The WA Mash

Seussical the Musical: The Review

Olivia DelloStritto — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:11:11 +0000

Although I’m no Dr. Seuss, we share the same birthday,
So I figured I’d give rhyming a go in my review of Seussical, okay?
I went on Saturday, February 27 and Warner Theater was packed
With many students, teachers, families and other people the show seemed to attract.
Julie Ritz ‘10 played the comedic narrator, The Cat in the Hat,
A wonderful voice, comedic timing, and an awesome costume – she had all that.
Siblings Roshun ‘11 and Anita ‘13 Alur shared the stage
And with their incredible voices, the audience they did engage.
Anita was JoJo – young, innocent, adorable – a perfect fit
Her debut upper school performance, she was definitely a hit!
Horton was played by Roshun, a seasoned veteran of the music department at WA,
An outstanding performance like his is not something you would normally see everyday.
“Alone in the Universe” was my favorite song, I have to say,
But with all of the performances, I was thoroughly blown away.
Jess Campbell ‘11 was Gertrude, the neighbor of Horton, with whom she fell in love,
Captivating the audience, absolutely hilarious, amazing singer – she was all of the above.
The Mayor and his wife, by John Butterworth ‘10 and Hailey Gordon ‘11 were played,
And through great acting, worrisome parents with a cute signature waddle they portrayed.
The “Amayzing” Mayzie la Bird was played by Elysa Neumann ‘11,
With the Bird Girls by her side, she was funny and the audience couldn’t help but grin.
Sun-Mee Kasper ‘12, whose performance seemed effortless, was the Sour Kangaroo,
Her voice was spectacular and she deserves recognition in this review.
Binh Vuong ‘10 was the General and he received many laughs,
I would like to extend congratulations to the entire cast on my behalf.
The dancers were graceful and always hit their marks,
Wait a second. Did those costumes just glow in the dark?
The costumes and the set were awesome and the vibrant colors were cool,
One would never have thought that this musical was put on by a high school!
The orchestra was brilliant, and the songs are all stuck in my head,
Well this ends my poetic review, which you have now just read.

In the Middle

Dr. John Fox — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:47:47 +0000

A special thank you to the Worcester Academy Middle School community for the incredible outpouring of support for our Giving Tree! Items have been coming in daily. There are so many items that they will not fit in the office. Many children in our neighborhood schools will be impacted by your generosity. Clothing, books, backpacks, and a variety of other items have made it a joy to match each student’s wish list. I would also like to offer sincere thanks to Mrs. Gow and Ms. Thomas for organizing and coordinating our Giving Tree. We certainly hope to see this become a Middle School Tradition.

In the Middle

Dr. John Fox — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:40:35 +0000

The Giving Tree is really taking root in the Middle School! We appreciate all the efforts of middlers and their families to support this effort. All items can be brought to the Middle School Office. Reminder: the Giving Tree will end on Friday, February 26.

Valentines for Seniors

mrsmith — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:39:34 +0000

Mrs. Carter’s 7th grade advisees spent some time this week creating Valentines for residents at the Radius Health Care Nursing Home near our campus. These masterpieces will surely bring a smile to the faces of some of our senior citizens.

Middle School Sports: The Winter Season

Ms. Iaccarino — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:04:00 +0000

by Johnston W. (Aladdin staff)

Here is a brief look at some of the sports offered in the Middle School for the Winter Season.

Boys’ Basketball

The Worcester Academy Middle School Boys’ Basketball Team ended a great season last year; however, with new eight graders coming back, they have greater skills. Sam Joaquin, an eighth grader, thinks that the team will have great chemistry this year due to the eight graders, who are great leaders on the court.

When interviewed, Sam Joaquin, told us that he is excited for the up coming season and to play with his friends. Joaquin also predicts a good season for their team, due to all the new players coming in. Sam, a“6 foot 2 monster”, says that he has a lot of trust in his eight grade teammates to lead the team to victory.

Girls’ Basketball

Worcester Academy Middle School Girls’ basketball team is currently 7-1. The team’s captains are Alex Radel and Carly Heman. They practice four, hard times, a week, with many drills. Many new girls to the team do not know what to during these complicated drills. Their coach, Mr. McCarthy, tries to bring drills and hard aggression to the team. The team brings great enthusiasm to every game and they give it 100 percent. Girls’ Basketball plans on finishing the season with as many wins as possible and on bringing great success to the Middle School.

