Tractor Shed Theatre reach out to people on the margin in our community and tell their stories through poetry, spoken word, monologues, and other forms of art in a show her students write to raise money and awareness for the organization. I'm so grateful for all Mrs. Rice does for her students and for teaching me about art and about being a better person. ­ Kariey Smith Hamilton & Herring Orthodontics Mrs. Molly RIce won our "Love Your Teacher" Contest! Congrats, Mrs. Rice! Olivia Dorothy Wilson Molly changed my life as a teacher as well! I wouldn't be half the actor or person I am without her. She is compassionate and understanding with her students and is incredibly enthusiastic about helping them learn and grow into brilliant young thinkers, artists, and team players. The work she does with the Tractor Shed Theater is trailblazing and life changing, for the students as well as our community members that get involved. Lucinda K. Weaver Molly Rice has changed my life in so many ways. Between being a teacher, friend, and motherly figure she has provided me with knowledge that I will take with me through the rest of my life. Her job is so much

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more than a theater teacher. She has spent over 800 joins outside of class just. To make sure we feel good about our show. Ashley Barnett No one deserves this more that Mrs. Rice she's truly an amazing person inside and out! I don't know how I would've gotten through highschool without her! Peyton Bumgarner I've never had a teacher that inspires me as much as Mrs. Rice does!!!❤ Gemma Sky The best teacher ever ! I enjoy her class so much that 4 out of my 7 classes this year have been her theatre classes! Amelia Lowe Best teacher by far!!! Katarina Bengtson I agree. Amelia Lowe The past 3 years I've had Mrs Rice as a teacher has been life changing. She not only teaches me what I need to know for the classroom but also serves as a life coach during such a confusing time in our lives. I've never met a teacher who has cared more. Unlike · Reply · 5 · April 4 at 10:09am Carson Gantt The best teacher I have had by far! She has impacted my art, work ethic, and life. Her teaching goes so far beyond the classroom and I could not be more grateful. I am so thankful that I am able to be in her classroom! Unlike · Reply · 4 · March 29 at 7:45pm Alice Gomez she's inspired me to strive to study and become a teacher, her dedication and love for what she does and the empathy she shows towards her students is one you can't find in most teachers today. Unlike · Reply · 4 · March 29 at 8:39pm Molly Rice I am so blessed to be honored in such loving kindness from my students and alumni. It is from them that I gain my strength. My students' generous heart for their community and passion for making a difference inspires me. I hope they remain lifelong learners. Thank you Hamilton & Herring for appreciating teachers. Like · Reply · 1 · April 6 at 6:24am Addie Ocasio She has helped me so much with my self confidence and the way i see and treat others and i am so grateful for that Unlike · Reply · 3 · April 5 at 5:58pm : )

O livia Howard She has taught me how to be myself and apply theater into my everyday life. I probably wouldn't be here without her. Unlike · Reply · 2 · April 5 at 7:38pm Anthony Badillo I've only had her for 1 1/2 semesters, but she's the best teacher I've had and will have in my life. Unlike · Reply · 3 · March 29 at 7:55pm David Rubino Agreed Unlike · Reply · 4 · March 29 at 7:51pm

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Winners of the “What Difference Does Difference Make” video contest celebrating Black History Month 2016

Commenting on St. Stephens High School’s submission, Superintendent Dan Brigman said that he was impressed by the “originality of the video.” He described the video as “captivating, expressing the alienation and emptiness of blank conformity.” He expressed that “only through diversity and an appreciation of individuality will our community and nation remain strong.”

Scottie Houston, principal at St Stephens High, stated, "Our students showed great thought, inner genius, and awesome creativity in describing the inward struggle between highlighting one's unique, individual character versus just being a reflection of their surroundings." A job well done!!"

This one came from our president, Dr. Hinshaw: Video #1 St. Stephens High School…. The quality video production and internal retrospection of what differences mean to the individual are compelling.

The grand total was 11,284 online votes and 55 community votes = 11,339. Check out the winning video and our other entries here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLts3R5JRR72KyiVYbZO0ugNHbCwXHe 9fG

Hickory Daily Record

CVCC hosts 14th annual Black History Month Celebration Posted: Tuesday, February 23, 2016 9:10 pm By JOSHUA FARMER jfarmer@hickoryrecord.com

HICKORY – Catawba Valley Community College hosted its 14th annual Black History Month Celebration on Tuesday night at the Tarlton Complex. There, CVCC announced the winner of its What Difference Does Difference Make video contest. St. Stephens High School’s submission beat out 16 other entries and won a GoPro for the school’s media center. The video shows a girl standing in front of a screen as images are

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projected over her face as a girl’s voice narrates. The celebration was put on by the college’s Multicultural Affairs office, as it has since 2003. Other sponsors included BB&T, CVCC Foundation, CVCC Education Matters, Hickory Fight Club and the Hickory Daily Record. The program included music from Mitchell Community College’s Inspirational choir and the presentation of the Community Award to Donald Hicks for his work through Classroom Connections providing education supplies to teachers. Entertainment was provided by Baby Black Trio and the Challenger Early College High School Hip­Hop Dancers. As well Venus Alexandria Ferguson, a graduate of Winston­Salem State University and founder of Keep Rising! Empowerment Summit for Girls , gave the keynote address in which she spoke about being an agent of change and helping those who cannot help themselves. “’Pull yourself up by the bootstraps,’ we say, ‘Opportunity is out there,’ we say, ‘If I can do it, so can you,’ is what we also say,” Ferguson said. “But we turn a blind eye to their everyday needs because they don’t look like us.” Ferguson spoke directly to the young people in the crowd urging them to make a difference in their communities. “You can make a difference,” she said. “We can all make a difference, and the difference starts tonight. All you need is courage.” Read online: http://www.hickoryrecord.com/news/cvcc­hosts­th­annual­black­history­month­celebration/article_bd0d2350­ da9b­11e5­b34d­8b945e7617d3.html

