Monacan High School - Legend Yearbook (Richmond, VA)

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Thoreau Speaks. Playing Henry Da- vid Thoreau in Teach Your Children Well, Patrick Williamson speaks to John Petzold. 16 Teach Your Children Well

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Chiefs Show You How To Shine Through | Picture in your mind the Monacan gymnasium, quiet and barren. Add, if you will, color — not just a little color, but a kaleidoscope of orange, ' brown, and white. Pretend that this color comes from decora- tions — streamers, banners, and balloons. After you have decorated the gym, place people in it. First, picture a football team and their dedi- cated coaches. Next, put cheerleaders, Monacettes, Color Guard members, and Majorettes on the gym floor. You're almost finished now, | just add a marching band and ' a crowd of enthusiastic stu- dents. What? Oh, yes — you need sound. Okay, open your ears to cheers, music, and fer- vent noise from the stands. Need you ask what you've cr e- ated? Why — you've pictured a pep rally. In essence, the above is a description of a pep ralley. However, to be a Monacan pep rally, the scene must be given some detail. Streamers and banners carry messages ranging from ‘‘Jiving Juniors,”’ in reference to classes, to “Cage the Tigers,’’ in refer- ence to the opposition, to ‘““Company’s Coming” in refer- ence to the visiting committee. The football team is a group of strong, dedicated young men that this year offered the ser- vices of two of its talented members. Orlando Alston and Charles Jackson needed only the opening strains of ‘‘Frea- kazoids’’ to cause them to break into their entertaining dance routines. The cheer- leaders lead the crowds in chants of ‘‘We are number one’ and persuade a chosen few to participate in contests between the classes. A memorable activity from the cheerleaders involved the girls dressed in the favorite night wear of the football play- ers. Lisa Walton displayed herself in cowboy boots, box- ing shorts, a Dead t-shirt, and Pep Fever. On their toes and jiv’n down, Charles Jackson and Orlando Austin get down to serious stuff. Fire up people! School mascot, Sta- cey Allen, tries hard to tempt the crowd with a shower of candies and goodies. lollypops. The marching band provides the familiar sounds of the Fight Song or while the crowds, the crowning element of a pep rally, cheer their team, their class, and their school. There you have it — the col- ors, the sounds, the sights, of a pep rally. The final element, that which makes this one solely Monacan’s, follows nat- urally from the presence of the unique Chiefs. This element is the spirit, the enthusiasm of the school of the special stu- dents at Monacan High School. Death to Gumby? The crowd seems full of Monacan spirit. Monacan Pep Rallies are one of those places where you can go wild and get crazy, just as long as you cheer for the right section. Pep Rallies 15

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Polished Play Before the rest of Monacan was in an upheaval over the arrival of the Visiting Commit- tee in October, the Advanced Drama Class and Chamber En- semble were already prepar- ing their production of Teach Your Children Well, for the upcoming visit. The show was built as ‘‘a musical and dra- matic entertainment’’ contain- ing scenes from five major plays and songs pertaining to education. Work on the show actually began with final exams last years, which were considered auditions. The cast was post- ed on the first day of school, and work immediately began. Hours were spent by the cast and director, Dennis Hood, try- ing to find a way to make the songs and scenes flow. In the end, Teach Your Chil- dren Well turned out to be one of the most polished and en- joyable productions ever put on by the Act | Company. Nar- rated by Krista Meade and Joe Skora, the show followed education through history, be- ginning with Patrick William- son playing Henry David Tho- reau in “‘The Night Thoreau Spent In Jail.’”’ It went forward through time to a modern-day classroom in ‘“‘Up The Down Staircase’’ in which Leslie Jones attempted to control rowdy students on her first day of teaching. In between were more scenes from the drama classes and excellent singing from the Chamber Ensemble, including a solo by Susan Mariner. The entire show was brought into perspective at the end with a monologue from ‘““Miss Margarida’s Way”’ per- formed by Susan Hoke. Her outstanding performance showed the Visiting Commit- tee that we all should, indeed, teach our children well. As Su- san stressed ‘‘Miss Margarida will always be with you,’ as will education, complete with its joys and frustrations. ae a A Letter For the Class. During one of the scenes of the fall presentation, Jim Cummins stands up in class to share a letter he received from his brother. Discouragement. In modern day classroom, Leslie Jones portrays a new teacher trying to control her class, but fails in her attempt. Teach Your Children Well 17