Wrestling Team

The Worcester Academy Wrestling team is having a rough start to the season going 0-3; however, they never give up and never surrender. The team is led by Byron Leigh and Johnston Wheeler, who bring experience and leadership to the mat. While some wrestlers are new to the sport, others are experienced, such as Aman “the darkness,” Byron “the freak” Leigh, Johnston “Philipe” Wheeler, Connor McCarthy, and Chris “Snappy” Hunter. The team has and will always bounce back from any loss and come back determined for victory.

In the Middle

Dr. John Fox — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:26:21 +0000

Looking forward to Winter Carnival Weekend 2010! There will be lots of fun activities for middlers and their families! Check back for photos.

Grade 6 English Winter Book Talks

Ms. Baldwin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:40:54 +0000

During the winter months, the 6th graders in Mrs. Baldwin’s English class each chose a fiction independent read book. After completing the book, a list of eight possible projects was given to the students. The completed projects were presented in class. Click here to view the projects… and enjoy!

NFL Playoffs

Ms. Baldwin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:10:40 +0000

Written by: Sahith N.

The NFL postseason has arrived and the teams in AFC (America Football conference) are the Indianapolis Colts (14-2) who are the number one seed (they face the lowest winning seed) and The San Diego Chargers (13-3) are the number two seed (they face the highest winning seed). The wild card teams are the New York Jets (9-7), the Cincinnati Bengals (10-6), the New England Patriots (10-6), and the Baltimore Ravens (9-7).

The first game in the wild card was the New York Jets against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Jets had some luck as the Bengal’s kicker, Shayne Graham, missed two field goals. Shonn Green was a big impact as he had 135 yards with one touchdown. Dustin Keller had 3 catches, 99 yard, and 1 touchdown. Pro-bowler Darrelle Revis covered Chad Ochocinco (the Bengals best wide receiver) that gave Carson Palmer (QB) few options to throw to which led to an interception. Mark Sanchez (Jets QB) had 182 yards throwing with one touchdown. The Jets beat the Bengals for a 24-14-win. They go to the divisional round. Then the Patriots squared off against the Ravens. Ray Rice ran 83 yards for a touchdown on the first play at the line of scrimmage. The Ravens scored 24 points in the first quarter. Wes Welker was out with an injury and Welker was a huge part of the Patriots offense. He usually was thrown to on third downs. Lots of cornerbacks tried to stop, but could not. Tom Brady feeling pressure was intercepted 3 times. The Ravens beat the Patriots at home for a 33-14 win to face the Colts.

In the divisional round, the New York Jets play the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers had a 7-point lead in halftime. Nate Kaeding missed 3 field goals, which broke his record of missing a field goal of 40 yards or less. Phillip River (Chargers QB) was intercepted 2 times, but had 298 yards in the air. Shonn Green once again had 23 carries, 128 yards, with 1 touchdown. Mark Sanchez was intercepted once with 100 yards in the air. The Jets came back and beat the Chargers 17-14 and they would go to the championship game. The Colts had to face the red-hot Ravens. The Colts offense did very well against the Ravens defense. The Ravens offense turned over the ball more than 3 times. Peyton Manning (Colts QB) had one interception, with 246 yards in the air. He had 2 touchdown throws. The Ravens didn’t get anything productive as the Colts defense’s speed stopped both the running and the throwing game. The Colts beat the Ravens 20-3. The Colts would go to the championship game.

In the championship game the Colts were up against the number one defense in the league. At first the Jets defense were out playing the Colts and the offense was attacking in every different direction. Just in the second quarter Mark Sanches (QB) threw to Braylon Edwards and he ran it all the way. Then when the Jets had the game going well for them, Peyton Manning (Colts QB) figured out the defense. He threw to Pierre Garcon for a touchdown. After a field goal and another touchdown the game was sealed, as the Mark Sanchez was intercepted. The Colts beat the Jets 30-17 for a victorious golden ticket to the Super Bowl for the second time this decade.

In the NFC (National Football Conference) the teams are the New Orleans Saints (13-3) who are number one seed (they face the lowest winning seed) and the Minnesota Vikings (12-4) are number two seed (they face the highest winning seed). The wild card teams are the Dallas Cowboys (11-5), Philadelphia Eagles (11-5), Arizona Cardinals (10-6), and the Green Bay Packers (11-5).

First, the Dallas Cowboys faced the Philadelphia Eagles. Felix Jones with 16 carries for 148 and 1 touchdown. Tony Romo had 244 yards with 2 touchdowns. The Cowboys beat the Eagles 34-14 and they go to the divisional round. The Arizona Cardinals took on the Green Bay Packers. Both defenses couldn’t stop the offenses. They went into overtime as a 45-45 score. In overtime, strangely the Arizona Cardinals defense came up and forced fumble Aaron Rodgers. Karlos Dansby picked the football up and ran it all the way. The Cardinals go to the divisional round.

