The OnLion: Arts

by Amanda Torie

Whether you plan on spending the summer slaving away at a local restaurant for minimum wage, laying on a beach, traveling the world, or babysitting your little brother there is no doubt that you will have some time to catch up on those books you have been meaning to read all year but haven’t had the time for. But, if you are like me and base a good bit of your reading choices off suggestions and recommendations, below is a list that will surely keep you busy and enthused no matter what you plan to do with your months of freedom.

1. Water for Elephants (Sara Gruen)- An incredibly entertaining yet profound story of how a man finds himself through his adventures with a traveling circus.

2. Judge and Jury (James Patterson) – A mobster on trial, a jury scared to death, and a bomb; what more could a thrill seeker ask for?

3. Atonement (Ian McEwan)- A startlingly accurate set of observations on the powers of writing told through the eyes of a 13 year old girl.

4. The Book Thief (Markus Zusak) – The insanity of Nazi Germany during World War II manifested in small towns obsessed with following their leader. The story follows a family secretly fighting Hitler at home.

5. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Jean-Dominique Bauby) – A man who had control of only one of his eyes wrote this memoir using blinks. It is a powerful celebration of optimism and happiness against seemingly insurmountable odds.

6. The Other Boleyn Girl (Phillipa Gregory) – One of the author’s many books that delve into the more enthralling crevices of history. Love affairs and scandals on a royal scale never fail to please.

7. Bee Season (Myla Goldberg)

8. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown) – The adventures of Robert Langdon are never short of magnificent and compelling. Read it before you see the movie!

9. The Twilight Series (Stephenie Meyer) – For those who have been living under a rock, this new series, about a vampire boy and his mortal love, has been one the page turners of the year.

10. The Alex Cross Series (James Patterson) – Alex Cross is a police investigator that finds his way onto the hit list of every criminal in sight. The only the problem is that he is always there for them before they can get him.

by Maggie North

As spring begins, the flowers bloom, the rains come, and the birds sing. With all these changes come other new things, like new art in the hallways of Lovett.

These new projects come from the classrooms of mixed media, painting, and photography and can be found as you walk from the library towards the chapel, theater, or lunchroom. Next time you’re not in a rush, take the time to stop by these works of art and appreciate them for their ingenuity and beauty.

As you begin your walk, you would first come across the works of mixed media. One of the first pieces to catch my eye was that of junior Mia Heard. The project she was completing was to think of her favorite children’s book or novel, take a scene from it, and create a picture.

Mia chose the beloved character Curious George as her inspiration. “I have always loved Curious George,” she tells me. “I love monkeys and my favorite books have always been with monkeys.”

I have seen many students admiring it in the hall. After reflecting on her work, Mia discovers that she should have put more detail into the sky although I see no problem with the current one.

Nearby another mixed media project caught my eye too. This was the work of another junior, Alexandra Horst. She too was assigned to show a scene from a children’s book or fairy tale and she chose The Little Engine That Could as she finds it a very inspirational story.

“I loved reading Little Engine That Could as a child, and when I brainstormed for this project, that story came to mind immediately. I think it is motivating because it shows that if you “try, try again” and have a positive attitude, you can accomplish anything,” Horst tells me.

An inspirational message it is, as is Alexandra’s work with its bright colors and creativity. The process of creating it was a lengthy one as they first had to sketch 10 thumbnails of their scene. Then they had to choose one of their sketches as their inspiration for the project after which they had to decide which different materials they would add in.

Alexandra tells me that the project turned out the way she wanted as she believes she represented the story in a single snapshot very well and I have to agree. “I wanted to make it colorful because the pictures in the story book are so full of color, and the story itself is so cheerful.

You may be wondering what materials are used in the mixed media class. “I incorporated paint, patterned papers, pieces of wood, snaps, yarn, and other small objects in order to make the work “pop.” I really wanted to make it memorable,” Alexandra says.

What’s next for the mixed media class? “The project that we just completed was a cigar box which had three larger “canvases,” or flat surfaces. We were required to use them for three things that went together,” Alexandra tells me. You may have already seen these works in the halls as they were recently put up on display.

