Beetlejuice: RBM's musical
by Lianna Hall
RiverBend Middle School has countless exciting events. But what is everyone in school buzzing about right now? This year's musical “Beetlejuice”! This musical was voted by students and selected for its songs and dances. It also aligns with Halloween. Beetlejuice will be performed five times throughout October and November. Even now students, parents, and teachers are buying their tickets! What exactly is this musical about?
The movie version of Beetlejuice, directed by Tim Burton, is about the recently deceased Maitlands family who, after dying in a car accident, become ghosts trapped in their home. They try to scare away the new family, the Deetzs, who move into their house, but fail miserably. Desperate, they summon Beetlejuice, a mischievous yet dangerous “bio-excorcist”. They soon come to regret this decision when they realize Beetlejuice's methods are far more cruel and chaotic than intended. The musical has a similar plot to the film but focuses more on Lydia Deetz's emotional journey, as Beetlejuice tries to use her and the Maitlands to achieve his own goal of becoming visible to the living.
Now, let's dive into RBM's very own Beetlejuice musical, directed by Mr. Paul Simonton. Since Mr. Simonton started teaching at RBM twelve years ago, he has been directing musicals. He believes that this year's production is going along very well. He loves working with this cast because they connect and joke around, but he also helps them get into character and act serious. He loves creating props for the musical, but his absolute favorite part is the opportunity to connect with the cast on both theatrical and personal levels. His favorite songs so far are “What I Know Now”, and “Home”, which he thinks the actors sing so well, “To the point where I almost have tears in my eyes,” he says. He is incredibly grateful for the cast, Coach Pride (assistant director), Ms. Pride (producer), and choreographers Avery and Nicole (recent high school graduates).
Spectrum’s Marstopia Project
by Everly Marino
RBM’S Spectrum Program is led by Mrs. Fields. Her two 8th grade classes are working on the Marstopia Project, a STEM writing, building, and critical thinking challenge. Students design either a colony or research center that can withstand the harsh climate and conditions of the Red Planet. Students write a 500-word project statement explaining all the different functions and details of their design. The completed project includes a trifold board displaying two design plans and a 3-D model made out of recycled materials.
To learn more about the project, I interviewed Mrs. Fields. Her favorite parts about Marstopia is pushing students to think outside the box, utilize their critical thinking skills, and showing other teachers the completed projects. I asked Mrs. Fields what the most memorable project has been, and she responded that, “The projects I remember are really innovative ideas about the colony. The best projects are really detailed, well thought out, and include things that I wouldn’t have thought of, a kind of ‘wow’ moment. There are always those students that go above and beyond, and really try their best. Those projects, where I can see the effort put in, are always my favorite. All of the most memorable projects also are the best looking; aesthetically pleasing and visually impressive.”
Mrs. Fields stated that the most challenging part of the Marstopia project was being able to write the statement in a logical and clear way. She said that, “Most kids have really great concepts, big ideas, and have a clear sense of what they want to make, but they have a hard time writing it down in their project statements.” Mrs. Fields also touched on the error she’s seen happen most frequently. She said that, “I think the most common mistake is when students write a project statement that isn’t inclusive enough for all of the different details that they need. Some only write a couple of sentences, which is the main cause of problems when building or setting up their trifolds.”
For a student perspective, I interviewed Olivia Gordon, 8th grader and a big fan of the Mars project. She is building a miniature greenhouse so spectators will be able to see what her plans are for growing food on Mars. To take the project one step further, Olivia has planted real seeds! She hopes that the seeds will grow in time for the project due date. “I just love the building part, and I love how challenging it is,” she said. “I want more projects like this in the future.”
Lucy Griesbach, 8th grader, also finds the project challenging, fun, and stimulating. Her only complaint is that there isn’t enough time to build. “We only have three days to build,” she said. “It’s nowhere near enough time, especially for people who really want it to turn out great. I might have to try and work on it at home.”
In closing, I asked Mrs. Fields what she most wanted students to learn from Marstopia. She answered, “I think it really just gets students to think outside the box. It’s a great critical thinking challenge, and also a real world problem. I love that it makes students have to think like a scientist, or more specifically an astrophysicist.” Mrs. Fields also enjoys watching students learn through the project. She said that, “Students definitely seem to enjoy the building stage the most. They get to talk to their friends and use different tools. Most students really love and respond to hands-on learning the best.”
Spotlight on
Mr. Taylor
by Max yashin
This year, Mr. Brian Taylor started as the 6th Grade Dean at River Bend Middle School. In an interview with him I found out that he feels really excited for this school year and he thinks the kids are great. Mr. Taylor said that deans have a lot of responsibilities and he has to learn fast. However, he enjoys the challenge. He really likes the students because they are friendly and have been patient with him as he learns their names. I jokingly asked Mr. Taylor if he has fun getting kids into trouble. He laughed and responded that “I wouldn't say I have fun getting kids in trouble. I enjoy seeing parents take education seriously.” Mr. Taylor said he has not had any major problems yet. His favorite part of being a dean is seeing the growth from 6th to 8th grade. He also thinks the school is great!