Shady Side Academy - Academian Yearbook (Pittsburgh, PA)

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'41 It's back to the drawing board for Amy Sil fillfll il find uiulrurnv-rrl.il 'wfll.lllfl'u pmrluf '- Advanced Art class in the calligraphy f '-1 verman as she carefully sketches during an lifrrmony ,is lull Rllfififlr-'. army. in tht- piano ru Jll'lpdlllllI lll nl lluwfirrl lllm flllllllfl fi room. rehearsal in Mr-morial Hall. .. . To Movement Motif he Art department at Shady Side was also one that made small steps throughout the year, though many agree that further inprovement of facilities and faculty number is still necessary. Motif and Metaphor, a course required during freshman or sophomore years, encom- passed aspects of the fine arts. Students learned about visual art, how objects are perceived, and how what we see affects how we think. Aural communication was aiso highlighted, as the students had to make tape recordings of their interpretations of intangible objects. The course was designed to give students an idea of the fun- damentals ofthe arts, and possibly induce life-long interest. A high- light of the M 8 M year was the two visits by the Dance Alloy. The Ai- loy worked with students on body movement and expression. Some felt that the visit was stupid and an excuse to wear jeans, but many found the dancers' sessions educational and enjoyable. Alloy member Scott Timm commented that many students are afraid of dance, of the arts. They think of it as higher culture . . . People must learn to think of the arts as a means of expression, just like writ- ing, and should place it on the same levei with sciences and math. Also available in the arts is Ad- vanced Art, a course available to those who had taken Motif and Metaphor who wished to explore art further. Students chose from a variety of media, and worked not only on individual projects, but also with faculty assistance. At the end of the year, students exhibited their finest projects in the Bayard Art Show. Many were impressed, often thinking Gee - I didn't think that so and so was so talentt ed. Mr. Philip .Joyce and Mrs. Les- lie Bodnarchuk supervised the Ad' vanced Art classes, although next year Mr. Joyce will be on sabbati- cal, and Mrs. Bodnarchuk will no longer be teaching. Both absences wiil be felt greatly. The rising M number of student participants is the key to expand sion of the theatre, and art progtatrtsiiaiapcommodate great- er iaterestfpfigas are under way for a new fartigzompiexg which would feature ani auditorium, music and dance rooms, and studios for classes such as painting and pho- tography. Aiso, next yearsincom' ing president Peter Kountz has ex' pressed his desire to expand stu- dent horizons inthe arts. So with improved facilities as well as ad- ministrative support, the future of they arts at SSA is a bright one. MusicfArt 25

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Melodi he Fine Arts Department was one that finally began to make advances in the S.S.A. curriculum. Shady Side has recognized the importance of mu- sic, art, theatre, and dance as bal- ances to academics and athletics. The visits by the Dance Alloy, the plans for a new fine arts building, and the addition of choir and en- semble periods into the school day symbolized a growing awareness of student and faculty needs to ex- plore other facets of life. The music department recently benefited from the addition of Mr. Dan Brill, who replaced Ms. Betsy Thomas as choral director. The choir expanded to include a choir concert, as well as Core, Mens', and Senior choirs, all under Mr. BriIl's direction. The quality of the performances also improved 10071. His experience in the Men- delssohn choir and with other choirs enabled him to achieve the results that he wanted, not only making the choir sound good, but also teaching them why they should sound good. Mr. Brill also taught two music classes within the S.S.A. curriculum. Music Ap- preciation, a term course which many continued for the entire year, covered a historical ap- proach to music, highlighting con- certs at Heinz Hall. Music Theory, a full year course, was an intensive study of the fundamentals of mu- sic, ranging from key signatures to the different complex chord vari- ations. Theory students analyzed many pieces of music, learning why the great composers are great, and how they manipulated the basics to achieve a desired ef- fect. For a final project, the stu- dents wrote their own 32-bar piece of music. Mr. Stan Nevola also deserved credit for his recent work with the ensembles, whose quality of per- formance also improved in the last few years. The ensembles includ- ed String, Woodwind, Jazz, and Small Jazz, which was continued this year and co-directed by Ralph Falbo. Mr. Nevola also taught Mu- sic Workshop, which enabled stu- dents to learn how to play instru- ments they might not have other- wise. Such instruments included guitar and recorder, among others, and students were allowed to work at their own pace. The choirs and the ensembles together both performed three school concerts and were able to travel and perform outside of S.S.A. Men's and Core Choir were once again invited to sing at Hartwood Acres Mansion during the holidays, as well as the Fox Chapel Racquet Club. The Jazz en- semble played at the Harmarville Rehab Center, and the String En- semble went to Sewickley for a performance. All ensembles and choirs performed this year at the GSX building downtown. 24 Academics Voices join together in Memorial Hall as a portion of the concert choir rehearses for the Dec. 13 and 14 Winter Concert perfor- mances, while under the direction of Mr, Dan Brill. Expanding horizons. members of the jazz, wood- wind, and string ensembles in addition to Mr. Stan Nevola, leam to read a dance score instead of the usual instrumental sheet music under the guidance of Dance Alloy members Ms. Christina .lowers and Mr. Scott Timm fback, centenj Body movement as a form of expression is ex- plored by Jennifer Wamhoff and Meiissa McCa- gue during a session in Mellon Gymnasium held by the Dance Alloy.

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ln the heat of competition, the lndi- ans and the University School Prep- pers go face-to-face on the football field. The Indians were eventually victorious with a score of 21- 14. Guarding the senior class' vintage float is Valla Haji-Djafari. Although the float even came complete with water-filled, purple grapes, the seniors' three-year winning streak was broken with this year's second place finish. ' x S-- w-Y 4 ta . ' .f ea ,, v . ' e It f ' u 'I L. nity and competition were in the air during all of Homecoming 1987. The good times that start- ed at the bonfire Friday night, Oc- tober 9, increased throughout the next day during the games and matches against the University School and Ellis and climaxed at the dance that evening. Although this year's bonfire was poorly attended due to a con- flict between faculty and the stu- dents concerning the ethical 26 Events value of the cheers, those who were present enjoyed the gong show format and left the festivi- ties feeling good and psyched to crush C.l.S. and Ellis the next day. Homecoming Day itself was much better attended. Although the weather forecast was for rain, the day turned out to be sunny, and temperatures reached 600. As the weather took a turn for the better, so did Shady Side Acade- my's athletic teams. SSA domi- nated every sport except junior varsity field hockey whose defeat was more than made up for by their valiant effort. The class float competition brought victory to the junior class, whose giant hat and Put- ting on the Ritz motif went well with Homecoming '87's vintage years theme. Many laughs were heard throughout the competi- tion and the spirit of each class and ultimately the entire Shady Side community was displayed. Activities came to a close Sat- urday night in Curry gym as the band Take ll led by junior Larry Walsh shook the walls and moved the feet of everyone pre- sent at the dance who had not yet had enough fun and excitement for the weekend. Homecoming '87, with its gen- erally overwhelming attendance and incredible school spirit shown not just by the students but also by the alumni and facul- ty, will be remembered by all as a fantastic success.