Some themes included peace, love, and happiness by Mia Heard and London, Rome, and Paris by Alexandra Horst. These projects were also very fascinating as I took a closer look at Alexandra’s.

“I drew and painted the countries’ flags as background, then drew or found objects for each that were symbolic of the cities. For London, I made Big Ben out of small pieces of wood and also incorporated double-decker buses. For Rome, I applied an image of the Coliseum and created a marble mosaic border. And for Paris, I constructed a 2D glass pyramid like the one in front of the Louvre and added photos that I took of my favorite paintings and sculptures there.”

The Mixed Media class truly allows students to explore their creativity as they learn to use different types of media in their work, “from paint to stickers to cardboard to paper. You can use pretty much anything you want,” says Mia.

Another class that had pictures on display was Digital Photo. Their assignment was to pick a celebrity that inspired them and to do a project focusing on them. Morgan Moody chose Angelina Jolie and cites her reasons for this as, “She is an amazing actress and I really respect her for all of the humanitarian work that she does.”

In Morgan’s project, she took a picture of Angelina Jolie holding a film strip and imposed other pictures of the actress on the film strip. Morgan did all of this work using Photoshop, which is what the Digital Photography class is based on.

The project ran smoothly for Morgan although she did say it was easy for her to pick Angelina but a little harder to come up with how she would lay out her project. After passing that obstacle, Morgan was very happy with how her project ended up. Next for the Digital Photo class is to pick a song and interpret it through an image.

Nearby hang works that are very different from those of the Digital Photography students. These works are those of the Photo 2 students who are not given a computer to manipulate their image in any way they want.

Meredith Thornhill’s photograph of fellow junior Anna Hopkins stood out to me the most and I felt like Anna’s eyes were following me down the hall (kind of creepy but mostly mesmerizing).

“The picture was actually a part of my first pictures I ever took in Photo One. In Photo Two, my teacher Karey Walter told us we would be doing mural prints. I knew immediately I wanted to use that picture to print big.”

What was Meredith’s inspiration for this stunning snapshot of her friend? “The photo shoot of Kate Moss in her early years as a model for Calvin Klein with the wet hair and black bathing suit. It was natural and beautiful.”

This photograph turned out stunning and many students stopped to take in its beauty as they passed it by every day. How did Meredith feel about her work? “It did turn out the way I wanted. Even better because it’s a big print so you can really get captivated with her face and her expression (like you can look at her and see an innocent face and then look again and see natural beauty – you ask yourself, what is she thinking?)”

The picture seems perfect to me but Meredith tells me that if she could change anything it would be to print it bigger or to send it in to a model agency to promote one of her best friends who she says “could rule the world like Kate Moss”.

Next up for Photo 2 is the greatly anticipated music video that they will have until the end of the year to work on. Good luck photographers!

Lovett is clearly full of talented young artists who learn new things every day from their interesting projects. Sign up for that art class you’ve been contemplating taking, there is still time! And be on the lookout for new works in the halls of Lovett including the funky Photobooth portraits outside the Counseling Office and that will certainly make your head spin!

by Mary Liz Cronk

We all know Zac Efron from Disney’s High School Musical. Troy meets Gabriella, they discover their mutual love for music, and they fall in love. You probably remember envying Gabrielle for getting to be on stage singing with Zac.

But looking back on it, you would most likely agree that this production was definitely directed towards a more PG audience.

Many have now realized that they are unattracted to the Zac from High School Musical.

Laura Madden explains, “Zac’s lines were way too cheesey.”

Although some have moved on from the High School Musical ‘Zac,’ some are still attached.

Frances Hattink says, “I own every song from High School Musical because I love them so much!”

Zac continued starring in musicals when he appeared in Hairspray a couple years ago.

Here, he still attracted all of the musical lovers out there.

Frances Hattink says, “I am a huge fan of Zac playing in musicals because his voice is so amazing.”

Zac gained even more popularity after this movie.

Sullivan Griffith says, “The thing that made Zac so awesome in Hairspray was how he changed his look from High School Musical.”

Recently, Zac has begun to take on new roles. This transformation began when 17 Again came out in theaters about a month ago.

