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Thursday, April 10, 2008

School Puts on Spring Show

By Lee Ross
Mountain View Telegraph
    Exploding marshmallows alone may be worth heading to Moriarty High School's Pinto Pride Showcase.
    According to Cynda Hopper, the MHS teacher who is heading up the showcase of student talent, the chemistry class will be doing the marshmallow demolitions.
    "I'm not sure how they do it," she said.
    She added that it isn't just science or even the arts that will be demonstrated.
    "It's for every kid, it doesn't matter what their skill or talent is," she said. "We have really good kids."
    Hopper is head of the fine arts department and teaches ceramics and psychology.
    She said she came up with the idea more than a year ago because she wanted to show off the arts.
    "It started out as an open house, and nobody ever came and they were boring," she said.
    What started as an arts event began to grow when she was approached by the school's clubs, and soon received interest from the whole school.
    "I'm a pretty motivational person, and I try to put a fire under everybody's butt," she said.
    She said a history teacher wanted to have students act out a historical timeline and soon the whole school was involved.
    The event, now in its second year, also includes an art auction to benefit the Kyle Musick Memorial Scholarship.
    Musick was an art teacher at MHS who died in 2006. The scholarship helps pay for art students to continue their education. It is awarded based on a review of student applications and portfolios.
    Showing off the children's abilities also showcases the efforts of the teachers at the school, Hopper said.
    "They get to show how amazing they are," she said. "It's pretty awesome."
    This year, The Messengers show choir will perform music from the 1920s, according to Denise Baccadutre. The choir will dress in period costumes: zoot suits and flapper dresses.
    "We've learned a lot about the music and the time period," Baccadutre said.
    They have been doing intensive rehearsals leading up to the big night, she said.
    Student talent will also be displayed as parents and students pass through the halls, where they will hear live student guitar or piano players, Hopper said.
    Other displays will include horses and tack brought in by members of the Moriarty and Estancia High School Rodeo Club, and a shopping cart that is being converted into a go-cart, according to Bill Howard, who teaches wood and auto shop.
    During the event the Moriarty High School athletic department will be selling tickets for a Chevy Truck Raffle fundraiser. There will also be drills by Junior ROTC, and watch drama monologues and jazz band performances, said Hopper.
    The showcase will be on Wednesday from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Moriarty High School. The art auction will be at 7:30 p.m. in the commons.