The Warrior Weekly

Lakehill Preparatory School

The Warrior Weekly

Volume 12, Issue 25

March 12, 2020

There's No Place Like Home

On March 6, Lakehill's seventh and eighth grade musical theater students brought The Wizard of Oz to the Lakehill stage.

Based on the classic tale by L. Frank Baum, the hour-long adaptation has been specially designed for young performers. The musical features favorite songs by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg from the classic 1939 film.

When a tornado rips through Kansas, Dorothy ( Sarah Ganson) and her dog, Toto ( Reese Armentrout), are whisked away in their house to the magical land of Oz where they first meet Glinda the Good Witch of the North ( Maeve Smith) and the Munchkins. They follow the Yellow Brick Road toward the Emerald City to meet the Wizard ( Sophia DeMarco), and en route they meet a Scarecrow ( Victoria Bell) that needs a brain, a Tin Man ( Sophia Cirillo) missing a heart, and a Cowardly Lion ( Abby Dondis) who wants courage. The wizard asks the group to bring him the broom of the Wicked Witch of the West ( Landry Poore) to earn his help.

Featuring an all female cast, the show showcased a hard-working ensemble where students played as many as five different characters each, including Munchkins, crows, trees, Jitterbugs, Winged Monkeys, and Winkie Guards. Standouts included Lobna El-Feky as the Mayor of Munchkin City and Ozian Doorman and Sabina Chamoy as Aunt Em and Munchkin Coroner.

Mixing inspiration from the iconic 1939 film with the stage version, Lakehill’s production featured a short film to show the juxtaposition of classic black and white scenes with the glitz and color of Oz. Students spent a Saturday afternoon filming scenes at Samuel Farm in Mesquite to achieve the look and feel of 1930s Kansas.

The musical featured a filmed version of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” “Ding Dong The Witch is Dead,” “Follow The Yellow Brick Road,” and a trio of “If I Only Had a…,” numbers by the colorful characters that Dorothy meets along the way. Poore stole the show as an evil Wicked Witch and set the stage on fire with her jazzy rendition of “The Jitterbug,” a number often omitted from the musical.

The show was directed by Mark Guerra and Tracy Herron, with choreography by Guerra and Lakehill parent, Terri Shaw. “This show was a lot of fun to direct and I loved working with these young ladies,” said Guerra. “Re-imagining such a well-known classic can be difficult, but we did our best to do it justice and give the audience an exciting evening of musical theater."

See more pictures here and here .

Lakehill Response to Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Lakehill Preparatory School continues to work closely with national and local agencies to minimize the potential impact on our Warrior family. The health and safety of our students and our school community remain our highest priority.

We will continue to communicate directly with our Lakehill families and keep you informed of any developments that may impact our daily routine.

In this time of uncertainty, it is best to rely on information from reliable sources. Please reference these organizations for information.

Thank you so much for your support of our school, our students, and our faculty and staff.

Road Trips: Middle School Enjoys Adventure Week

Middle School students hit the road on Monday morning for their much anticipated Adventure Week trips.

Fifth grade spent the week at Mo Ranch enjoying a leadership and science adventure, while sixth grade headed south for a Tour of Texas.

Seventh grade got up close with science and ancient civilizations on their trip to Amarillo and Palo Duro Canyon, while eighth graders followed the trail of the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement to Little Rock and Memphis.

The groups return on Thursday afternoon and will enjoy a Middle School holiday on Friday.

See more pictures

Weekend Warriors

Serve Others

The sophomore class volunteered on Saturday, March 7, for the 22nd annual Reverchon Roundup.

Friends, area neighbors, and volunteers mobilized to clean up the historic Reverchon Park. Projects included planting flower beds, clearing out trash, and removing fallen tree limbs. "It was a fun bonding experience for our class," said Brooke Granado . "We had a great time and enjoyed working together to help our community."

On Sunday, March 8, members of the Warrior Outreach Organization (WOO) volunteered at Dallas Life Homeless Shelter, preparing meals, serving food, and washing dishes.

"I always love going to Dallas Life," said junior Sarah Smith . "It has become my favorite place to volunteer!"

“It was enjoyable seeing the people’s faces when they saw the strawberries or desserts and how happy they were to get that special treat,” added sophomore Sydney Rutherford .

See more pictures

Serious About Shakespeare

Alanna Stern earned second place in the 32nd Annual Shakespeare Competition sponsored by the Dallas Branch of the English Speaking Union (ESU) with her performance of Isabella from Measure for Measure and Sonnet 75. The competition, which featured the top nine students from public, private, home, and magnet schools around the Metroplex, was held March 7, at Highland Park High School. Stern, a senior, won the competition her freshman year, and claimed second last year.

The three judges from Shakespeare Dallas: Marco Salinas, Meagan Harris, and Jenni Stewart, commended Stern during her critique for her poise and strong connection to the text. They noted Stern's "use of breath” which added levels of nuance to her performance.