Zac plays a guy whose life doesn’t quite turn out the way he wanted it to and wishes he could go back to high school and change it – and he does. When he goes back to being seventeen again, the girls started screeching in the theater.

And hey, he makes the teenage girls in the actual movie fall over, too.

Hattink says,  “Right after he got his hair cut, when he gets out of that really cool car at school, he made all the girls fall over because he was so attractive.”

This scene has grown to be many students’ favorite. The greatest Zac moment in the history of Zac moments.

Griffith says, “The scene when he gets out of the Audi in his jeans, leather jacket, white shirt and aviaters is hands down the most amazing scene of any movie I have ever seen.”

The guys have to admit that they liked his car in this scene, but not so much Zac.

“It is so hard for me to understand why so many girls were freaking out…” says Chris Beindorff. “I mean he was only getting out of this car!”

The guys may not have understood the whole “attractiveness” that Zac possessed during 17 Again, but they admit that some parts were pretty good.

“I surprisingly enjoyed watching the basketball scenes from the movie,” says Sam Hempel.

Zac’s new and improved ‘manly’ appearance has made his popularity skyrocket.

“He has completely transformed from a cute thirteen year old to a very attractive seventeen year old,” Kaki Pope says.

Charlotte Muller feels like he has become a better actor.

Griffith explains, “Zac pulls at your heart in so many parts of the movie.”

Zac has become quite an attractive figure in Hollywood. But will he continue to impress us? Or will we look back on our obsession with him years from now with embarrassment? Maybe somebody will say, “Do you remember Zack Efron?” And we’ll say “Who?” just to mask the fact that our inner teen is still pining for that 17-year-old Zac.

by Ben Popkin

This year, the biggest award show in Hollywood, the Oscars, was a spectacle to behold. It began with a suave looking Hugh Jackman strutting out on stage. When I first heard that Jackman would be hosting the Oscars, I was confused. In years past, the Oscars have only been hosted by comedians, and Jackman is an action movie star. What I didn’t know was that Hugh Jackman loves musical theater, and he can sing. For his opening, he did a musical version of all of the major films of 2008 and 2009. This included Slumdog Millionaire, Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Dark Knight, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and The Wrestler. The songs were both funny and well sung. Overall Jackman was a great host.

The presenters for this year were very funny. Among the more memorable presenters was Ben Stiller, who did a Joaquin Phoenix impression. My favorite presenter this year was Steve Martin. In my personal opinion, I believe that Martin is the funniest man on earth right now. He and Tina Fey presented the Oscar for best screen play. Martin was his usual hilarious arrogant self while Tina Fey stared in awe. “Don’t fall in love with me,” Martin said sternly to Fey.

This year, awards for actors and actresses were presented by five previous winners of that award instead of only last year’s winner. A clip was played of each former winner’s acceptance speech and then the screen was raised to reveal the presenters. Penelope Cruz won the Oscar for best supporting actress for her role in Vikki Cristina Barcelona. Best supporting actor went to Heath Ledger. While this was no surprise, his family gave a gracious acceptance speech. I was happy that Ledger won this Oscar. His performance in The Dark Knight was extraordinary, and he was a great actor. I would once again like to take a moment of silence for Heath. Touching.

Best actress went to Kate Winslet for The Reader. This is a movie I know absolutely nothing about, but I like Kate Winslet so I support the Academy’s decision here. The best actor award went to Sean Penn for Milk. I was not happy about this. I was pulling for Mickey Rourke. Rourke has been nowhere in Hollywood for the past few years, but Rourke made a comeback with his performance in The Wrestler. I love a good comeback story, but the Academy had to kill it for me. Congratulations to Sean Penn, but Mickey Rourke got robbed.

Finally, the best picture award went to Slumdog Millionaire. This was no surprise to anyone. I was thrilled with this decision. Slumdog was a fantastic movie that made me believe that life will work out. For more information on this film, see my Slumdog Millionaire review.

Over all, this year’s Oscars were great. From the awards to the musical numbers, it all worked. I congratulate all of the winners (because they all read my work) on a good year. It was the biggest night in Hollywood, and an exciting night in the country.

by Wallace Winborne

The spring musical is Cinderella? How exciting! The lights!