St. Stephens High School Tractor Shed Theatre

Champions for Kids Simple Giving

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Civic Engagement & Teaching Empathy We are proud to consider ourselves “Champions for Kids”. We are a public school Theatre Arts Program who has won awards for our civic engagement projects. We have collaborated with Guardian Ad Litem, Pinwheels for Prevention, Cooperative Christian Ministry (food and clothes drive), Grace House Day Shelter for the Homeless, Women’s Resource Center, Children’s Advocacy and Protection Center, Safe Harbor Shelter for Women and Children, Family Guidance Center, PACE@Home (All inclusive care for the elderly), and Champions for Kids. Click here to see some of our creative work and outreach projects. We have loved growing our projects for Champions for Kids. We started with purchasing Christmas presents for kids in need, collecting snacks for low income high school students, purchasing instructional materials for a Pre­K class to encourage summer reading, and recently, when I learned that our EC department receives no funding and the teachers were spending their own money to reach the needs of their students, my students and I decided to champion our EC Dept. If we were awarded funds, we would share the money. I would use the money to continue growing our Champions for Kids endeavor at our school and in our community.

Exceptional Children Cluster Class “ My class is a self­contained class at St. Stephens High School. The students are learning lower level academics as well as participating in job opportunities in the community. We follow the extensions of the common core, therefore, no textbooks. I search high and low for educationally appropriate material to keep my students on task. Most are from economically disadvantaged homes and are unable to provide the necessities for their child. I strive hard to help my students become a productive member of society even though they will not earn a high school diploma. We volunteer in the community at Cooperative Christian Ministries, Hickory Soup Kitchen, Catawba County Backpacks for Kids, Steve White Motors, Tri City Baptist Church, Mt. Olive Lutheran Church, Family Care Thrift Store, and Classroom Connections.” Jamie Smith EC Cluster Teacher Megan Binns EC Cluster Teacher also teaches lower level academics and life skills. Ms. Binns students are on a K­3 reading level and need a lot of extra resources and materials that are not provided by the county or school. Both of these teachers spend their own personal money to help feed and take care of their students. My theatre students gained a wealth of empathy as we collected educational items and snacks and visited their classroom as we deliver the items. The EC students were very excited to receive new items and were very happy to get snacks and drinks. “Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.... You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

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List of items purchased: Packs of Crackers: 56 Breakfast Bars: 24 Fruit Snacks: 56 Applesauce: 12 Little Debbie: 12 Moon pies: 12 Packs of Chips: 60 Items for Learning: 60 Water: 24 Movies: 3 Learning & Music CDs: 17 Puzzles: 2 Educational Games: 2 Total = 340

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The National Poetry Out Loud Recitation Contest

Alice G. will represent Saint Stephens High School and Catawba County as she heads to the State­level of the National Poetry Out Loud Recitation Contest on March 5, 2016. Julia P. is our runner­up. All are welcome and event is free. www.poetryoutloud.org This is SSHS' 8th year competing and placing Top Five in the State. Two years in a row, SSHS was runner­up in the State of NC as Jakia Propst nearly went to Washington, DC to represent our state at the National level. District Level Judges

Tim Peeler ­ A past winner of the Jim Harrison Award for contributions to baseball literature, Tim Peeler has also been a Casey Award Finalist (baseball book of the year) and a finalist for the SIBA Award. He lives with his wife, Penny in Hickory, North Carolina, where he directs the academic assistance programs at Catawba Valley Community College. He has written thirteen books and this is his third chapbook. Shane Manier ­ Shane Manier is the founder of Guerilla Poets, an activist/volunteer group with two branches in the US and UK and co­founder of Poetry Lincolnton. She has been featured at many events around NC, published numerous times and recently released her 1st poetry album "Bootstraps". Her poetry is mostly known for it's fiery passion and powerful messages. Carol Roan ­ With graduate degrees in vocal performance from Indiana University and in business from Columbia University, Carol Roan has sung in the television premiere of a Ned Rorem opera and testified about esoteric gold trading before the CFTC. The author of three nonfiction books and co­editor of three anthologies, she now teaches voice, stage presence, and writing in Winston­Salem, North Carolina. Julie Kolischak is a producer, writer and visual artist from Winston­Salem, NC. Outside her profession in communications, she pursues creative writing, book/paper and fiber arts. She also serves as Program Director for Winston­Salem Writers’ Poetry in Plain Sight program.

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Alice Gomez is Top Five in the State for Poetry Recitation! Watch Alice perform Kubla Kahn; or A Vision in a Dream: A Fragment” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Greensboro, NC North Carolina Finals): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK4­sGQtdX8 “Poetry speaks in volumes louder than everyday speech ever could­ especially this day and time where our language should be compared to fast food . I have learned to truly appreciate poetry and understand the concept of life being preserved ­ the safeguarding of memories. Poetry lives past all of us. It should be put on a pedestal. The arts should be encouraged and appreciated as they are the s ine qua non of human life. My experience competing in Poetry Out Loud has helped me realize how important being connected to your audience can be. I feel as if competing in Poetry Out Loud has made me fall in love with performing all over again, there would be moments when reciting, where I feel heavily connected with myself, the poem and with everyone in the room, it’s almost as if the poetry came from my own mind. That adrenaline of deep love and connectedness with poetry and those that I’m sharing it with gives me is the most memorable aspect. Poetry Out Loud has definitely given me an opportunity to explore within myself artistically, and socially, meeting others who have the same passion for poetry as I do. My Grandmother was raised in Guatemala, and the day I was chosen to be my district’s representative at the state level, my Grandmother, who never had interest in poetry, asked me to recite my poems to her in Spanish. Having that kind of impact on people is very important to me, to connect to others through the arts and even show those who never cared, that they too can connect to poetry. I love dedicating my time to clubs and groups at my school when we work with charities. I’m a writer and performer with the Tractor Shed Theatre and in the fall our troupe focuses on civic engagement. We have raised awareness and funds for several organizations and used the creative arts to bring the stories to life of abused and neglected children, domestic violence and women in need, our homeless neighbors, elderly care, and mental illness. I am also a part of the National Art Honors Society, in which we help to raise money for the Empty Bowls movement to help end hunger. I am a leader in the Book Club at Saint Stephens, we organize meetings and help our library find new books as well as helping our beloved librarians raise money to keep our school’s library lively and modern.” Alice Gomez

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Senior Portfolios Irvin Maldonado has been in theatre for three years where he discovered his talent and love for photography. He has acted in several shows, performed in musical theatre revues, and been the technical director and operator for many shows. He will attend UNC Greensboro in the fall for photography. Irvin was accepted into the prestigious art school Parsons based on his photography and plans to attend after a few years at UNC­G. Irvin has been responsible for most of our public relations and graphic design for Coffeehouses and our shows. Irvin also was known for his film and editing skills. He and Julia Parham created the senior video for graduation. Julia Parham first stepped into the Tractor Shed Theatre as a middle­schooler. She read her poetry at a Coffeehouse amongst the high school crowd and was an instant hit. Since, Julia has had nine theatre classes in which four raised funds and awareness for civic engagement in our community. She brought the life stories of the elderly, the homeless, abused and neglected children and mental health issues to the stage in fall play production. In spring play production, her roles include the waitress in 1984, The Red Queen in Alice Underground, & Tiresias the blind prophet. Julia played Irena in I Never Saw Another Butterfly about the Terezin ghetto and Captain Hook in Peter/Wendy. She is a leader and will be sorely missed in the shed. She discovered her love of poetry and spoken word at an early age and the TST fostered her creativity and skills. She will be attending NC State for Creative Writing. She received a Silver Key for her writing from Scholastic.

Halloween Project For two years, the TST create a Halloween scenescape for the Hickory community’s trick­or­treaters. Our first year, we did a haunted circus ­ Carnival of Lost Souls . This year, the Zombies came and they danced the thriller and were the talk of the town… Watch our video here: https://tstphotography.smugmug.com/Halloween­at­717/Thiller­Night/i­ZNttmsN

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Steve McCurry Tractor Shed Theatre’s artistic take on “Unexpected Beauty: Views from the Lens of Steve McCurry Tractor Shed Theatre to Perform alongside of Steve McCurry work. Posted by Molly Rice at 10/2/2015 11:10:00 AM The Tractor Shed Theatre’s Fall Play Production troupe to Perform alongside Famous Photographer Steve McCurry's work.

Hickory Museum of Art's Unexpected Beauty Exhibit Posted by Molly Rice at 9/23/2015 5:10:00 P M

Check out our video here: Check out our e­book from the Unexpected Beauty performance of Steve McCurry's stunning exhibit at the Hickory Museum of Art. Twenty­one performing arts students from Play Production and ten Intermediate Theatre Arts students visited the Hickory Museum of Art to witness Photojournalist Steve McCurry's exhibit. Several students had never been to an art museum before so I was

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honored to take them. The exhibit which included one of the world's most iconic images ­ Afghan Girl ­ was breath­taking. Sixty­eight photographs and all struck me deeply. So theatrical, so stage­worthy and each character personally spoke to me. The visit was two­fold. One to give my students an opportunity to see art up close and personal outside of the classroom walls in order to present Twenty­first­century learning in which my students can master content while producing, synthesizing, and evaluating information from a wide variety of subjects and sources with an understanding of and respect for diverse cultures. Globalization. The other was to challenge them with using Mr. McCurry's photography as a springboard into their own original creative work. The Project: Students will choose one photograph to either do a solo or work in small collaborative groups to create performance art based on their chosen image. Students will research and dig deep to understand the history and culture of their chosen photograph. Once they understand the history of the photographer and image, they will create an original piece ­ song, poem, spoken word, dance, music, monologue, scene, or other creative art form. Play Production will perform a unique walk­through show. October 25th 2015 at 2:30pm. http://hickoryart.org/ Student Reflections: "The first few images I saw overwhelmed me. They were gorgeous, striking images that flowed with emotion and culture. Each and every one gave me a new perspective and view on the world. I found inspiration everywhere I looked. The entire exhibit is an eye­opening experience." Ameila H. "Being born and raised in a small town with minimal traveling experience, it is hard for me to imagine the environments in other regions but my own. McCurry's art, not only immersed me in other cultures but helped me gain a better understanding of the world I have not yet explored. The art was absolutely stunning and greatly exceeded my expectations." Jake U. "The unimaginable sincerity and the chilling beauty Steve McCurry captured in his photography was something that made me want to know so much more about the eyes behind the lens, the lives of these people, the experiences they've had, and how they differ from my everyday life." Alice G. "Steve McCurry's exhibit gave me a feeling of gratefulness for the things I have, but also a feeling of guilt for taking everything I have for granted. These people in these beautiful pictures have so little, but give so much. They truly tell a story without words." Olivia H.

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Unexpected Beauty Sunday Matinee Posted b y Molly Rice at 10/28/2015 2:30:00 PM

We had an amazing turnout at the Hickory Museum of Art for our performance of Unexpected Beauty based on Steve McCurry photography on Sunday Oct. 25th at 2:30pm.

Here's what the audience had to say: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2015 Creative Teacher of the Year Molly Rice, the drama teacher at St. Stephens High School in Hickory, NC, is the most creative teacher I've ever met. I saw an example of her work this week, and am still stunned by what she does. The Hickory Museum of Art had been working for three years to get an exhibition of Steve McCurry's work. A photojournalist of international renown, McCurry's most famous photograph is probably "Afghan Girl," which, like much of his work, appeared in National Geographic. Molly had asked some of her drama students to choose one of the photographs, to research the geography and culture of the country, and the time period during which the photograph was taken. Each student then wrote and performed a poem or monologue (in one case, a choric piece by three boys) inspired by that photograph. When we walked into the exhibition area, we saw young people, clad in black, standing by some of the photographs. No chairs for the audience—we moved from student to student around the entire space, some of us climbing stairs or hanging from the balcony to get a better view. One girl began and ended her monologue with a sentence or two in Japanese, another said a few words in Hindi. All of the students had written praiseworthy work that they performed well. The performance itself would have made a great afternoon, but then I talked to Molly about her work. I had assumed that the students, who were wearing black t­shirts with "Tractor Shed Team/Director, Molly Rice" across the front, were participants in an after­school drama club. No, indeed. Molly is a full­time drama teacher in the public high school. She doesn't teach English or creative writing, with one theatre class thrown in; she doesn't coach the volleyball team; she teaches drama. Her students work on projects with the homeless, with people in retirement homes, throughout the community. She had chosen the Museum project because one of her students is a senior who wants to major in photography, and she thought his record of the project would be a good addition to his portfolio. I asked if they did the usual high school play and/or musical each year. "Yes," she said, "we give one full production in the spring. Last year we did Antigone ."

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" Antigone?" I'd never heard of a high school performing an ancient Greek play. "We don't kid around. One year, we decided we didn't want to do the Alice in Wonderland play. We went back to the book and wrote another play ourselves. Alice Underground. " Molly's drama program would be extraordinary in a private school, in a city magnet school. But in a public school in a city of 40,000 people, with an average per capita income of $26,000? POSTED BY CAROL ROAN AT 8:39 AM

CAROL ROAN Carol Roan teaches voice and stage presence in Winston­Salem. Her experience in teaching stage presence­­how to communicate with an audience­­began with her voice students, expanded into the first college­level course for musicians in the United States. and broadened to include other professions in her book, Speak Up: The Public Speaking Primer (Press53, 2010). "Molly I loved the presentation yesterday and would like for you to convey to your students how moved I was to hear their recitations. I am sure they realize how fortunate they are to have your influence on their lives and understanding of the world. Great job!" "It was a great afternoon! Molly Rice is the personification of motivating her students to do great things. Acting, music and 'spoken word' gives confidence for their future in so many ways." "What an inspiring day it was listening to Molly's students respond in poetry and spoken word to McCurry's amazing images. Great. Well done to all. And many thanks to all the local folk, and not so local, who came out in such big numbers to cheer the kids on ... memorable." "The performances today were incredible!" "I'm so glad I was able to come and support this effort. Inspiring, Impressive, Engaging, Heartfelt, 'Heart­Grabbing' are the best descriptors that come to mind right now. Carol Roan and I talked of it much of the way home. A talented group of kids have an exceptional, caring teacher. Molly Rice has served them well ~ and it shows. I'll be back any chance I get! What a wonderful model for an interactive drama class. Standing O to you, Molly, and to your students. (Friends, this photo exhibit will be up for a while, and worth the trip to see. Don't know if there will be an encore performance from The Tractor Shed Theatre, but if that happens, I'll urge you to go or to support one of their future performances)." ­ Julie Kolischak See photos here (copyright Irvin Maldonado)

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Help4Hope an original play in collaboration with Catawba Valley

Behavioral Healthcare to help raise awareness & stamp out stigma surrounding mental health

http://www.hickoryrecord.com/news/help-hope/article_37d85c84-939e-5b3e-81c6-560c52 1accee.html

Radio Interview with Hal Rowe on First Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59vAgJU4b1E

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‘Help4Hope’

Posted: Thursday, January 14, 2016 4:42 pm By JOSHUA FARMER jfarmer@hickoryrecord.com

How high school students are fighting mental health stigma HICKORY – For the past five years, St. Stephens High School’s award­winning Tractor Shed Theatre has completed a civic engagement production. Theatre teacher and director Molly Rice’s fall Play Production students – an auditioned troupe of writers, actors, dancers, musicians and visual artists– partner with a nonprofit organization each year to create an original work. This year, that partnership is with Catawba Valley Behavioral Health, which offers services promoting emotional, mental, physical and social health. The production, “Help4Hope,” aims to combat the stigma surrounding mental health issues and encourage those who need help to seek it. The issue is a personal one for Rice, whose brother died of a drug overdose at 36 after battling addiction. “I’m very passionate about understanding mental health,” Rice said. “I’ve seen more and more mental health issues in the schools, and a lot of educators don’t know what to do with that.” It’s something Rice said we need to talk more about.

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“We must have discourse, we must,” she said. “We expect our students to have 21st century learning skills. At the top of that is empathy. We need to educate students how to have empathy.” Through their visit and research, the students gathered direct quotes and artwork spoken and created by CVBH clients. “There’s no better way to reach people than through the arts, to say something to stamp out stigma,” she said. “You’re going to hear monologues directly from clients with their names not mentioned. You’re going to hear a poem from one of the members.” The performance will also include spoken word, dance and music. “The more we talk about it, the better off we’re going to be,” Rice said. “My students have done an amazing job creatively to give something to a captive audience that they can consider, that they can see, that they can hear, and then they can go away and think about their own stigma, just like my students did.” Prior to finishing the play, CVBH Development and Human Resource Officer Sally Learned visited the class and invited them to their facilities to learn from and visit with staff and clients. Student Peyton Bumgarner, 14, said her experience visiting the facilities changed her thinking on mental illness. “Once I figured out that they weren’t the way that I thought they would be, it kind of broke me down inside,” she said. “I sort of became emotional and I felt bad for the way that I thought.” Coleson Berlin, also 14, will perform a spoken word piece. “I thought mental health was just people being crazy, I did, and when I talked to everybody there, I totally just opened up my eyes to what it really is and how important it is,” he said. Senior Irvin Maldonado has dealt with mental illness before. “I have known people who have anxiety and I see what they go through and how they deal with it, but I know that I have a better understanding now than I did before the project started,” said Irvin Maldonado, 17. Soon to be a photography student at a New York school, he has participated in the production for each of the last three years. He created photographs illustrating five ailments, including post­traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. “I wanted the audience to see how people with mental illness feel,” he said. Learned also secured permission for the project from CVBH leadership, which was excited by the opportunity to collaborate with the students. “We are just really excited that we have a group of high school students willing to take on this issue,” Learned said. “Mental health is really a disease that affects everybody of all ages – it’s an equal opportunity disease – all ages, sexes, ethnicities are affected by the disease.” She said the production puts a human face to mental health. “Even though many people we may know may have been touched by mental health, we don’t always quickly put a face to the needs, to the impacts of mental health,” she said. “And what the

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theatre production will do is help people really see the impacts of mental health and behavioral health issues on people's’ lives and see how it affects everything from their home, their family, their ability to go to work, their ability to go to school, their ability to function in friendships and relationships.” CVBH was formed in 2005. The nonprofit provides services to help people deal with mental and behavioral health issues, including a psychosocial rehabilitation clubhouse, life skills and vocational training. The drama will highlight these services for those who might be trying to deal with mental illness on their own. The focus is on fighting the stigma surrounding mental health issues. “What we want to do with this production is really show that with identification of needs and appropriate medication and counseling treatment, there’s no difference in treating mental health than there is in treating and managing diabetes,” Learned said. “It’s a treatable, manageable disease.” She said the play will open a discussion of these issues, which are salient in the Catawba community. CVBH treats close to 3,000 clients per year with issues ranging from depression to serious psychosocial diseases, Learned said. Among those thousands are students. Learned said teen suicides are up and more students are reaching out for help. But the stigma of asking for it still holds some back, and getting that help early is important. “I think what we see too often is that people come in for help after it’s become a crisis situation,” she said. “If we could bring folks in earlier, the goal for all agencies is to reach out and help people identify the needs and feel comfortable in coming in for help.” The production will run for one night: Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Belk Centrum Theatre at Lenoir­Rhyne University. Admission is $10. All proceeds will go to CVBH. If you or someone you know needs help, you can contact CVBH at 828­695­5900. See a snippet from the show:

Kudos: The show was so powerful and moving. Your students are not only learning to present great theatre but gaining a social conscience, too. Rose Goodrich Theatre Professor at LRU January 17 Liz Allen Phothichack ­ Bravo!!! Kim Stinson ­ Lovely work, all! It was a pleasure to see such a wonderful synthesis of art & advocacy! (And I'd say that even if I weren't Amelia's mom . . . ). Mel Hager ­ The talented Tractor Shed Theatre students never disappoint! What a moving experience tonight. Bravo, TST and fearless leader, Molly Rice! Ashley Barnett: I love you! Show was fantastic.

