banquet time...finally!

May 14.
6PM.
Faculty Dining Room.

We supply the chicken, plates, napkins, and plasticware.
You supply the salads, appetizers and desserts.

We supply the awards.
You supply the entertainment.

It's the 2009 Forensics Banquet!

See Lain or Jeffrey for showcase signup.
Parents are welcome and desired.

Contact Lain or me to let us know that you are coming, how many will be here from your family, and what you'll be bringing. Let us know ASAP, but definitely by Monday!

It's the most fun you'll have in May without putting on a tux or a fancy dress!

And BTW... watch for our after school spring workshops the last two weeks of May!

--kt

banquet postponed

Our forensics banquet, scheduled for next Thursday, April 16, has been postponed until May (tentative date: Thursday, May 7). This will allow everyone to get through the musical and breathe a bit. Lain and Jeffrey will organize the showcase aspect. As the date approaches (again), we will need to work on who will bring what, but for now, please focus on school and making Thoroughly Modern Millie the best musical it can possibly be.

Please spread the word to everyone, and remember to invite parents; it is a family affair.

Sending this status update from ping.fm to four networks at once!

Officers and Banquet

Congratulations to next year's Leadership Council:

Captains: Jeffrey Niedermaier and Lain Kienzle
Novice Leader: Neil Phelps
Secretary: Jenny Poth
Archivist: Julia Calabrese

This year's awards banquet will be held on Thursday, April 16. To avoid interference rehearsal or sports practice on that day, and to make it possible for parents to attend (and of course they are invited!) we will not begin until 6 PM. We'll have dinner and awards and a showcase. Jeffrey and Lain will contact you about the latter.

--kt

Seeking Other Officers

The Forensics Team leadership (coaches and captains) is actively seeking other officer candidates for the 2009-2010 school year for the following positions:

Novice Leader

• This officer's responsibility as a member of the Leadership Council is to assist the captains and coaches with the tasks required to organize and run the team.
  
• The Novice Leader's specific area is focused on working with novices, making sure that they are becoming acclimated to the team, personally getting to know them, and assuring that they are working on their pieces in a timely fashion.
  
• The Novice Leader may also be called upon at times to help them to find pieces and to work with them in a practice capacity.
  
• Socially, the Novice Leader is a bridge or liaison between the novices and the varsity members of the team, helping them to integrate quickly into our routines. The officer might help to arrange gatherings specifically aimed at the novices, for example, and should take a special interest in their achievements, noting them at meetings, etc.

Secretary

• This officer's responsibility as a member of the Leadership Council is to assist the captains and coaches with the tasks required to organize and run the team.
• The Secretary will be responsible to keep an accurate record of attendance at all meetings and all forensics team functions in order to provide a measure for eligibility for tournaments, etc.
• The Secretary will keep records of performance at each tournament throughout the season, recording team and individual performances on a spreadsheet as a measure that aids coaches in determining end of season awards.
  
• The Secretary will keep a running tabulation of SCOTIE-bound team members.
• The Secretary will maintain the organization of the bookcase and file cabinet throughout the year and keep track of books that leave the room so that they can be returned in a timely manner.
• The Secretary will sign out black books and stop watches to team members who need them.

Archivist

• This officer's responsibility as a member of the Leadership Council is to assist the captains and coaches with the tasks required to organize and run the team.
• The Archivist's special responsibility is to chronicle the year for the forensics team. This may involve photography, videotaping, or any other kind of record.
• The Archivist should ideally be someone interested in an knowledgeable about the skills necessary to perform this role well, though an enthusiastic newcomer would be considered.
  
• The Archivist should ideally be someone knowledgeable enough in the use of editing software to create a DVD record of the season.
• It is the responsibility of the Archivist to be present at team functions, both formal and informal, and to take pictures or videos. If the officer cannot be present, he or she may designate a substitute.

If anyone desires to be considered for these positions, please contact Mrs Topham as soon as possible.

2009-2010

Congratulations to:

Lain Kienzle and Jeffrey Niedermaier

2009-2010 Forensics Team Captains


Congratulations also to our own double SCOTIE winner Megan Pratt for her lead role in the musical!!!

Looking ahead

Our next events are SCOTIE, the banquet, and the showcase.

SCOTIE is February 27-28. Here is the roster of eligible people:

Lake Forest - 11 total entries

Dramatic Duet Acting

1: Jeffrey Niedermaier and Megan Pratt (Varsity)

Dramatic Interpretation

1: Julia Hankins (Varsity)
2: Sarah Hayes (Novice) *

Extemporaneous Speaking

1: Mark Torcivia (Varsity)
2: Molly Durot (Varsity)

Improvisational Duet Acting

1: Julia Hankins and Jeffrey Niedermaier

Original Oratory

1: Danielle Springer (Varsity)

Poetry Reading

1: Megan Pratt (Varsity)

Radio Speaking

1: Jeff Nickels (Varsity)
2: Alex Kroger (Novice)

Special Occasion Speaking

1: Hannah Gersten (Novice) *

* There is a new rule this year that makes a novice eligible if he or she competed in a final round of a varsity tournament.

