Several ‘Cappies’ go to the academy The...

Several ‘Cappies’ go to the academy

The Academy for the Performing Arts was Orange County’s biggest

winner in the 2004 “Cappies” Awards.

The “Cappies,” the Critics and Awards Program for High School

Theater, teaches high school students to write reviews of high school

performances.

At the end of the school year, the student critics nominate the

performers for awards. This was the first year Orange County schools

participated in the program.

“[The program] was designed, one, to reinforce writing, and two,

to bring recognition to the arts, similar to sports,” Academy

Director Diane Makas-Weber said.

The Academy won 10 awards, the most of any other school in the

county, including a Best Musical prize for “Damn Yankees.” Many of

that show’s cast members received individual honors. Matt Bartosch

was named Best Male Vocalist. The awards for Best Featured Actor and

Actress in a Musical were given to Nathan Singh and Courtney Davis.

Sean McBride was named Best Male Dancer and Ashley Singh won the

honor for Best Props and Effects. “The Senators” from the play were

named Best Ensemble.

Other winners from the Academy were Elizabeth Olgun, Katie Merrill

and Nicole Weber. Elizabeth won the Best Comic Actress in a Play for

her role in “Baby With the Bathwater.” Katie received the Best

Costumes award for her work with the same play. Nicole was named Best

Female Critic.

Huntington Beach had a lock on the critics’ awards. Brethren

Christian High School’s Andrew Yamaguchi won for Best Male Critic.

The awards were handed out Sunday at a ceremony at the Huntington

Beach High School Theatre.

Bible initiative won’t make ballot

A petition drive for an initiative proposed by a Huntington Beach

attorney that would have let voters to decide whether the King James

Bible would be passed out to public school students did not garner

enough signatures to make the ballot.

Matt McLaughlin, the proponent of the initiative, began collecting

signatures in January. He said he was undeterred by the setback, and

was encouraged by the amount of signatures received in the final

weeks of the effort.

“I’ve never done this before, and I learned a lot by doing it,”

McLaughlin said.

He plans to give the idea another shot next year, and hopes to

make the ballot in 2006, he said.

A ‘grand’ performance for piano

Music students at Marine View Middle School capped off their drive

for a new piano on Friday.

The school purchased a new Yamaha grand piano in April with a loan

from the Ocean View School district, but needed to raise the full

price, about $26,000, on their own. After other efforts to find

sponsors, a student performance put them over the top.

“[We] took in the rest of the money and a little bit more,” parent

volunteer Wendy Weber said.

The show included a performance by the school’s singing Jazz

Ensemble. Band students who were joined by players from Golden West

College Jazz Band and professional jazz musician Tom Kubis. For the

finale, students performed a surprise encore for their teachers,

singing “The Wind Beneath My Wings.” Fourteen-year-old Amanda

Clifford played piano.

“You got more entertainment than $10 could buy,” Weber said,

referring to the adult ticket price for the performance.

Children perform for a good cause

Fourth-graders at Sun View Elementary School put on a

song-and-dance show that raised about $400 for the homeless.

The students performed numbers including “I Won’t Grow Up,” from

“Peter Pan,” for parents at the school’s open house on May 19. In

addition to the money, the children collected blankets and canned

food for a homeless shelter in Midway City.

The show was voluntary, but teacher Rebecca Chang said children

from three classrooms were happy to be in the show.

“They don’t have to participate, but they all do and they get real

excited,” Chang said.