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Michelle Bernard Your children are amazing. They are so profound. I was in awe. I loved being around them. I’ve never cared much for young people and via this job I’ve met some pretty amazing young people ­ yours take the cake though. Please keep me involved in the future! I wish there were teachers like you around when I went to school ­ not to say I would have listened but maybe I’d be in a different place than I am now ­ or maybe I’m right where I should be. I hope you like the article. Sarah Parham Wonderful interview ­ please thank your group for representing us so well! http://www.catawbaschools.net/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=4&ModuleInstanceID=11&ViewID=047 E6BE3­6D87­4130­8424­D8E4E9ED6C2A&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=7761&PageID=1

Creative Arts to Raise Awareness The Tractor Shed Theatre is an award­winning program at St. Stephens High School directed by Molly Rice. Each year, Rice’s fall Play Production students, an auditioned troupe of writers, actors, dancers, musicians, and visual artists, collaborate with a chosen local organization. This year, the troupe focused on mental health issues and joined forces with Catawba Valley Behavioral Healthcare (CVBH) to raise awareness and funds for mental health. CVBH provides a range of integrated health services to the community by promoting emotional, mental, physical, and social health and by respecting the dignity and rights of the unique individuals they serve. Development and Human Resource Officer Sally Learned gave the theatre students a tour of the facility in downtown Hickory and of the Connections Clubhouse in Newton, where students were able to meet staff and clients in four service areas: Peer Support , partnerships to work through issues with mental health and/or substance abuse; M obile Crisis Management , s upport for substance use disorder; Connections , an adult psychosocial rehabilitation clubhouse; and the Jail Ministry program. After listening to heartfelt stories and gaining information, the students created original pieces. Their show Help4Hope , a play in collaboration with CVBH, will run for one night, on Saturday, January 16th at 7pm in the Belk Centrum Theatre at Lenoir­Rhyne University. Admission is $10 and all proceeds will go to CVBH to raise awareness about these issues and help eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health. Learned “is pleased to work with the Tractor Shed Theater to highlight issues about mental health that affect all ages” and “applauds the high school youth involved in the production who helped educate the community about needs and services by personalizing these issues through theater." Sarah Parham, Connections Director, volunteered that “Molly and her students came to our program with openness and a desire to learn. We appreciate their attention to hearing the members’ stories, not as individuals labeled with diagnoses, but as individuals with hopes, desires, passions, and dreams.” Director Molly Rice has won awards for her civic engagement work, including Hickory Daily Record’s Top Ten to Watch in 2015, Hickory Daily Record’s Notable Neighbor, Hometown Hero, the 2015 Hancock­Settlemyer Award for contribution in the field of prevention of child abuse and

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neglect, and The National College Board’s Award for Excellence & Innovation in the Arts Honorable Mention for Civic Engagement and Community Partnerships. In the past five years, Tractor Shed students have worked with The Family Guidance Center, The Women’s Resource Center, the Children’s Advocacy and Protection Center of Catawba County, the Safe Harbor Rescue Mission, Pace@Home ­ All Inclusive Care for the Elderly, The Grace House Day Shelter for the Homeless, and the Catawba Valley Guardian Ad Litem program. Children’s Advocacy & Protection Center of Catawba County Vigil for the children of NC Vigil for the children who have lost their lives at the hands of abuse in NC from 2014. I had the absolute heart­breaking honor of reading the names of these beloved children in a vigil downtown Hickory.

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School collaboration with Band TST students performed a spoken word piece at the Fall Band Concert at LRU.

TST Coffeehouses First and third Thursday of each month where students and the community can come and share in an open mic. atmosphere. “Coffeehouse is like a big group hug.” ­ Sue Hardy.

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Spring Semester Tractor Shed Theatre

Stop RX Abuse Video Contest NCDOJ Gov Each year we help warn others about the dangers of prescription drug abuse through our student video contest. TST participated for the second year... Attorney General Roy Cooper and the NC Department of Justice partner with the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators , the North Carolina Parent Resource Center , and the Governor’s Institute on Substance Abuse to sponsor the contest. Watch our videos here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSEbkLBjtXU&list=PLts3R5JRR72LwrD8­vs1EaJjoCk 89W_Kz I attended several staff development opportunities this year including important programs such as:

Stewards of Children; Adults Resolving Child Sexual Abuse in Community

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Darkness to Light’s® Stewards of Children is a revolutionary sexual abuse prevention training program that educates adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. The program believes and teaches that child safety is an adult's job. Stewards of Children is designed for organizations that serve children and youth. Youth Mental Health First Aid Training Mental health challenges – such as depression, anxiety, psychosis and substance use – are shockingly common in the United States. In fact, more than one in five Americans will have a mental health problem in any given year. The National Council for Behavioral Health certifies individuals throughout the nation, to provide Youth Mental Health First Aid courses to prepare their communities with the knowledge and skills to help individuals who are developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. Identified on SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence­Based Programs and Practices, the training helps the public better identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses. For more information on Youth Mental Health First Aid, visit www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org. I presented two workshops at the North Carolina Theatre Conference in the fall. Pinterest and Production (technology) and Poetry Performances.

