Wednesday, December 19, 2007

New drama club takes center stage at Saks Middle School

12-19-2007
The Saks Middle School drama club works on the final script before the broadcast of the morning news to the school’s classrooms. Pictured from left are Kelly Kilgore, Marissa Washington, Deja Dorman, Tiffany DeBoer, Jacob Callahan and Akeem Webster. Photo: Kevin Qualls/The Anniston Star

Tiffany DeBoer likes to stay involved at school.

So the Saks Middle School seventh-grader came in to school at 7 a.m. Tuesday even though she had no exams that day and could have stayed home.

Marissa Washington, also in seventh grade, did the same to help deliver the day’s announcements on a closed-circuit TV newscast.

It’s the first of what advisers hope will be many activities for the school’s new drama club.

“In their classes, doing skits, we saw how the kids just eat that up,” said Diana Durham, a reading teacher and one of the group’s sponsors.

“The children need an outlet. We have to teach the academics, but we’re so pushed by testing. There are just not enough arts in our schools.”

Another sponsor, Holly Dougal, prepared a script for student tryouts earlier this year. Students in any grade with at least a C average and no disciplinary issues could audition, and 42 were selected.

“I’m just glad it gives kids who aren’t interested in sports an opportunity to do other things,” Dougal said.

“They were all real excited that first meeting.”

See the full story here.

No comments: