Giant Word

Michele Robertson and Jody Hardy, financial representatives at American General Financial Services, donated a tree on Earth Day to WHS.

WHS Principal Mr. Tim Teachey accepts a check from Mr. Leonard Pittman, Corporate Banking Marketing Manager from StellarOne Bank. StellarOne donated $250 to Waynesboro High School, as it has done at area high schools for several years.

Written By: Christopher Campaigne, Reporter

Mollie Cox Bryan went from being a young poetry lover, to a passionate college writer, and then became a journalist. Bryan visited the writing club, with words of wisdom and her experience as a writer.

“I started out with poetry,” said Bryan, describing her college life. Bryan then studied journalism, where she found stories on the streets of Pittsburgh.

Eventually Bryan started writing for a construction magazine, where she learned to “pull out information,” like most writers, and get critiqued by her two editors, an ex-Latin teacher, and a news editor.

“If you’re going to do journalism, you work intimately with the language, and learning that language is important,” said Bryan.

Bryan has also experienced rejection when she submitted a romance novel to a publisher. “If you don’t have the chops it doesn’t matter,” said Bryan, as she describes the criticism and process of writing.

Next, Bryan turned to freelance. This led to her discovery of Mrs. Rowe, the owner of Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant, a popular restaurant and bakery located in Staunton.

“Mrs. Rowe’s lifestyle interested me and I wrote a biography on her,” said Bryan. Eventually Bryan revised the biography into a cookbook, Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant Cookbook: A Lifetime of Recipes from the Shenandoah Valley,

After the biography was published, Bryan, still fascinated with Mrs. Rowe, published another cookbook. Bryan’s book, MRS. ROWE’S LITTLE BOOK OF SOUTHERN PIES, was recently named one of the Best Cookbooks of 2009 by All Foods Considered and was named one of the best summer cookbooks by the New York Times.

While her cookbooks continue to thrive, Bryan also works on updating her blogs, editing, poetry and even fictional writing, such as historical romance and mystery.

“I just want to sit in a corner and write and read,” said Bryan. “You have to feel compelled to do it.”“You have to love the process,” said Bryan. “You can’t imagine yourself doing anything else.” Bryan currently lives in Waynesboro, with her husband and two children.

Photo by Christopher Campaign

Written By: Faryal Zubair, Editor-In-Chief

Last weekend was brightened with the drama club’s production of “Something’s AFoot,” a murder mystery spoof of author Agatha Christie’s detective stories. The production was cast with some of WHS’s familiar actors such as Karren Czaplinski, Danielle Williams, Paul Tomich, and Suzanne McLean. However, the most refreshing part of the play was seeing bright new faces such as Sam Eldredge and Emmett Crawford entering the drama scene.

Everyone loves a good murder mystery, especially when the butler didn’t do it. The cast started off strong with their first musical number, “A Marvelous Weekend,” and it was obvious that their voices and energies were stronger when combined. It was great watching a cast who noticeably get their liveliness from each other.

The story behind the play is simple for the most part. The cast gets stranded on an island during a storm and one by one, they are all murdered by an unknown killer.

Music was provided by Musical Director, Mr. Jeffrey Ryman and accompanist Scarlette Harris. Unfortunately at points, some of the dialogue was hard to hear through the music. That being said, it was nice to have live music not only during the songs but also during scenes to build suspense.

But if the music was good, the lighting and effects were brilliant. The audience was thrilled when the butler, played by Wayne Cody, was murdered with explosives, and the family doctor, played by Eugene Fitzgerald, was killed by the rigged telephone. It was all topped off by lights flickering and the music growing louder when the amateur detective, played by McLean, asked that the dead bodies be sent to the “library.

