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Written by Woodbine High School Students
Black & Gold
Told
Volume 6, Issue 1
Woodbine Community School, Woodbine, Iowa 51579
Sept. 12, 2007
Woodbine alumni pursuing dream to act
W
Mary Smith during a scene in the movie Happy Holidays.
Submitted Photo
Aspirations of
publishing
advisor Blum
By: James Smith
hat has anyone from
Woodbine
ever
accomplished? This
year the Woodbine Black and Gold
Told staff decided to let the student
body know about some of the amazing things that just a few of
Woodbine’s alumni have accomplished. We hope that these articles
will inspire you, the students, to go
for your dreams and see that no goal
is unobtainable.
How many people have ever
thought about being an actor or
actress? You are probably thinking
that no one from Woodbine could
make it as an actress. Think again.
Mary Smith, daughter of Rod and
Teresa Smith, is a Woodbine High
School graduate of 2004. In just
three years Mary has graduated
with honors from Chapman
University with a degree in theater
performance. Chapman University,
located in Orange, CA, is known for
its theater program.
“I decided to go to Chapman
University after attending Donna
Reed Days in Denison, Iowa and one
of the instructors told me that I had
real
talent
and
mentioned
Chapman,” Smith recounted. “I was
able to graduate so soon by managing my time and going to school
year round, through the summer.”
While here in Woodbine Smith
was in Speech and Drama for 4
years. She even qualified for AllState Speech her Junior year in the
large group one-act play and also in
Individual Acting her Senior year.
She was also in Destination
Imagination (DI) for many years,
going all the way back to elementary.
Mary has been steadily working
towards her goal. “I want to get into
the Screen Actors Guild and get to
the point where I make my living by
acting. I’m not trying to become
famous I just want to get to the place
where I don’t need another job other
than acting to sustain myself.” Smith
reflected, “Of course, I wouldn’t
mind becoming somewhat famous.”
Smith continues to steadily
work in California. She has been in
two local plays in the Orange City
area, a commercial, an extra on the
HBO series ‘Entourage’, and has
been selected as the lead in two
independent films. In fact, Mary
and other Chapman University students have made an independent
film this last year in which Mary had
the lead role. The name of the movie
is Happy Holidays. “In the movie I
play Clarissa Ryder, Clarissa is a girl
who leaves her sweetheart behind to
go to a renowned art school and pursue her dreams. While there Ryder
meets a new love, but her old sweetheart follows her in order to win her
back. There is more on the movie at
www.happyholidaysfilm.com. The
movie’s trailer can be viewed at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=Gn8oPV-4MFQ. I even have on an
old Woodbine Tigers shirt in parts of
the trailer,” noted Smith. “I hope
people realize that you need to do
what makes you happy, no matter
how out of the ordinary it might be.”
2007-2008 Desktop Publishing class
By Bracinda Blum
Newspapers measure stories in inches, but 2007-08 Black
& Gold Told issues, measurement will be in student growth.
Text is an essential building block of a good newspaper, but
it can be a challenging concept. This will be difficult for
some students, but everyone in the Desktop Publishing class
will write for the Black & Gold Told and the 70th Volume of
the Shipmates yearbook. I intend to push students to think
outside the box and to really dig deep for the story. Students
will learn layout, design, photography and a heightened
awareness at their school and community. This week, I
watched and listened to the students in class as they questioned the new writing assignment. They were all asked to
write about a fellow Senior student. It was to be unique,
inspiring, insightful and/or funny about the person. The
story was to tell us something new and in-depth about this
individual. What was brought back was the traditional –
parents, birth date, siblings, lists of past/current school
activities, and their favorite(s). I explained to the students
that this wasn’t the assignment. With some resistance, the
students reworked their assignments and have learned a lot
about each other. These stories will be coming to you soon
and readers will enjoy reading about the class of 2008.
We are going to make mistakes and may offend someone
(without even realizing it), but the students and I are going
to “try our best to do our best.” I know that I have personally learned more from my mistakes, educational challenges
and life’s struggles than I have from anything else. The students are going to struggle at times with projects and writing, but they are going to learn and grow from this experience. The Desktop Publishing class has potential, fresh
ideas, and enthusiasm.
Read their articles and look at their photos with a critical
eye and watch them improve throughout the year. Reward
them with a pat on the back for a “job well done” and question them if you see errors or want to challenge their views.
All these interactions will make them work harder, take
pride in their work, and begin to understand true journalism principles.
Front row left to right: Kim Leaders, Tracy Dubas, Heather Moore, Kayla Caddell, Jodi Glackin, and Becca Holmes.
Second row left to right: Bryce Jensen, Danielle Peterson, Kali Piro, Emily Lenz, Brianne Mikels, Lindsey Weis, Ashley
McWilliams, and Tyler Kuhlman. Third row left to right: Nathan Lee, Dillon Clark, Cayde Sprecker, Lindsey Morrison,
Matt Heistand, Shaun Johnson, Levi Malone, and James Smith. (Jeana Royer not in photo). Photo by Bracinda Blum.
By Emily Lenz & Kim Leaders
“It looks like it’s going to be an awesome year!” Mrs.
Blum exclaimed when asked about her new Desktop
Publishing class for the 2007-2008 school year. The class consists of juniors and seniors that are full of fresh and new
ideas. There are twenty-three students in the class. The
Editor-in-Chief is James Smith, Business Manager is Tracy
Dubas, Copy Editor is Kim Leaders, and Photo Editor is Kali
Piro. The students will be working on the yearbook as well as
the Black & Gold Told.
The class developed goals for this year that include more
color pages in the yearbook, a larger spread for the Black &
Gold Told, and more coverage of the entire student body.
Helping the class achieve these goals is the addition of new
equipment that has been donated. New software was donated by the Black & Gold Organization. A 35 mm camera and
lenses were donated by Mr. and Mrs. Kuhl. The school also
bought a new computer and printer for the class to use.
The Woodbine Twiner is helping this class succeed as
well. The Twiner paid for the class to be a member of the
Iowa High School Press Association. This membership will
allow the students to enter their work into scholarship contests, competing against schools the size of Woodbine High.
The students are eager to begin making their ideas come
to life. They appreciate all the help they have received.
Ask a staff member today about
the great opportunity to be a
sponsor of Woodbine’s 70th
Shipmates yearbook.
New library Reading Center for 7-12 Woodbine students
The Reading Center was made possible by donations
from various individuals and organizations from the
Woodbine community. K-12 Librarian Maureen Allen spearheaded the project. A substantial donation by 7-12 Prinicipal
Rick Shanks gave the project the initial boost it needed.
United Western Coop, Optomists, PTO, Kiwanis, and
Carmen Goodrich came forward with funding to purchase
the balance of chairs to complete the seating. A school-wide
bake sale and Friday popcorn sales raised the dollars to purchase construction materials for a coffee table made by
Industrial Arts teacher, Jim Boeck, and a magazine rack made
by a grandparent, Joe Edmondson. Black and Gold purchased a tiger-striped area rug. “This project is a wonderful
example of our community working together to benefit students,” Allen reflected. “Our students are reading more!”
Photo left: WHS students enjoy the new Center. Right: Brandon
Hardy & Claire Probasco at magazine rack. Photos: Kim Leaders