The stage! Of course I’ll try out! The poster on my locker, proclaiming my glory to the world!

I expected I’d be typecast as the suave prince McDreamy. I’d kiss Cinderella and make her dreams come true, in turn achieving mine.

Look out NAME OF BROADWAY ACTOR. A new broadway star is arising.

A few voice cracks in my audition, but nothing too terrible

I was to sing “The Prince is giving a ball,” but it became “The Prince is giving a baaghghh *cough.”

The chorus room must have smelled that day, because after I nailed that high C# Mr. Martin made a very funny face.

As a member of S&M, I was assured a part in the play. I had nothing to worry about.

The little girls in the audience would never forget the face of this prince.

On the afternoon of the much anticipated cast posting, I strutted to the front of the cluster of choristers.

“Make way for your majesty!” I called to the group.

The cast list had an affect on my dreams quite similar to the affect of a baseball bat to a magical pumpkin.

It read: Wallace Winborne: Guard #3, Guest at the Ball #14.

Guest at the ball #14? Does a worse fate exist? Could a more humiliating assiginment exist?

I went home and cried my eyes out. Not the magical tears of true love after finding that the shoe fits. The tears of guard #3.

The following is a day in the life of guard #3.

3:30 – After searching for food for 30 minutes (I wont leave until I arrive in the black box. I am five minutes late.

3:35 – The fairy godmother does not approve of my tardiness, and am castigated. For some reason I remember the Disney’s godmother casting magical spells, not aspersions.

3:50 – The chorus is called to the stage! Alas! An opportunity for my talent to reveal itself!

4:00 – I forget to bow to the king after waltzing my way to the front of the stage. Mr. Freer wonders out loud: “Winborne! You have one thing to remember! Why cant you get it right?”

4:15 – We begin a song for the waltz, which I nail. Theater must smell funny too.

4:20-4:40 – I stare at the wall. The black box is a prison cell.

4:45 – I fall asleep

5:00 – I am kicked in the side by Cinderella herself. Apparently ive selected a poor spot for sleeping. Also, I should be reading over my music.

5:15 – I am called back to the stage.

5:20 – Dance instructor calls me out for my inability to box-step.

5:25 – Guards numbered 2 and 3 sneer as I fall to my face.

5:30 – Sent back to the black box. My computer is dead. I left my AP Euro homework in my locker. I stare at the wall until 8.

Tomorrow will be the same.

by Amanda Torie

I love a good mystery. Something about the guesses, the unpredictability, the sense of dying to know what comes next is absolutely captivating to me. While I have no earthly idea where mystery writers draw their plot lines from, I get caught up in the “Who did it?” mentality every single time. Recently I have gone through a John Grisham stage. His courtroom dramas are unbelievable. His stories pack so many twists and turns that once you start reading, it is nearly impossible to put the book down. What I found particularly interesting about this book was the degree to which greed and desire for power drove just about every character. In theory, greed triggers a reaction of anger on behalf of those discovering the corruption; but I wasn’t angry. To an extent, I sympathized with the people who were bending the rules for their own benefit, perhaps because of the economic state our country is in right now I can understand the desire to have more overriding certain moral aversions. Reading the book through this sympathetic lens made it even more interesting.

One of his latest political thrillers, The Appeal, is the riveting story of a devastated small town seeking vengeance on the company that led to its ruin.

Life would never be the same in a small Mississippi town after Crane Chemical opened a factory. After years of chemical production, it was discovered that the company had been leaking toxic by-products into the local water supply. Subsequently it was discovered that more than a few townspeople had developed one form of cancer or another. In fact, it was the largest cancer cluster in history. When the Paytons, a small husband and wife firm in town, brought suit against the company for their chemical’s involvement in the death of the son and husband of one of their clients, the factory packed up in hurry and moved the operation conveniently across the border to Mexico.

In the first few pages of the book the reader learns the verdict of the small Mississippi court; Crane Chemical is to pay forty one million dollars to the victims family. Carl Trudeau, CEO of the company, learned of this verdict from his desk in New York. This forty one million was a small amount to him, however he saw past the initial case and saw the potential for a thousand more like it, a backlash that could ruin his company, his fortune, and his aspirations for the future. Mr. Trudeau knew that his stock was going to plummet and that he needed to take action fast. The high priced lawyers were not enough; it was time for him to take the destiny of his company into his own hands. The stage was set for an appeal.