"Listening to the critiques," said Shakespeare Competition sponsor Elizabeth Schmitt, "it became clear that only tiny details made the difference between first and second place.”

The ESU National Shakespeare Competition provides high school teachers across the country with a performance-based program for the study of English Language Arts and Shakespeare.

"It has been such a pleasure working with Alanna," said Schmitt. “Each year she has pushed herself, taking more risks and growing as a performer in the process."

Summer is a lot closer than you might think - especially when it comes to signing your kids up for summer camps!

Registration for Lakehill Summer Camps is open, and space is filling quickly. Nearly 600 registrations have already been received!

With 71 different camps for all grade levels in every area imaginable, this is one summer experience you don't want to miss!

Check out the new 2020 Summer Camps Guide.

Find out more about our Summer Camps programs.

Volunteers Needed for Lakehill Summer Camps

Rising seventh through twelfth grade Lakehill students are encouraged to be volunteer interns for Lakehill Summer Camps.

Student interns may work a half-day or a full-day week-long camp, and must be two grade levels above the oldest camper in that camp. Interns must attend a mandatory training meeting in the spring and will receive volunteer hours for their service.

Take a look at the Summer Camps catalog to determine which camps are of interest and contact Ms. Ekstrom to find out more and sign up.

Boogie Wonderland Second Chance Auction - Closes Friday!

Thank you for making the Boogie Wonderland Lakehill PFC Auction Party such a success! We danced in our platforms, made new memories, and raised money for our students! There were a few items that slipped through the cracks while we were getting our disco on, so here is a second chance to bid on some fantastic silent auction items and purchase a spot at one of the sign-up parties.

Second Chance Auction

The Boogie Wonderland Second Chance Auction is open until Friday, March 13, at 5:00 p.m. All items you see are available for bidding or purchase.

Even if you did not attend the Auction or set up your phone to bid, it's not too late. Visit the Auction Website to register and get in on the action!

Items You Have Won

If you did not take your items home after the auction, please pick them up at the school in the Development Office (Lacie Kuhn) by Friday, March 27, at 4:00 p.m.

Any items that have not been picked up by March 27, will be delivered to your home for a $10 fee. (The delivery charge will be donated to the Lakehill PFC.)

If you purchased a Teacher Gift of Time, Spirit Item, or Sign-up Party, there will not be a certificate to pick up. Winners will be contacted with more information.

Questions?

Email us at: lakehillprepauction@gmail.com

Visit the Auction Website

Senior Spotlight: National Junior Honor Society Highlights Lakehill's Soon-to-be Graduates

In an effort to reveal the hidden talents, personalities, and accomplishments of Lakehill's most experienced students, the National Junior Honor Society presents:

NJHS Spotlight on Seniors

This week's senior: Joanna Chen

Joanna Chen has attended Lakehill for three years. Her favorite class is English because of her love for reading different types of stories and writing. She participated in Basketball and Science Club during her sophomore and junior years and was a member of the National Honor Society (NHS).

While at Lakehill, Joanna has earned many awards including the Gail Peeler Memorial Scholarship, Headmaster's Honor Roll, Citizenship Award, and Academic Excellence Awards in AP Environmental Science and Computer Maintenance. Joanna’s favorite Lakehill memory is going to the ESC for AP Environmental Science.

Joanna is considering Southern Methodist University, Smith College, or Collin College. She plans to major in Biology with a pre-med track.

Joanna's advice for young Warriors is, "Don't regret the past or worry too much about the future. Do your best right now and enjoy this moment."

By Isabella Bassman, eighth grade

Sports Snippets

Varsity Track

The Varsity Track team had a strong showing at their first track meet on March 6. The team competed at the Ft. Worth Country Day Invitational against several public charter schools as well large TAPPS 5A and 6A schools.

The team achieved 28 different personal bests in eight different events. Cullen McCaleb broke the five-minute barrier with a personal best of 4:54 in the mile. Fellow distance runner Avery Owen placed in the top five in 3A with a 6:07 mile and 12:52 two-mile time.

The boys 4x100 meter relay of William Leake, Matthew McCall, Kyeser Hall, and Ryan Henry ran the second fastest time recorded in 3A so far with a 46.15.

Kayla Ristianto, Alanna Stern, and Lynley Waggoner swept the open 400-meter race taking first, second, and third overall. Some of the team will be competing in the Prince of Peace Meet at Midway next Friday and Saturday over Spring Break.

See full results here.

Show Your Warrior Spirit

The Spirit Shop has great new styles and classic favorites so you can show your Warrior spirit! The Spirit Shop is open on Monday and Wednesday mornings from 7:45-8:45 a.m. and Monday, Thursday, and Friday afternoons from 2:45-3:45 p.m.