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Fall Play Production were invited to perform at Catawba Valley Community College’s Holocaust Remembrance Day and decided to also collect butterflies to represent the 15,000 children who perished at Terezin Ghetto and Auschwitz. Watch our video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me1db4Not8Y

The Butterfly Project (based on the global project) will help raise awareness and memorialize the 14900 children who passed through Terezin. Theresienstadt concentration camp, also referred to as Theresienstadt ghetto, was a concentration camp established by the SS during World War II in the garrison city of Terezín (German: Theresienstadt), located in German­occupied Czechoslovakia. Tens of thousands of people died there, some killed outright and others dying from malnutrition and disease. More than 150,000 other persons (including tens of thousands of children) were held there for months or years, before being sent by rail transports to their deaths at Treblinka and Auschwitz extermination camps in occupied Poland, as well as to smaller camps elsewhere. The Tractor Shed Theatre will present I Never Saw Another Butterfly one­act play by Celeste Raspanti for Catawba Valley Community College's Holocaust Remembrance Day on April 28th at 12:30pm in the East Wing Auditorium. The students would like to get as many butterflies as possible to represent the lives of the children that were lost at Terezin. This show is also running as part of our spring production opening June 1st.

Our Butterflies Have Flown in From… Location

Number of Butterflies

Startown Elementary School

20

Connections Clubhouse

126

Clyde Campbell Elementary School

48

SSHS Apparel Classes

28

26

SSHS Beginning Visual Design Classes

96

South Newton Middle School

26

SSHS Foods Classes

106

God Seeker Synagogue

116

Aunt Nikki from Attleboro, Massachusetts

1

Karen Cerjan Kindergarten Students

69

SSHS Math Classes

73

Balls Creek Elementary School

80

St. Stephens Elementary School

1144

Diane Gantt

2 Glass

Arndt Middle School Drama Classes

205

Oakwood Elementary School

53

Homeschool Backyard Shakespeare

50

Ashley Barnett

47

Mrs. Kiel SSHS English Classes

221

SSHS Library

171

Mrs. Garrou SSHS Math Class

30

Ms. Grove SSHS Tribal Council

21

Mrs. Sigmon SSHS Health Science Classes

76

Drake Clark

2

Melanie Elroy

10

Mrs. Guelzow SSHS Art Classes

205

Maiden Middle School Drama Classes

85

Josette Kipp

13

27

First Baptist Church of Maiden

8

CVCC Beta Eta Delta Fraternity

200

Ms. Cannon SSHS English Classes and Tribal Council 98 Karen Cerjan

127

Mrs. Biggs SSHS English Classes

170

Ly Ngo from Baton Rouge, Louisiana

370

Jackson Gantt

100

Ridge Road Middle School, Charlotte, North Carolina

296

St. Stephens Lutheran Church

176

SSHS Exceptional Children Department

228

CVCC Library

63

Startown Elementary School

85

God Seeker Synagogue

89

SSHS Tractor Shed Theatre

107

SSHS Various Classes

165

Anonymous Friends

18

Montessori at Sandy Ford

40

St. Luke's Methodist Church

77

Sams Recycled Art

4 metal

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Grand Total Number of Butter ies: 5541

More about the project: https://www.facebook.com/TSTbutterflies/?fref=ts

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Irvin’s Reflection THE BUTTERFLY PROJECT ­ HOLOCAUST · MONDAY, APRIL 18, 2016 4 Reads “Every fall we perform a show that has a message for the community, with our charity work. In spring, it's been mostly about the show we choose, without the message. This is the first time, for me, to have a spring production with a remembrance to actual people who've been through the Holocaust, dead or alive.” ~ Irvin M. Tabby’s Reflection “Before the Butterfly Project and I Never Saw Another Butterfly, I didn't stop to think that 15000 was a big number. Compared to 6 million it isn't, but 15000 is half the population of Hickory. So imagine half of Hickory­ men, women, children­ gone to a concentration camp never think to be seen again.” ~ Tabby H. Amelia’s Reflection THE BUTTERFLY PROJECT ­ HOLOCAUST · MONDAY, APRIL 18, 2016 2 Reads “ After having been to a concentration camp this past summer and now doing the Butterfly Project in cohesion with I Never Saw Another Butterfly, it has made me realize just how fortunate I am to live the way I do. This period in history is one that I care so much about so when we announced that we would be doing this play and project I couldn't have felt more honored to be able to deliver the stories of the very children who had actually gone through that.” ~ Amelia L. Alice’s Reflection THE BUTTERFLY PROJECT ­ HOLOCAUST · MONDAY, APRIL 18, 2016 8 Reads “Being able to speak the very words of the children who perished during the Holocaust and see their artwork in I Never Saw Another Butterfly has been such an honor to me to carry on their art, their words, their story... to never forget.” ~ Alice G. who plays Raja

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http://www.observernewsonline.com/content/butterfly­project­brings­attention­holocaust­children

Butterfly Project brings attention to holocaust children By: Michelle T. Bernard O­N­E Reporter THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016 NEWTON, NC Students of the Tractor Shed Theatre at St. Stephens High School are collecting butterflies – but not with a net. They’ve embarked on a Butterfly Project. This is not an original idea – it is a global undertaking to help raise awareness and memorialize the close to 15,000 children who passed through the Terezin (Theresienstadt) concentration camp (or ghetto) during World War II. Of those 15,000 children roughly 90 percent of them died. To read more of this story, pick up the Thursday edition of Catawba County's community newspaper, The Observer News Enterprise, at newsstands throughout the county.

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Listen to our radio interview with Hal Rowe on First Talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBvswF0ArvE&feature=youtu.be

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St. Stephen’s students shine light on holocaust http://www.hickoryrecord.com/news/st­stephen­s­students­shine­light­on­holocau st/article_886c9fd6­0d90­11e6­8098­ffb1d10ea8b0.html

ROBERT C. REED ROBERT C. REED/RECORD: St. Stephens High School's Tractor Shed Theatre actress Alice Gomez plays the role of Raj a in the play " I Nev er Saw Another Butterfly" during Cataw ba Valley Community College Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Posted: Thursday, April 28, 2016 6:28 pm By John Bailey jbailey@hickoryrecord.com HICKORY – The St. Stephen’s High Tractor Shed Theatre created a snapshot of history for the audience at Catawba Valley Community College on Thursday, capturing a moment in time of World War II Holocaust victims.

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They performed the one­act play, “I never Saw Another Butterfly” by Celeste Raspanti, as part of CVCC’s Holocaust Remembrance Day. The play is based on the lives of the children of Terezin – in German­occupied Czechoslovakia – and their teacher who secretly taught them how to read, create poetry and artwork based on their experiences in the concentration camp. The work provided the children an emotional shield from the reality of the camp. They would go on to bury their work to keep it away from guards. The collection was found later after liberation. “I hope the crowd takes away the same honor and respect that I feel playing this part,” Amelia Lowe said after the play. “Last year, I got to visit a concentration camp and saw first­hand and put in perspective exactly the living situations they had to deal with. “I feel incredibly honored that I got to portray one of the children that got to live through this. I hope the people sitting here today realize the emotional and physical toll it took to live through this, and this was their life every day.” The play also is part of the theatre group’s Butterfly Project focused on raising awareness and memorializing the 15,000 children who passed through Terezin. “I never realized that art was like a therapy, a thing that actually helped children,” Alice Gomez who portrayed Raja, the narrator in the play. “When you learn about the Holocaust in school, it’s like this miserable time. Nothing was good.” St. Stephen’s Theater Arts teacher Molly Rice wanted her students to take the moment beyond just entertainment. She wanted to offer them a different kind of education about the Holocaust that they could then share with the audience.

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“I want them to understand what empathy is and theater is set up to teach you how to empathize, how to see through someone else’s eyes, so this was an incredibly huge deal for us,” Rice said. “We took a lot of time, like a month researching the Holocaust and talking about it…talking about the children and looking at their art work. “Theater and the Tractor Shed Theatre, what we do, they meet other human beings and they represent their story.” The CVCC event was organized by the college’s reference librarian Ari Sigal and started three years ago. Thursday also included poet Adrian Rice reading two­Holocaust­themed poems by Primo Levi and one by Northern Irish poet Michael Longley. Holocaust survivor Dr. Walter Ziffer also was scheduled to speak but was unable due to illness. The students felt Dr. Ziffer’s absence at the event. “The fact that he wasn’t here put him into my thoughts and my performance itself because I kept him with me, and the thought of him with me as I was up there because with my character I play a survivor and Walter Ziffer is a survivor,” Gomez said. “So I hope the audience has an admiration for him for all that he’s been through…it’s extremely hard emotionally to play these characters and portray what they’ve been through.” Sigal also is the Curator of the Gilde­Marx Collection for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at CVCC. The collection is made up of hundreds of books and documentaries chronicling the Holocaust, including hundreds of letters, telegrams and postcards sent between members of the Gilde and Marx families and their cousins in the U.S.

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While Thursday’s event was focused on the Jewish Holocaust, Sigal knows the lessons of that time transcend all generations and cultures. “The idea is to draw the attention not just specifically to anti­Semitism but use that as a springboard for talking about genocide,” he said, adding how important it was to have the St. Stephen’s High students involved. “They’re where that proverbial mantel has to go, generation after generation,” he said. Tabby Hess, who played a Terezin youth in the play, was surprised at how many children were actually in the concentration camps. “I knew so many millions were killed. I just didn’t know that so many were children,” she said. “I didn’t think about children at all.” The members of the Tractor Shed group who portrayed the Nazi guards also had a unique experience with their roles. The four students who played the guards researched their roles by watching documentaries of life in World War II concentration camps. “I couldn’t sleep for a couple of nights. I could never wrap my mind around what it actually took for actual Nazi soldiers to do what they did,” Jackson Shoe said. “It didn’t kick in until I watched this documentary on a survivor…that’s what sobered me up to understand that this is so more important than anything you would ever think of.” Fellow guard Irvin Maldonado saw the event as a simple lesson on kindness. “As a person, try not to discriminate just because you don’t know a different culture, different race…have some sympathy towards one another,” he said. The Gilde­Marx Collection for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at CVCC is open to the public. The Tractor Shed Theatre will perform its play again June 1 at St. Stephens High.

Amelia Lowe, St. Stephen’s High Tractor Shed Theatre

“I feel incredibly honored that I got to portray one of the children that got to live through this. I hope the people sitting here today realize the emotional and physical toll it took to live through this, and this was their life every day."

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Musical Theatre Revue Musical Theatre class presented a musical revue in April to a sold­out crowd in the Tractor Shed Theatre.

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Spring Production 2016

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Click here to see more photos

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We are excited that the publisher and playwright of Peter/Wendy want to use our photos ( click here to see our shots from our photo call) and PR in their catalogues and on their website!