Archive for category: CBNA Today

Hello reader. My name is Lucas Laliotis and welcome to the 1st installment of Author Spotlight. For the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year, I will highlight a living author who has impacted the literary world in a unique way. Our 1st highlight is an author from New England, Jarrett J. Krosoczka. Born and raised in Worcester Massachusetts, Krosoczka has written some great books, most notably, his graphic novel series Lunch Lady. In some of his books, his Worcester life is evident. I actually have one of the Lunch Lady books signed by him and it’s very close to my heart. In his 1st book, Good Night, Monkey Boy, the book is dedicated to his grandparents. At 1st glance, it may seem that he was very attached to them, but if you read Krosoczka’s graphic memoir Hey, Kiddo, the truth is revealed. I will touch upon that in a minute, but for now, here’s some more information. Though he is in his early 40s, he looks much younger. From posts on his Instagram and TikTok, he is a charming, funny and humble man. But he has a history not many readers know. In Hey, Kiddo, we learn about his childhood. The dedication isn’t a metaphor on his attachment to his grandparents, but is a literal statement. Jarrett was raised by his grandparents because his mother was a heroin addict. She had made many poor decisions in her life. When I 1st read this and realized that this was the guy who wrote Lunch Lady, I was very, very taken aback. The book, unlike most memoirs of this style such as Smile or El Deafo, starts with the life of his grandfather Joseph and grandmother Shirley during the Great Depression and the war.  Through the book, there is a timeline that is evident, going from the Depression era to Jarrett’s birth and finally to his graduation from high school. But he still has questions. Near the end of the book, he meets his birth father. I’m not going in depth because I want you to read it or at least listen to the audio book. The writing is great. But nothing compares to the art. Krosoczka’s other books have a very clean art style, with flat, crisp lines. But in this book, rather than using traditional digital work, uses ink. The book has a dedicated section to the art at the end. These lines make everything smeared and chaotic while making the characters and set pieces clear, which is a perfect metaphor for his childhood. I felt emotional after reading this book. Next time you’re in the library, head over to the graphic novel section and if it’s available, check it out or ask the librarians to place a hold for you because this is one book you do not want to miss.

My school does fully in person schooling. So far we have been doing this for 5 months now and there has been only one hiccup where we had to go online, that was because there was around eight positive COVID tests. Because it has gone so well so far I think it was the right decision. It also still gives some students the flexibility to be online if they do not feel safe in a school environment. I would say that one of the main challenges of being fully in school is that when students do have to go remote, it can be tough to fully understand what is going on through a Google Meet when the teachers are completely focused on the students right there in front of them. For the students in school, the school has put in place plenty of new guidelines for students to be following this year which has helped keep everybody safe, for example there is one way hallways and they added in another lunch. Even when the school does encounter a positive test or even an outbreak they have handled it well this year and that is why we are still able to be in person in late January in the midst of a COVID spike. 

The school’s response to a positive COVID test has also been good. I can’t think of one positive test this year that has led to more at the school. They do a good job limiting the transmission of the virus which has been one of the key ways to stopping the spread in a school environment. The school has typically been able to notify the close contacts of the positive test within 24 hours which means for the most part they do not go back on campus because of how quick the school is able to find out the close contacts. All things considered I think the school made the right decision when they decided to try going fully in school. They had a safe, clearly thought out plan that has allowed us to continue being in school and connecting with our friends and teachers like some students these days are not capable of doing.

–Hunter Murray

The Coe-Brown theatre department has had to seriously rethink their approach to how they would continue the program. Due to the Corona Virus, no actual shows have been allowed for the foreseeable future. The CDC recommends having shows outside with the actors ten feet apart, but this is simply impossible. Instead, the program has had a different approach to their way of keeping the theatre alive. The school theatre has made the plan to have weekly workshops to practice and improve upon their students’ skills. The three main subjects that the program has worked on are movement acting, technical theatre, and they have just started to work in musical theatre. The new program is solely based on improving the skills of these fresh and experienced actors, without the stress of a fall show. 

