Articles in this issue:
"Holiday Traditions Around the World" by Abby Cole "The Biggest Debate of the Season" by Vishwa Diwan "Spirit of Giving" by Allison Spirek "History of the Christmas Tree" by Caroline Mack "Christmas Treat Traditions" by Emily Thurman "Donations: Getting the Bang for Your Buck" by Armaan Verma "Backstage Edition of Grease: Take a Peak Behind the Scenes" by Priya Desai "HOCO at the Hill" by Logan Griggs |
Editorials in this issue:
"Humans of the Hill" by Priya Desai and Allison Spirek "So, Who's the Holiday Really For?" by Armaan Verma "The Not-So-Thankful Day After Thanksgiving" by Hailey Frick Creative Works in this issue: Holiday Comic submitted by the Comic Club "Winter" by Zaire Prime "Pygmalion's Hunger" by Zaria Samuel "President Barbie" by Hailey Frick |
On November 14th-16th, and the 21st-23rd, Stallion Theatre Group performed Grease, a classic musical from the 50s. Grease is the first musical in Spring Hill History that has performed for two weekends. The first weekend had approximately 686 people attend.
When thinking about plays, you can imagine the grandeur of the stage, the chilling voices of solos, and the amazement of choreography, but what most don’t imagine is the work that goes on behind the stage. The week following up to the show is called tech week. The backstage crew and booth crew come in and work on all the technical aspects of the show. The crew sets up props and stage decor and lightingp, and we test microphones. We run through the show MANY times for almost 5 hours everyday during this week to make it perfect. In the tech booth at the top of the audience is where three major components happen: microphones, music, and lights. There are over 15 microphones used in Grease, and they have to be turned on and off precisely when the actors speak. It takes diligence and immense focus to know the plot of the story and the timing of each individual actors. In terms of music, especially in a musical, there are a multitude of songs that must play in order for the musical scenes to occur. There are also sound effects and background transitional music that must play in between scenes. We use a script to see where the music is needed, but each actor has a different pace and different way to word their lines. Finally, there is lighting. In Grease, there are around 160 different light cues meaning that in 160 places in the show, the lights need to be changed. Of course there is pre-programming, but the lights follow the mood of the plot. Whenever the scene changes, mood change, or a beat drops, the lights need to change. Of course, there is also a backstage crew who have to move every prop. From the small Twinky to a life-sized, old car, they have to run through the whole show and know where every single piece must go in each scene. |
The crew does a lot of work to make the show go along; however, there would be no show without the incredible actors who are tremendous in this show. They have spent hours over the course of months learning lines, choreography, and songs all for this show.
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A month out, you buy your dress. A week out, you make plans with your group of friends. A day out, you get your nails done. 5 hours out, you start doing your makeup, hair, and put your dress on. It’s now time for pictures and oh let’s not forget about dinner. All this planning and prepping is worth it in the end when you step through the doors of the MPR with the music blasting, a disco ball spinning, and strobing lights.
Homecoming is one of the most looked-forward-to events of the school year. It’s a time where girls and guys get all dressed up for a night of dancing and good company. Spring Hill homecoming is the most well-attended homecoming locally, and this year we sold 682 tickets. I spoke to Mrs. Lauren Brown about the week leading up to homecoming and homecoming itself. She said that spirit week had the highest participation it has had in recent years. Mrs. Brown, along with our administration and fellow teachers, were blown away with the academy boards who went above and beyond with their hallway decorations. Homecoming itself went off without a hitch and had a great turnout from all the schools in the midlands. Mrs. Brown was very pleased with the DJ who had music that catered to our theme of Disco (and he could sing!) For all the Freshmen who had their first homecoming this year, make sure to enjoy yourself and make memories at your other homecomings. Before you know it, it will be your senior year and your dancing at your last homecoming. It doesn’t matter if you have a date or the best dress. What matters is that you have fun with your group of friends and make memories that you will cherish for years to come. Congratulations to our 2019 Homecoming Winners! 9th grade:
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