The Payton’s sat in a position far less desirable than Mr. Trudeau and his men; they had some big money problems on their hands. The couple owed the local bank $400,000; they needed to win this case to keep from going under. Needless to say that while spirit and hard work were on the side of the Paytons, the ability to fund a high profile case was not.

The case was set to go before the Supreme Court of Mississippi. Interestingly, Mr. Trudeau discovers that there would be an election before the case, a judicial election. In the state of Mississippi judges are elected directly by the people, and those on the panel of judges were never shy in revealing their political leanings. A great money man such as Mr. Trudeau would never roll the dice on a situation like this, so he did something pretty incredible, he set out to buy himself a candidate and a seat on the court.

Ron Fisk is a family man. He is the epitome of the Mississippi good old boy; he coaches baseball, attends church, and works for a small law firm earning just enough to live a comfortable life. When he is approached and asked to run for a seat on the State Supreme court, visions of himself as a hero for conservative values dance through his head. Little did he know, however, that the money flowing into his campaign was from the corrupt hands of Mr. Trudeau. With ten million dollars in funds and an advanced squad of campaign managers at his fingertips, Mr. Fisk entered the race.

Obviously I’m not going to give away the ending. You will have to read for yourself to find out whether Mr. Fisk gets elected or whether the verdict avenges the small town honor or backs the interests of Crane Chemical and its flock of rich Wall-Street types. But I will tell you it is very worth reading to find out.

Grisham’s commentary on the corrupt relationship between politics and money came at a critical time in our country; we see CEOs and Senators alike tumbling to their demise over simple greed. While wildly entertaining, this book also offered a more advanced perspective on the true sense of power and justice, the pocketbook. The classic under-dog story takes on a new twist when it becomes shockingly apparent that good will does not always prevail, hence life is not the Superman comic strip.

It is a mildly depressing experience when for the first time in your life you see the good guy beaten to a pulp by the villain. Truth is we grow to almost worship the idea that good will always win and truth will always prevail. Who wants to watch a movie where Spiderman gets killed in the first scene? It’s anti-climactic, it’s sad, it’s not what we expect when we walk into a theater, open a book, or switch on the TV; we are a society of suckers for a happy ending.

In a story like this I would usually find myself pulling for the underdog. Normally, I would have really been pulling for the Paytons and for the little town, but this time, I wasn’t, I wanted Mr. Trudeau to win. It wasn’t that I thought he was right in his shady business and lack of care for anyone but himself, I was just completely infatuated with his cunning and manipulative abilities. I was amazed at his aptness to out think and out maneuver any one in any situation. As much as I tried to sympathize with the hard working, respectable Paytons I couldn’t do it. I have to admit, in my mind the villain was far more appealing than the victim. It felt good to break away from the classical Superman mold. It felt a little bit rebellious. I liked it. Perhaps it was just me being a little maniacal, but I don’t think that was it. I think it had more to do with the fact that I am tired of the good guy always winning.

Undoubtedly this story rings true now more than ever, as our economy is proceeding to crash beyond what we ever thought possible, greed and corruption are becoming more and more prevalent. People are getting desperate, the rich want to stay rich and the poor want to stay fed. The climate is perfect for avarice to spread like wild fire. Maybe not everyone will rig an election and install a puppet judge but certainly there are more subtle ways to step on others in order to survive. Maybe more people will cheat on their taxes. Perhaps more people will steal. There is a definite possibility that people will cut corners in order to make ends meet. Obviously it is wrong, but can you blame them? The question is not what would you do to save yourself, the question is what would you not do to save yourself. The times are tough and there are bound to be more than a few Carl Trudeaus gracing the next few years.

by Kimberly Richardson and Mek Mesfin

Producing a fairy tale musical is always hard to master. It takes a talented cast and stage team to replicate fire-breathing dragons, fairies, giants and elves. The magical fairy tale Cinderella was reborn in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s enchanting musical, which was presented by Lovett’s Singers & Madrigalists and a selection of other students not directly involved in the Lovett chorus. After weeks of hard work and hours of rehearsals after school the final production was superb and a real crowd pleaser.