In the divisional round, the Vikings faced the Cowboys. Sydney Rice with 3 touchdowns. Brett Favre had 234 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Vikings beat the Cowboys 34-3 and go to the championship game. The Saints faced the Cardinals. Tim Hightower got a touchdown on the first play, but the Saints gave a proficient answer with a touchdown drive. Warner got hurt and the Cardinals couldn’t recover. The Saints went to the champion ship game with a win 45-14.

The Vikings and the Saints faced off for a glorious Super Bowl ticket. The Vikings were outplaying the Saints, but the Saints responded to every touchdown. The game was tied 28-28 and one throw from Brett Favre would get in field goal range. He threw and was intercepted. Now the officials say that it should have been flagged and the interception canceled. The teams went into overtime. The Saints scored a field goal for a 31-28 win. The Saints go to the Super Bowl for the first time in history.

WA Middler Talent Show Heats Up The Night!

mrsmith — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:38:29 +0000

Outside the temperature hovered near the zero degree mark, but inside the Megaron it was sizzling hot! Talented performers worked their magic, committee members scurried in every direction – getting their respective jobs done, and an enthusiastic audience produced thunderous applause at the end of each act. Thanks to everyone who helped make the 11th Annual WA Middler Talent Show a success. Proceeds will help to defray the expenses of the 8th Grade trip to NYCOB.

Liandra and Suzie sang Party in the USA with the lyrics held so the whole audience could sing along

Owen’s incredible winning performance of Valse by Chopin

The stage hands were a lot of help, but that didn’t stop them from having fun!

Hi-ya! Stavros showing his amazing karate moves

The sound guys hanging around

Selling sweets & treats before the show

Ashay and Anish’s piano/guitar duet stunned the audience

Winter Carnival – Gift Basket Raffle

mrsmith — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:57:12 +0000

Middle School Eighth Grade Students have put together a gift basket raffle to benefit their trip to New York City this April. They have wild and wacky themes, “Space the Final Frontier”, “Music, Music, Music”, “Disney and More”, “Willy Wonka”, and “It’s A-Mayszing”.

Raffle tickets are on sale this week as well as this weekend. Tickets cost one for $2.00 and 3 tickets for $5.00. Come by the Middle School office this week in Rader Hall to see basket photos and purchase raffle tickets from Ms. Thomas.

Drawing will be held at the end of the 8th grade mini-carnival on Sunday, February 7th from 12-2pm (need not be present to win!).

Hey this is better than Powerball! Thank you supporting the grade 8 annual trip to New York City.

Click below on “Continue Reading” to view the gift baskets and their contents.

“SPACE!!! The Final Frontier!!!”

Star Wars Light Saber
Solar System Poster
Mr. Spock Stuffed Figure
Freeze Dried “Astronaut” Ice Cream (4 packs)
Glow in the Dark Stars (2 packs)
“The Empire Strikes Back” Star Wars DVD
“Clone Wars” Star Wars DVD
“Star Trek” DVD
Mr. Potato Head “Transformers” Toy
Star Wars Galactic Heroes Action Figures
Star Trek Action Figures (Capt. Kirk and Scotty)
Glow in the Dark Necklaces and Bracelets (50 each)
Starburst Candies!

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“Music Music Music!!!”

This is It- Michael Jackson 2 CD set
Elements of Freedom Alycia Keys CD
Now 32 CD
Fearless Taylor Swift CD
The Fame Monster Lady GaGa CD
$15.00 I-Tunes Card
CD opener
Set of SONY Ear-bud Headphones

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“Disney and more…”

Mickey Mouse baseball
2 Minnie Mouse plush toys
Tweety Musical Palm Pals
Dalmation Dominoes
Learn to Draw Coloring Book
Club House Ball
Toy Story Valentines with pencils
Princess Spelling Sticker Book
Storybook Collection
Club House Preschool Magnetic Wipe-off Book
Mickey Mouse Coloring Book

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“Willy Wonka”

A Candy Extravaganza all kinds of different candies!!!!
Rainbow Nerds
Wonka Runts
Wonka Tinglerz
New Sour Puckerooms Gummmies
Sweet Tarts
Bubble Gum
Gobstoppers
And of course the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory DVD

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“It’s A-Mayszing!!!”

Kaboom
Oxy Clean
Orange Glow
Mighty Putty
Fix-It
More fixer-uppers