The school year is almost over, and we’re all looking forward to summer, but before we finish our exams and close our lockers for the final time, let’s look back at the coolest things we’ve done this year.
Starting in October, we had Homecoming. This year’s theme was A Night in Hollywood, and on the first day of Homecoming week, students came to the school to decorate their respective hallways. Then the spirit week followed, and many students participated throughout the week, it was very fun. Then, at the end of the week, we had the Homecoming football game. While we didn’t do great against Cousino High School, the Shorians in the stands kept cheering for the whole game. Finally, Homecoming concluded with the Homecoming dance. Everything was decorated to match the theme, and the students had a great time talking, dancing, and making memories.
In November, after eight weeks of rehearsal, the members of the Lake Shore drama club brought the classic story Alice in Wonderland to the stage. In the story, a little girl named Alice chases after a white rabbit and ends up in Wonderland, where she is vaguely guided by the Cheshire Cat to escape. While some struggled to learn their lines and the show demanded some odd set pieces, everything came together, and the show went great.
The director, teacher Patrick Akerley, said, “It was hard because there were so many odd set pieces that had to be built, but other than that I think it all came together in the end pretty well.”
Ella Liebold, a freshman who played the Mock Turtle, said she liked participating in the play because “it really made me feel like a part of something” and “it also made me, like, have a space where I could be my own person.”
Delilah Philippo, a freshman who was in the ensemble, said the play was important because “we got more money for it and they entertain people,” and that “it was fun.”
In December, the Lake Shore High School Musical Group went to the Michigan Thespian Festival. The festival took place on December 12 and 13 in Lansing, and 11 Lake Shore students attended to compete in various categories. The thespians were incredibly successful at the festival, all earning an “Excellent” rating or higher. This event was a major opportunity for the program and allowed Lake Shore’s thespians to gain recognition through competition.
Kara Lawfield, junior, said, “I think it was a really good opportunity to grow in, like, theater as a whole, and I think it was also good for our group, like building closeness and stuff.”
January gave us the Rock of Ages musical. Rock of Ages is a jukebox musical, meaning it features pre-existing songs, not songs written for the musical. It’s set in the 1980s and includes lots of rock music from that time. Rock of Ages tells the story of Drew and Sherrie trying to save their favorite club from developers while they go on their own complex personal journeys and eventually find love along the way. The cast started rehearsing in October, and they performed their four shows from January 29 – 31. Among the cast was a local band called Morbid Massacre, who played live in the musical as the fictional band, Arsenal.
In March, we had Glowcoming. This year’s Spring Fling theme was Glowcoming, so there were lots of lights, glowsticks, and bright colors at the dance, which was very fun, even though not many people went. But although the dance turnout was lacking, the spirit week was very fun with lots of student participation, especially on “Anything But a Backpack” day.
Liebold said, “I think the best part about Spring Fling, honestly, was just the spirit week because not a lot of people went to the dance.”
April was a bit busier with the District Art Show and the MSBOA competition. The District Art Show is a yearly event where Lake Shore students’ artwork from kindergarten through 12th grade is shown in a sort of art gallery.
Ingida Kamis, an art teacher here at Lake Shore, said she thinks the art show is an important event. “It’s a great way to show the talents of our Lake Shore students…the visual arts are very important.”
The MSBOA competition was a big accomplishment for Lake Shore’s jazz band. The band received a score of straight ones, which was a huge accomplishment, since this was the first time they had gotten a score that high in a while. They practiced long and hard for this competition and, safe to say, it was all worth it.
“It’s been forever since the jazz band has gotten straight ones, and, since we had just broken that milestone again, it is really significant for our band,” said sophomore Nathan Larivee.
Finally, in May, we had Prom and the spring musical Frozen. Prom had a huge turnout of over 200 students. The seniors were very excited, and, from what I’ve heard, they had a great time. This year’s spring musical was Frozen, and the cast included many, many students of various ages, from seniors to elementary schoolers. Rehearsals started in February and continued until May. They performed the full show six times and a special sing-along version four times for a total of 10 shows.
After lots of exhausting rehearsals and a long week of shows, the cast walked away proud of all their hard work. Brielle Starks, junior, said, “[Musicals] are definitely something all students involved should be proud of… we always work very well together.”
It has been a truly wonderful year of accomplishment and recognition for the arts, especially, and I hope you enjoyed it. See most of you next year and have a great summer.