Choral directors Mr. and Mrs. Martin taught the music with Mrs. Martin conducting the orchestra and Mr. Freer directing the show. Cinderella ran from Thursday, February 19, through Saturday, February 21, at 7:00 pm in the Hendrix-Chenault Theater.

“Absolutely hilarious” was the general consensus about the performance of Jesslyn Rollins as, you may have guessed, evil stepmother. She blew the crowd away with her bizzare facial expressions.

“When I first got on stage, I was so nervous! But after a few minutes I thought to myself, forget it!” That is when she stepped into her character. Right as auditions for the play came out, Rollins knew exactly what character she wanted to be. “I love having those complete wack characters! They are so fun to play around with, and I feel I can really, well, fit those characters perfectly.”

Surprisingly, this was Rollins’s first lead role in high school. By her performance, you would have never guessed this, and would have thought she had been doing this for years and years. The crowd absolutely loved her.

Belle of the ball, senior Eliza MacDonald, was the one and only, Cinderella. Right as MacDonald appeared on stage, she overwhelmed the audience with her voice. MacDonald has been singing ever since she was 5 and acting since she was in the 4th grade. However, this was MacDonald’s first lead role at the Lovett School.

“I have to admit, it is definitely tough, but I really liked the challenge!” Being in a musical takes a lot more practice then most of us realize. Rehearsals for them started a little before winter break, and they all had to be off book by the end of break. Imagine how leads MacDonald and senior Barron Flood’s winter break was. “Even though it’s a lot of work, I wouldn’t take it back for the world. It is definitely worth it,” says MacDonald.

This was also Prince Flood’s first lead role, even though both he and MacDonald had large roles in previous performances. “This is how I see it. You have to be at rehearsal anyway…so if you are wanting to try and go for a lead, go for it! You have nothing to loose.”

Unlike most, Flood had to tackle the play and swimming. Flood would usually have to go to swim practice at 6 in the morning, and be at play practice after school. “People don’t always see this, but being in the play is just as important as a sport. This is one of my sports.” As many of you know, there were four stage kisses between these two love birds!

Step sisters Natalie Rast and Ashley Green, both seniors, both thoroughly enjoyed the show. “The rehearsals were definitely a lot less stressful than they were in the past and everyone was really focused and into it,” said Green. Both sisters maintained the high standard with amazing voices and a brilliant portrayal of the mean natured spirit of the sisters. I’m sure they were many people’s favorite characters. “Overall I was pretty happy with it. It was very well received and everyone put in a lot of hard work and time throughout the rehearsal period.” says Rast.

Overall the show was a great achievement and the Lovett theatre department has once again shown the ability and hard work of the students through a brilliant performance.

This would not have happened however if it weren’t for the students working behind the spotlight. Some of these students were seniors Sharon Solomon, Avalon Middleton, Julie Bucher and Lindsay Recknagel. Without their help the show would have been impossible. “I thought it went really great. The casting was perfect!” says Solomon. “There’s so much work that goes on backstage, and people just don’t realize it,” says senior Julie Bucher.

They will be hard pressed to match it next year.

by Kimberly Richardson

On Friday December 19th, twenty-six Lovett choir students went to England, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Martin, Alvin Moore, and Ann Paige. As many of you know, the choir usually goes to Orlando Florida to compete. Because the choir program has not been overseas since 1978, the Martins decided it was time to change this.

The trip was December 19th through the 24th. During this trip, the choir sang at three local churches. “We sang at St. John Baptist Church, Christ Church, and at St. Mary LeBow (which was built in 1080),” explained Mr. Martin. Unlike the Orlando trip, this was not a competition.

Because of the timing of the trip, it was optional. 26 out of the 70 students went, which actually turned out to be a really good number. Senior Eliza MacDonald thought it was the perfect group size, because “being a senior, I felt like I didn’t know many students in the class, so this trip really gave me the opportunity to get to know a handful of people.” Usually this bonding doesn’t occur until the musical.