If you are listed here and are not interested in attending SCOTIE, let us know ASAP. Otherwise we will need to work with you to maintain the freshness of your piece(s). See your coach for practice times.

This festival also has IDA, WI and OPP. If you are listed here as eligible and would like to participate in one of these as a second event, let me know ASAP.

There is a team karaoke event limited to the first ten teams who enter. Interested?

KT

We are canceling this week.

Giving in to reality, I am pulling us out of this week's final tournament. We have had a spate of new drops in just the last 24 hours, leaving what was already a light team pretty decimated. Especially considering that no one has the time to practice, it is not worth the money we will have to spend to attend this one.

We will get back to you on SCOTIE and our banquet/showcase.

--KT

Alan B Shepard 1/31

Jan. 31—ALAN B. SHEPARD

event
DDA	Megan/Jeffrey
DI	Julia Hankins
HDA	Julia C/Elizabeth
HI	Katie M	Hannah G
ES	Mark T
IS	Neil P
OC	Neil P	Andrew P
OD	Elizabeth
OO	Danielle S
PR	Megan P
RS	Alex K	Jenny P	Jeff N	Andrew P
SOS	Hannah G
VR	Momina K	Lily A	Julia C

This is the roster as of today. The tournament is on. Our next regular meeting will be Friday after school for everyone, followed by practice for those going to Shepard.

If you are not on this roster but would like to be, contact me ASAP.

KT

LIBERTYVILLE

Saturday's bus leaves at 6:30.

Be on time.

Make sure you have practiced and your coach has acknowledged that you are OK to go.

Watch tomorrow for an updated roster.

KT

VERY IMPORTANT

I need to know IMMEDIATELY if you are intending to go on the 1/31 tournament to Alan B. Shepard High School. Thus far only two people have signed up. When we sent out our season availability list, the only NO for that date was Hayley Koch. Megan Pratt was a maybe. All others were YES.

We signed up for these tournaments counting on the availability that you declared. We have already canceled two of them, costing the team both money and credibility (which may ultimately prove to be the most costly problem). If I have to cancel yet another I will, but I will not like it at all.

Please let me know RIGHT AWAY if you are going to Shepard. Drop by and sign the sheet. Same rules as Libertyville: if you are NOT going, sign outside the grid.

--KT

january 16 update...update

have you lost a ring?

One of my sophomores found a fairly expensive girl's ring in the classroom just before T-Fest. If you have lost one, and think it might be yours, email me and describe it.


4n6 status update

Going into the final fortnight of the season, here's the situation...
We will no longer be attending Geneva. The roster for next week is as follows:

Jan. 24--LIBERTYVILLE

event
DDA	Megan/Jeffrey
DI
HDA	Catherine/Barrett	Julia/Elizabeth	Jenny/Connor
HI	Hannah
ES	Molly	Jenny
IS	Molly	Neil
OC	Neil	Andrew
OD	Catherine	Elizabeth
OO	Danielle
PR	Grace	Megan
RS	Alex	Jeff	Andrew
SOS	Hannah
VR	Sondra	Julia

Only the following have signed as unable to attend: Emily, Kelsey, Julia H, Brittany, Mac, Lily.

If anyone else is thinking of going to this tournament, contact me ASAP. Everyone must work next week with a coach. Due to confusion this week caused by my own illness and last-minute musical rehearsals, we may at the discretion of the coach allow you to compete with two practices instead of the three we had previously announced over the January practice period.

finals week

Practices with coaches must be arranged individually during the exam week. While coaches may be available after school Tuesday and/or Wednesday, other times are up to you to arrange. Remember, all participants in the Libertyville tournament must practice at least three times (twice at coach's discretion) by the 23rd.

musical and shepard

There will be musical auditions all week during the days leading up to the Shepard tournament, so we do not expect many of you to be able to practice that week until Friday, which is a day off from auditions. Therefore, there will not be any regularly scheduled forensics the final week of January until Friday 1/30.

Friday 1/30 will be a general meeting and then a practice for the 1/31 tournament.

team leadership 2009-2010

If you are a junior and are interested in being considered for a team leadership position for next year, contact me ASAP. We would like to have leadership in place within the next few weeks. The first job of next year's leaders will be to arrange the team banquet and showcase.

january news

Week of January 6 Update:

• We will not be going to Rolling Meadows (1/17)
• Our team photo is next Monday immediately after school in Room 305.
• Theatre fest leaves after fourth period on Thursday.

January 24 Tournaments Update:

• If you have not yet signed the roster, you must come up and do so!!!
• Sign whether you are attending this tournament or not; we need to know.
• If you are attending: sign the roster slot(s) appropriate to your event(s).
• If you are not attending, put you name in the space below the grid; this will let us know that you have seen the sign-up sheet and have stated your intentions.
• We need this information this week in order to determine whether we should cancel one of the two tournaments we've signed up for.

Everyone must come in to practice with a coach at least three times between now and January 24. Do not wait until the last week!!!! It's exam week, and three times won't happen! Spread it out.

Juniors:

If you are interested in becoming an officer for next year's team, see me or email me. We would like to have the new officer's group in place at the end of the month.