April 1, 2021 - Issue #70 |
|
"Little Shop of Horrors" showcased talents |
|
"Though adapted in 1982 from a 1960 B-movie, Little Shop’s offbeat, toe-tapping cautionary tale still has plenty to offer audiences in 2021. The campy delights of Seymour’s unlikely partnership with a carnivorous plant - and the motley ensemble of lovable (and love-to-hate) characters - still ask bigger questions that are relevant today. What happens when the voice of gain-at-all-costs presents itself as the only hope for a better life? How do we come to believe that some people are more disposable than others? Is it possible to fight the seduction of these less-than-benevolent forces? Is there another way?
The cast of Little Shop of Horrors started asking themselves these larger questions early in the rehearsal process as we began to build our characters, songs, and dances. The actors attended rehearsals four to five days a week and sometimes on the weekend, some learning dozens of different songs and dances. It should be noted, the choreography was brought to fruition by the talented Kim Horning. The cast, crew along with the pit orchestra, led by Joel Pohland, put hours of love, dedication, and heart into this show.
The outcome of this hard work led to performances that left the audience on their feet applauding through the final bows. The group of six girls “urchins” rarely left the stage for more than a few minutes before returning with another song, rich in harmony with an accompanying energetic dance. Rarely in the theater will you ever see such a busy chorus! Seymour, Jaron Gross, gave a stunning performance bringing his character to life not only through his lines but also songs, movements, and well thought out character traits. Actor Tori Mitchell gave her character, Audrey, integrity and told her story in such an honest and beautiful manner. Watching Jaron and Tori sing “Suddenly Seymour” was like taking a flight to a Broadway show while the rest of the world faded away until the last note. Jaden Lindeman, the dentist, dove into the many layers of his character and played a villain with a comedic twist when he sang “Be a Dentist.” Colby Hecimovich, Mr. Mushnik, brought comic relief to the stage with his incredible performance in “Mushnik and Son.”
Every member of this show, on and off stage, put their heart and soul into every aspect of the performances and rehearsals. For many, this was the first show they had seen on stage or been a part of in over a year. The realization of this was moving for many and brought tears to the actors' eyes. Our world needs theater, art, and culture. As a result of the global pandemic, we pushed that aside and to see it slowly coming back is a glimmer of hope amid tragedy. The cast, crew, pit, and directors could not be more humbled and grateful to have had the opportunity to open the curtain and bring the lights up on stage."
—Director, Ms. Iris Kolodji
|
|
In the past month, the Morrison County COVID numbers have continued to rise, with the Pierz area specifically being of concern.
Updated numbers as of 3/31/2021:
March 1: The Morrison County 14-day case rate was 13.9. Pierz zip code cases were at 5; Hillman, 0; Buckman, 0; ISD 484, 0 cases
March 11: The Morrison County 14-day case rate jumped to 28.4. Pierz zip code cases were at 34; Hillman, 9; Buckman, 0; ISD 484, 12 cases
March 18: The Morrison County 14-day case rate was at 50.75. Pierz zip code cases jumped to 73; Hillman, 18, Buckman, 3; ISD 484 has 21 active cases in our buildings.
March 25: The Morrison County 14-day case rate 59.8, Pierz zip cases 84, district cases 24
March 29: The Morrison County case rate is at 65.56. Pierz zip code cases at 84. The Pierz school district buildings' positive case count is at 12 (including Pioneer, Healy, and Holy Trinity).
March 30: The Morrison County case rate is at 59.82. Pierz zip code cases at 72. District cases: 10
March 31: The Morrison County case rate is at 58.19. Pierz zip code cases are currently at 65. Positive COVID cases in the district (Pioneer, Healy, Holy Trinity): 14.
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
Vaccines for the general population, including students age 16+ have opened across the state. CHI in Little Falls has vaccines available for those students ages 16+. Call 320-631-7004 to get you and/or your student's name on the vaccine list. You will be notified of an appointment when one is available. If you have your student vaccinated, please notify the school nurse. 2 weeks after their final dose; they will be fully protected and will no longer be required to quarantine in the event of an exposure.