MacDonald also felt that this trip was really rewarding. “Everyone at school is expected to listen to us sing and clap at the end…that’s just what you do. However, when we went to these three churches and sang, people didn’t have to be there, but they were. It was an amazing experience and it just showed us that our hard work paid off.”

Not only did the group sing, but they had a full itinerary of activities and a “fantatsic” tour guide, Leslie McGinn, who was “very knowledgable,” said senior Barron Flood.

Junior Colt Steingraber’s favorite part of the trip was walking along the river Thames watching the street performers. “We would just be walking along the South Bank, and you would see a number of performers doing differn’t things ranging from magic tricks to dancing.” This was Steingrabers first time going overseas and he really enjoyed the experience. “If you’ve never been to England, or have been before, I’d recommend this trip to you either way. The only thing I’d say is bring your own food. England’s is not too good.”

Sophomore Kelsey Richards also went on the trip, however Richards has been to England many times. “I love the choir program and the students in the class, so it was definitely a good fit.” Richard’s favorite part of the trip, like many others, was ice skating at the Somerset House. “Even though most of us didn’t know how to skate, it was still really fun.”

Each day was planned out and super busy. Senior Barron Flood said that “even though it was really busy everyday, we still had enough freedom to breeze through some things we didn’t necessarily want to be doing.”

A regular day would be as follows: breakfast at the Hotel Ibis Earls Court at 8:00, leave at 10:00 for rehearsal, perform at 11:15, at 1:00 grab some lunch and tour Windsor Castle (or anything touristy on the itinerary), return at 4:00 to London, eat dinner at 6:30 and return to the hotel for the night. That last stop was always junior Garrett Houghton’s favorite part. “It was so relaxing to finally be back, after a long day and there was a pool table, so it kept some of us entertained.”

Because the trip was such a success, the Martins hope to offer the trip to any choir student every four years. “I really encourage you go if the trip is offered, even if you have been to England before. It was such a great experience and I really got to know everyone so much better,” explains Flood.

Just remember, bring your own food next time!

I didn’t know much about the reggae band from Savannah when I walked into the Passafire concert at the Masquerade last Friday. I left enlightened.

For only ten dollars I was exposed to the dub-effects heavy keyboard of their Danish pianist and the effects heavy sound from their guitarist (a SCAD alum). Lead singer Ted Bowne has developed a perfect voice for the sound of his band; I could listen to them jam all day. I felt like I was on a beach somewhere in the Carribean, having forgotten the meaning of the word “exam”.

Their musicianship was noticeable even with the heavy use of effects that distorts the natural sound of their instruments.

“The bassist plays funky beats, which I like,” said sophomore bass god Jeremy Trombetta, who was in attendance. Jeremy deserves the credit for popularizing the band at our school.

This was a concert where the venue definitely made the show. The coolest part about small venues like the Masqerade is the chance to interact with band members before and after shows. 50/50 Shot, a ska band from around here, had to wait for three hours before going on. In the meantime, we hung out with them and talked about music, school, and a variety of other issues.

I got to chat with their lyricist about the song writing process and heard some interesting stories. A song he’d written is the true story of his girlfriend’s bunny rabbit, Benjamin, being killed by a cat named Midnight.

“It sounds like a metaphor, ‘Midnight swooping down to kill something beautiful’,” he said of the song, “but it really wasn’t intended to be that way. It’s just a story about a bunny.”

Getting the perspective of a working musician can is useful: there is much that aspiring song writers (such as myself) don’t know about the trade.

The crowd was no more than 50 people, possibly even fewer. Large groups do create excitement and an identity with the crowd, but the tiny size had positive aspects. For one, our group had no trouble securing spots in the front row of the pit area.

About midway through the show, the Danish guy called out Lovett’s own Jeremy Trombetta over his microphone. “What’s your name?” He called out as he pointed to J Trom. “JEREMY!” he yelled back.

“Jeremy has been here since the gates opened. Give it up for him!” Very cool. I doubt that happened to any of the many upperschoolers at the Lil Wayne concert this Christmas break.

I recommend the Masquerade to anyone looking to see small bands have a good time, or maybe a bigger name in the larger “Heaven” section (our show was in the basement, or “Hell”). 50:50 shot was pretty much a bunch of college kids enjoying what they were doing.

“I’m pretty sure that their tenor saxophonist played more air guitar than sax,” said Jackson Todd, who was quite right.

Passafire is a great band. If you’re looking for some tracks to download, try Divide, Reverie (acoustic), Little Ship, and Asteroids. And if you want a vacation in the form of a band, try them.

by Mary Liz Cronk

“I have been an artist my whole life, but Lovett has allowed me to discover many interests and skills that I never knew I had,” says, Anna Hopkins, a junior.

Ever since her freshman year, Anna has not gone a semester without taking an art class at Lovett.

Foundations of Art helped Anna develop basic drawing skills and painting techniques, leaving her prepared for the more advanced courses that are offered.

Starting sophomore year, Anna took both mixed media and painting.

“I loved the painting that was involved in mixed media, so I decided to take painting spring semester,” she says.

When Anna found out about the Savannah trip that Lovett offers over the summer, she thought this would be the perfect opportunity to paint in a new environment.

“I spent two weeks straight painting scenery, houses, and people in the beautiful city of Savannah,” Anna explains.

The students also spent a great deal of time in the Savannah College of Art and Design studios, working with tools that are unavailable here at the Lovett School.

“Because there were only three painters on the trip, I got a lot of one on one time with the teacher, Mrs. Story, ” Anna says.

The Savannah trip is also available to photography students.

Anna explains that “because I roomed with one of the photographers on the trip, I got a good feel of what taking photo would be like.”

So, this past semester Anna took the Photography I class with Karey Walter.

“Photo is definitely the most exciting I have taken at Lovett,” Anna says. “The first roll I took was horrible, but by the end of the semester I was much better.”

Anna found that Photography gave her lots of freedom towards the art that she wanted to create.

“The projects usually went very well for me, especially when I liked what I was taking pictures of,” she explains.

The first projects assigned to students are never going to be perfect.

“My first project in photo messed up when my film accidentally hit the light while I was transferring,” she says, “but the great thing about art is that you can be creative and embrace your mistakes, so I used the psychedelic spirals all over the film as one of my final prints because it looked cool and different.”

Anna’s art teachers say that Anna is an outstanding student because of her creativity and motivation.

Amy Story explains that, “when you give Anna projects, you can always count on her to take it to the next level and do go beyond the requirements.”

Anna takes all of her projects a step further by using her own technique, creating artwork different from

Mrs. Story says “her creativity and drawing talent allowed Anna to produce a number of great paintings, both at Lovett and in Savannah.” She explains that her pieces “were definitely some of the best I’ve seen in my whole teaching carrier.”

Anna’s carrier as an artist has continued to grow.

When Lovett introduced the semester programs to students, she was immediately interested in the Oxbow Boarding School, which is in Napa, California.

“When I read about it, I felt like I would be the perfect applicant,” she says. “I liked how they approach school in a relaxed way, evaluating you on more than just grades.”

Anna explains that Oxbow “really understands teenagers and how they learn best.”

Oxbow concentrates on their visual arts program, offering a wide variety of art classes.

“There are four studios on campus where students can take up to four classes of their choice,” Anna says. “I am especially excited about print-making and advanced Photography, two classes that are not normally available to me.”

As an artist, Anna explains, “I am constantly looking around for things that would make a cool picture or a cool painting.”

She feels that subject matter is the most important factor in the success of her work.

“Because I am really particular about what I am shooting or painting, so I am hoping that Oxbow’s beautiful campus will have a lot to offer towards expanding my artistic talent.”

Art classes are sometimes hard because “artists need time work at their own pace, on their own time,” she says. “I think Oxbow’s environment and schedule will allow me to take my artist ability to the next level.”

Anna gives Lovett most of the credit for the growth of her talent.

“Lovett definitely taught me the basics about art and helped me discover the subjects that I am most interested in.”

Oxbow will be the perfect opportunity for Anna to take these skills and apply them in a more advanced way. “I am excited about coming back with some really good work for my portfolio.”

There are so many opportunities for all artists out there, so take advantage of the art program at Lovett and see what interests you the most.