The leaders of the CBNA theatre program are Mrs. Moynihan and Ms. Hume. They have taken over for the retired Mrs. Lent, and are continuing the legacy of the theatre. When asked: How do you think the theatre is going in the new world of covid? Mrs. Moynihan replied, “it is a sad and challenging time, but I am thrilled to see how artists are coming together to find new and innovative ways to bring theatre to audiences. For us, it has been a challenge, because we have not been able to do our fall and winter shows as usual. We have come up with workshops, staged readings, and a planned writing project to help fill that performance void. While this has been tough, it has also allowed us to focus on skills building, which we did not always previously have time to do. The work that we have seen from our students has been tremendous and has really allowed us to see future directions for shows and programming in later seasons”. When asked the same question Ms. Hume responded by saying: “I mostly feel lucky that we’ve been able to come up with a plan to keep CBNA Theatre moving forward here. I am so excited to have the opportunity to work with Mrs. Moynihan who is brilliant and excited to work with our students and share all of her knowledge and experience. We are very proud of the program that we’ve put together for the fall! Although we can’t produce a typical show, it’s been really exciting to plan and develop workshops to introduce students to new skills and practice ones that might be a little rusty. We wanted to put together something for everyone: Movement Mondays, Tech Tuesdays, musical theatre, straight plays, playwriting, and more! It feels like we are teaching and learning even more than we would have during the run of a traditional show.”

I also asked the teacher if they feel any pressure running the theatre program. Mrs. Moynihan responded with: “I do feel pressure to run the theatre program because I am lucky to be stepping into a well-established theatre program that Mrs. Lent ran for many years along with Ms. Hume. I am so thankful that I got to spend all of last year getting to know the students at Coe-Brown and the way the theatre program was run. The Covid situation has changed many things for us, but the dedication of our students has not. My hope is always to be providing students with challenging, engaging, dynamic, and fun theatre experiences, while also giving them theatre skills that they can use in the classroom and beyond. One of the more challenging aspects of my job as a theatre teacher is making sure that I am picking a material that is appropriate for the students that we have but will also challenge them allowing them to expand on their existing skills and talents. Ultimately, it is the absolute best part of my job. I have always believed that theatre is an important area of the arts and I am thrilled that I get to bring my love and passion for it to the students at Coe-Brown. Ms. Hume answered: “I think the thing I feel most pressured about is making the theatre program just as fun, collaborative, and educational as it typically is under very atypical circumstances. We have so many talented new freshmen and sophomores that haven’t had a lot of time with us yet! It’s important to me that they feel like they’re a part of our company, and that everyone’s time is being valued. That can be tricky at the end of a long day in a mask. Overall, despite all of the challenges we are facing in terms of performance and spacing restrictions, I feel like each individual student has had more opportunity to learn and grow under these unusual circumstances than they might have during a full production! That’s what makes all of the pressure worth it.”

Students such as Darin Sweet, a Senior at Coe-Brown and President of the International Thespian Society, agrees that “there has been a lot of restriction when it comes to the new program, but we are doing a great job with doing our best and improving our theatrical skills”. He also stated, “that he missed the old theatre, but he is still having lots of fun”. Darin is a long-time member of the CBNA theatre, participating in all four years of Highschool and he is planning on continuing in college. Ariella Price, a freshman at Coe-Brown, was anxious about joining the theatre program at the beginning of the year. During her interview, Ariella stated that “many things changed during the pandemic and definitely the theatre she had been used to”.  Ariella also says she “is free to be herself, and that she loves the theatre program. Ariella is a, just joined theatre member, but is planning to participate for the rest of her Highschool career.

Hopefully the future is brighter for the theatre program. Everyone was disappointed with this year, but the theatre program found a way to keep up the spirits of its members. Perhaps one day things will get back to normal, and show production will be able to continue. For now the audience will just have to wait. 

– Samuel Marcotte

As everyone knows the day of voting is almost here for the next election. I’m sure you’ve seen political ads on Chris Sununu, Dan Feltes, Biden, and Trump, with everyone telling you that “this is the most important election of our time”. Well in some ways it is, but why should high school students care when most of us can’t even vote yet? Even though you are not the legal age to vote, you should still pay attention to your country’s politics. Listening to debates, reading articles, or watching the news could improve your understanding of what’s happening. If you still don’t understand, ask your parents or grandparents about politics, what their views are, who they are going to vote for, and why. Local elections are just as important as national elections. Chris Sununu is the Governor of New Hampshire, which means he makes a lot of important decisions for our state. Even he is running this year for another term. You should care about what happens to where you live. 

It’s a part of your American rights to be aware of politics. Even as a teenager, you are shaping the very world you stand in. Our generation is the future of America.. Eventually, it will be your turn to decide on your candidate and to vote for them, if you pay attention now, you’ll be ready. Your vote will be one of the most important things you can do as an American citizen. So get out and do your research! sure you learn as much as possible about politics and voting because one day you might need to.

– Samuel Marcotte