By: Chaymae Makhmarat
COVID-19 is so mean That everyone is in quarantine All around the world it can be seen COVID- 19 is so mean In light of the troubles we have today There's a few things I'd like to say Wash your hands everyday So COVID-19 can go away By: Jaymarie Gonzalez Pena
This year the Mauro-Sheridan Shakespeare program will do their production on Zoom. Twenty-nine students are performing “Cymbeline” on Zoom because they can’t do it in person because of the coronavirus pandemic. Changing from a live stage production to a film is different in so many ways, said Jodi Schneider, the coordinator of the Shakespeare program. For example, the actors have to make their own costumes with what they have at home. One person put a box on their head for a helmet! The show has a famous narrator. H. Jon Benjamin is famous because he does the voice of Bob on Bob’s Burgers and Archer on Archer. (He is also Ms. Jodi’s brother). Ms. Jodi likes seeing the students learn the original Shakespearean language and to watch kids who were nervous in the beginning of the year become not so nervous at the end. The show is directed by teaching artists from Elm Shakespeare who came to Mauro-Sheridan twice a week to work with the student actors. When school closed, the group continued to meet on Zoom. “It was difficult at first to switch to a filmed show versus a stage show, but we wanted to make it happen for the kids and I think it’s worked out well,” Ms. Jodi said. Ms. Jodi’s favorite Shakespeare play over the years was “Hamlet” because they had five students play as Hamlet. Ms. Jodi has coordinated Shakespeare for eleven years. It takes six months to get from rehearsal to performance; they pick a different play every year. The very first play that they performed was “The Tempest.” They are excited to do a play that is not as famous as “Romeo and Juliet.” “Shakespeare on Zoom is quirky, but I think it is working well!,” said Keldan Aronsen, grade 6, who is in the cast. “It’s different but that’s what makes it so fun. I get that same energy that I got when I first started Shakespeare. Being on stage has its perks, but acting in front of a computer camera on Zoom isn’t that bad,” said Jason Calogine, 8th grade. The show has a very confusing plot but basically Cymbeline, a king of Britain, is angry because his daughter, Imogen, has secretly married Posthumus, a poor but worthy gentleman. Tune in to see how it goes! The way to access “Cymbeline” will be posted on the Mauro-Sheridan Family and Friends page on Facebook. “It’s very gratifying to see what a great job the kids do every year,” Ms. Jodi said. By: Rafat Ali
We’re all missing out because of COVID-19. Stay home, stay safe. Covid-19 is a disease that has started in 2019, which is where its name came from. Over time, this virus has caused a lot of commotion and shut down cities and even whole countries. With the shutdown, many schools have closed and have moved on to online classes. Third grade to 11th grade students are missing the SBAC, an important test that allows teachers to know at what level their students are working. But this virus has also put a stop on people's lives; it prevented people from meeting with friends, family, going on vacations and having the traditional graduation. Adults and kids are missing the social aspect of their lives when they self-quarantine. Many people are still going to work and to stores even if it's not an emergency, which increases the spread of COVID-19. There is a simple way to stop this, you just have to stay home and go out only if there is an emergency. |