Spring Brings Creativity to East Wake Students

Trash to Fashion: Seniors Rebekah Irwin and Kaitlynn Blow stand together during the Rubbish to Runway Trashion Show. Blow’s dress, made of random odds and ends including dental floss, was modeled by Irwin. Blow’s original design was different and at one point was set to make noise as she bounced between the idea of using playing cards or aluminum cans. “I wanted to use something weird at first and I spent a lot of time--too much time, with the whole process of making the dress,” laughed Blow. She also described the fashion show as “awesome” and noted that it gave her goosebumps. Photo courtesy of Mrs. Bostic.

By: Gabby Talucci

East Wake students showcased their artistic abilities during the month of May. The town of Wendell hosted its first Art Walk on the May 16th as part of the local Spring Fling. Seniors Kaitlynn Blow and Michael Russo, who participated in the event, will have their paintings hung at the Town Hall for the next month. Blow also joined in on the third annual “Rubbish to Runway Trashion Show” presented at the Mercedes Benz in Durham by Mercedes Benz and FRANK where she entered her self designed and constructed dress. The dress was made of aluminum cans, dental floss, trash bags, and bottle caps and was modeled by senior Rebekah Irwin.

In addition, Artsplosure accepted pieces from East Wake students Sheldon Campbell, Sofia Caprio, Angie Mejia-Leiba, and Summer Sims. These pieces were displayed in downtown Raleigh in the PNC Plaza. Ms. Bostic, the art teacher who helped the students enter, was very proud of the display of artistic ability. “It is an amazing feeling to have my students have their work validated by the community.I know that all judging and contests are subjective, but when someone besides myself recognizes the talents of our students, it's awesome!”

Time to Dance: EWHS Dance Classes Show Off Skills at Recital

By: Diamond Evans

On Thursday, May 5th East Wake High School performed a dance recital.  Dance teacher Ms. Cathy Wills had her students from each period perform that night as part of their class grade.  It was a student-led production, as students worked hard to develop choreography, costumes, lighting cues, music cuts, and marketing for the event. The majority of the dancers were nervous but excited at the same time. The admission of the event was $5 for students and $7 for adults.  Sophomore Demaria Jackson stated, “I think we put a lot into our recital: good dedication and hard work; there were a few bumps, but of course we managed to get through it. It was fun to see what would could create by ourselves.”

The types of dances that were performed were African, musical theatre, ballet, hip-hop, tap dancing, and lyrical.  The performers wore clothes that fit in with each theme of the songs. During the two acts a total of 23 dances were performed, 12 dances in the first act and 11 in the second.  The beginning of the recital started off with a poem dance written by Kimia Bell, Unique Champion, Ashleigh Tew, Christina Valentic, and Katye Wainwright, where each person expressed herself through her own dance.  The finale was “7/11,” by Beyoncé and performed by all of the dancers in all three of Ms. Wills’ classes.

Freedom! Sophomores Amani Boyd, D’lijah Ellis, and Shawnie Green dance to their West African song about freedom at the dance recital on May 5th. “I was the most nervous about performing the African dance; it took us a very long time to put it together to get it RIGHT! I was so anxious about it I was counting out loud on stage to make sure that we’d stay together,” commented Green.

Students Prepare as They Count Down the Days to Recital

By: Shawnie Green

“Time to Dance, May 5th, admission: $7 for adults and $5 for students”--Everyday students hear that announcement being made, and when walking through the halls they see posters advertising the recital as well.

As the recital quickly approaches and is only a few weeks away, dance teacher Ms. Cathy Wills and her students are working extra hard to make sure it is perfect. Even under the pressure everyone seems to be handling everything pretty calmly. Junior Erin Matthews said, “The most important thing we do is practice dancing full out and give each dance pros and cons.”

Junior Erin Matthews rehearses with her classmates in their student choreographed lyrical dance. “I love my small group and I can't wait to dance at the recital.”-Erin Matthews, 11

Another important aspect of recital prep is marketing and stage readiness. Ms. Wills and her students have been getting the stage ready by setting up the backdrops and programming lights and music, “which are just as important,” says freshman Sequoia Edwards. The students made posters to hang around the school to advertise the recital along with a morning announcement to get the word out, hoping to reach more people for the dance recital.

EWHS Students Take Off to the Big Apple!

By: Diamond Evans

Senior Miles Lister, who plays the French horn, went to New York City with the band this April.  Other seniors in band and chorus went along with him too.  He said it was a different but fun experience having to go to a whole other state just to perform.  The main reason why they went on this trip was for the fun of it.  Mrs.Amy Parker, chorus teacher, said, “It’s something that the old teacher did before Mr.Mason came; they would go every four years, so that everyone will be able to go during their senior year.”  Lister also said that the concert went well and it was very interesting because he never did something big like that before.  They stayed in a hotel in New Jersey and walked around the city eating tasty, cold sandwiches and hot, fresh pizza.  They left on Friday, April 15th and came back the following Sunday.  He said that the bus was a very long and uncomfortable ride because they didn’t take many breaks.  But, overall it was a fantastic experience!

Senior Isaac Faulker displays his trumpet case after returning from his trip to New York with the band. He added the sticker “I <3 NY” as a reminder that he did something fun in his last year of band and chorus.

First Ever Poetry Reading and Art Show Brings Out Crowds

By: Keely White

Free snacks, poetry reading and amazing art! On April 6th East Wake High School's National Art Honor Society and poetry club held its first art show and poetry reading. Students, parents and faculty were invited to come out from 6:30-7:30 to look at student-created artwork and poetry. The type of art included photography, paintings, jewelry and drawings. Megan Bostic, the school's art teacher and National Art Honor Society adviser said, "It was inspiring for me to be a part of the event and witness the bravery of the students who volunteered to read their poetry out loud to our audience. It was encouraging for me to see the parent support present and students bringing their parents and family members in to show off their art pieces." Earlier that day a couple of students who wanted to read their poems but would be unable to attend recorded themselves reading their poems, so the video could be played that night. This gave everyone a chance to participate and added to the event’s artistic atmosphere. Overall, the art show and poetry reading was a great turn out, and everyone had a good time and got to see some amazing art.

Sophomore Megan Faircloth and her family look and observe the artwork created by the students at East Wake. She was one of the few students who had the courage to read her poem in front of the audience. “I really enjoyed seeing the cool art work everyone made and being able to share a poem that means a lot to me," stated Faircloth.