The best performance was by Taylor Hines, “the dissolute nephew” who wanted to inherit his uncle’s wealth. While Hines might be labeled as overdramatic at times, his acting was the most believable. He had a certain tone of voice that set him apart while on stage even if he wasn’t always in the limelight. While Hines brought seriousness to the play, Czaplinski brought the comedic one-liners that anyone would fall in love with. She flirted without shame and sang amazingly while being deeply agitated by having to make tea every two seconds

Even though the play was filled with strong novice actors, it was still easy to spot the ones who have had previous experience. McLean has performed in many other drama productions and has been in Concert Choir for the past three years. Such experience might be the cause of her strong stage presence and voice. Czaplinski and Williams’ praiseworthy acting chops come from their experience with the Arts & Humanities program at Shenandoah Valley Governor School.

“I Don’t Know Why I Trust You,” a duet by Crawford and Victoria Piper, fell among one of the weaker performances. However, it provided an opportunity for Crawford to shine. Though new to the stage, he brought passion to the song and structure to the dance. On the other hand, “The Man with the Ginger Mustache,” could be called the definition of chemistry as Williams and Eldredge realized that they were long lost lovers. Eldredge’s sly facial expressions turn the scene into comedic genius as Williams wrapped her boa around him.

Choreography by Sarah Gottschalk and Ledley Swain was best portrayed through the musical number “Suspicious.” The majority of the cast members joined together to point fingers at each other claiming that one of them had to be the murderer. The stage was set satisfactorily and was pleasing to the eye throughout the show. The play ended with a high note as Crawford and Piper united once again to perform “New Day.” Just as they seemed to be the sole survivors of the story, they were poisoned to death. The curtain closed as both were left reaching for one another’s hands.

Written By: Kelsey Hammond, Reporter

Varsity softball: 0-2. Varsity baseball: 0-2. J.V. and Varsity girls’ soccer: 0-1.

Spring sports tryouts were February 22-26, and as any spring sport athlete should know, the snow was a big obstacle.

Since the ground was still covered in snow during tryout time, the athletes had to play indoors, and, judging by the records listed above, the teams seem to have suffered.

Playing inside did not benefit the softball team at all. Being indoors did not show the coaches how well the girls really played together so it made it hard for them to make cuts. In fact, John Hull, varsity softball coach, did not make cuts until after the first two scrimmages so he could see how everyone played on the field.

“I like what I see so far and I think everyone has potential to be great softball players, but I’m not going to make cuts until after I see how you girls play on the field together”. Said coach Hull to his team.

The boys’ soccer team also had to practice inside for a while. Freshman Maxi Munez explained how practicing indoors affected the way they play. He said it was hard because they couldn’t be outside and get used to playing on the grass. Also, Munez said that being inside didn’t give them enough room for running.

“If we were outside, we would have had more room to run and we would probably be more fit,” Munez said.

Fortunately, the snow is melted now and our sports teams are playing outside where they belong. Everyone has been practicing hard, trying to catch up with all the time they’ve lost. We’ll see how well the athletes improve throughout the season. Like they say, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”

Written By: Destiny Teeter, Reporter

On the outside, Mrs. Marilou Foster’s craft classes may just seem like a mixture of

the arts—but, on the inside, it goes deeper than that. Foster showed what goes on behind the class doors.

Craft classes involve much more than a typical art class. Instead of drawing, coloring, sketching, or painting, Foster takes art to a new level.

“Craft is art. Craft is 3-dimensional art pieces,” said Foster.

Craft classes have a wide variety of different art techniques and processes, including silk painting, design, ceramics, weaving, and even working with copper and glass. This variety helps students to be more successful at one project if they are challenged with another.

“Every student can be successful in here. It’s called experimentation. If you don’t like it, you can try it again,” says Foster of her class. “Everybody has their own creativity. It’s something you get better at.”

“[Art is] a good way to express your feelings,” said senior Heather Sutton, a Crafts 1 student.

Working in the arts is something that can be continued after high school. According to Foster, even interior design, house building, and just setting up a garden involve the work of art.

“Anything you do with art you can take away when you graduate,” said Foster. “Art inspires me in everything I do.”

As a teacher, art inspires her “to make a statement” and “bring out one’s creativity,” she said.
So, what are craft classes really like?

“It’s fun and Mrs. Foster is pretty cool,” said Sutton.

Currently, Foster’s craft classes are working in quilting and weaving, which Sutton admits is her favorite part of the class.