We have worked hard to keep students in school. We need our families and community to continue to do the same. If you (or anyone in your home) have symptoms, stay home. If you have test results coming, stay home. If you test positive, stay home. And please--in all these scenarios, let the school nurse know by calling the district office or using this form. The more we all work together on this, the more we decrease the chance of spread, exposure, and contact tracing.
|
|
Healy students who are members of the AVID program (an acronym for Advancement Via Individual Determination), visited St. Cloud Technical & Community College as well as St. Cloud State University last week. At SCTCC, half of the group toured the mechanics, auto body, and diesel engine garages, where they also saw a demonstration of an airbag being deployed. The other half toured the Health building where they were able to see the $96,000 mechanical human mannequin used for simulations for nursing students. At SCSU, Healy students took a tour around campus (the field house/gym seemed to be the fan favorites!). The goal of the trip was to experience the different types of higher education opportunities students can choose from after high school. |
|
'Spring Fling Week' at Healy |
|
This week, Healy students were (finally!) able to have Spring Fling: a week of dress-up themed days, the coronation of class representatives, and a virtual pep fest to kick off the new season! |
|
Spanish students continue an annual tradition in a new way |
|
This week, students in Spanish 2 and 3/4 are learning about how Semana Santa, or Holy Week, is celebrated across the Spanish-speaking world. In parts of Guatemala and México, elaborate rugs made of dyed sawdust are being constructed in the streets in observance of Holy Week. Then on Good Friday, processions of floats depicting the scenes of Holy Week will walk through the streets over top of these "alfombras" (rugs).
Most years, our students would do an authentic Alfombra with colored sawdust in the center courtyard. This year, we substituted colored chalk (less labor-intensive and friendlier in the wind!) and moved the art to the back sidewalk to allow students to spread out more while creating their "mini-alfombras" which combined to create one beautiful walkway.
|
|
Happenings at Pioneer Elementary |
|
Math Masters go virtual for competition |
|
Founded in Minnesota, the Math Masters program challenges students to use critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities in mathematics, while recognizing academic effort and achievement. This year, the format of the Math Masters competition has changed, but the face of their fearless leader has not. With over 20 years of experience as the Math Masters coach for 5th and 6th graders, Denny Rothstein had no fear of stepping up to the challenge of going virtual for their competitions this year. Students will compete through March, with final results posted in mid-April. Here's a numbers joke: 'Q: What did zero say to eight? A: I like your belt'. Go team! |
|
Sixth graders head over to the Roman Colosseum |
|
The sixth grade Metier classes are studying the Explorer Personality in their classes. Last week, they had the opportunity to use the Google Expedition 3-D headsets to tour the Roman Colosseum. Their tour guide, Mr. Holbrook, had visited the area before, so along with the 3-D imagery, students listened to first-hand accounts of what it was like to be standing in the nearly 2000-year-old morbid entertainment venue. |
|
First graders 'rock' the 120th day of school |
|
|
|
First graders 'rocked' the 120th day of school last week. To celebrate (and learn), students ate a snack with 120 items and sorted the items into groups of ten. They dressed like rockstars and searched for 120 words around the school. They played a dice game called race to 120. This all aligns with the MN Math Standards: read, write, and represent numbers up to 120. Shhh...don't tell them it was a day full of learning! |
|
Attention families!
Enroll for the 2021-22 school year. Registrations are still being accepted for both kindergarten and preschool. For more information, contact Shari Sullivan or Sarah Funk.
|
|
Student Activities Updates |
|
Spring activities start this week |
|
It's been two years since we were able to say the following words: "Spring activities and sports start this week!" and we are so excited to have the opportunity to do so this year. Here’s what to watch this Spring season:
Softball: We can't wait to get the season started after last spring. The opportunity to step between the lines and finally compete is something the girls will cherish. —Head Coach Mr. Matt Poepping
Baseball: The Pierz Baseball team is really excited to get back out on the diamond. We will be led by another really great group of seniors (10) and we continue to have really good numbers throughout the program. We lost ten exceptional players last year after our season was canceled, but we were fortunate enough to be able to play summer ball with them before they moved on to the next chapter in their lives. We are in a very tough baseball conference but our team has the skill and work ethic to be a top team not only in our conference but also in our section again this year. There is no doubt that these boys have a state tournament run in their sights. We look forward to seeing everyone out at the games cheering them on and hope that we can fill up the seats come tournament time as we have in the past down at Dick Putz and Joe Faber Fields. —Head Coach Mr. Dylan Pittman
Girls' Golf: The girls' golf team is hoping for a strong finish in conference this year. We are led by senior captains Abby Nelson and Ellie Fischer and by junior Emily Virnig. The rest of our team will be made up of sophomores and freshmen who will contribute to our success. We had our first day of practice last week and the girls found many pars and some birdies to start the season. We are thankful to be playing! Even if we don’t advance as a team to state, we expect to have some individuals advance to the state tournament this year! —Head Coach Ms. Jessica LeBlanc
Boys' Golf: We are so excited to be golfing again this year and the weather, so far, looks like it is going to cooperate well! On the boys' side, we have a young team with no seniors, but we have six juniors looking to be great leaders. We return the individual conference champion, Logan Herold, along with All-Conference member Lance Otremba. The team will be competing in the Granite Ridge Conference and we look forward to making some noise in the conference and have our sights set on competing at a very high level in the conference and section play. —Head Coach Mr. Joel Pohland
Track and Field: Both the boys and girls track teams are very excited to finally get back on the track. The boys' team is led by Seniors Jaden Lindeman, Bradley Pawlu, and Landon Schomer. Our numbers are down some this year, so we will be depending on the younger athletes to step up and help out. As for the girls, they are led by Seniors Maraya Boser, Valerie Gall, Kloe Kapsner, Brekanda Lashinski, Madison Poster, and Tori Mitchell. Our numbers on the girls' side are very strong and looking forward to a great year. As of right now, True-Team will be a virtual meet and even if we don’t make the state True-Team meet, I know we will have Individuals that will make it down to the MSHSL State Meet. This should be a very exciting 2021 season! —Head Coach Mr. Craig Johnshoy
Trapshooting: The trap season is underway as we have our first shoot scheduled for March 29th. With 36 athletes eager to get out shooting, we coaches feel this is going to be a great year. We have high hopes that the weather will cooperate and that we can have our tournament in Alexandria in June. —Head Coach Ms. Bridget Trutwin
High School Rodeo: The spring rodeo season gets underway May 1st in Granite Falls and runs every weekend until mid-June in various locations around the state. Lexi Hoskins will be competing in Goat Tying, Team Roping, Breakaway Roping, and Pole Bending. Parker Pulak will be competing in Bull Riding, Chute Dogging and Goat Tying. Contestants have the chance to make Nationals. Junior High Nationals are held in June in Iowa and High School is in July in Nebraska this year. —Ms. Cindy Pulak
Best of luck to all of our students competing in spring sports and activities!
|
|
April 2 and 5 - No School - Easter Break
April 16 No School for Grades 5-12 only
|
|
Current Community Ed Classes |
|
Come join instructor Charlene Lundberg for step-by-step painting instruction on canvas with acrylic paint. The painting design is original by the instructor. All levels welcome as instruction is step by step. April 13th at 6pm at Healy High School. You can register online or by calling 320-468-6458 ext 7.
A reminder that all driving instruction is offered through Community Education. Students no longer have the option to take the classroom portion as a credit during their school day.
Summer start dates are June 14, noon -3pm, July 12, 8-11am, and August 9, times TBD.
Community Ed is hiring umps for summer youth baseball and softball games in June and July. Pay is $45/night (usually two 5 inning games), students and adults welcome! Contact Sarah for more info.
|
|
Pierz Public Schools #484
District Office: 320.468.6458
112 Kamnic Street, Pierz, MN 56364
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
