May News
Focus on the Arts 

The third and final show of our 2010-2011 season, The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, written by John Bishop and directed by Harold Heno, will be performed May 27 & 28 at 7:30 pm at SKS's Walter Reade, Jr., Theatre.

The Plot: The creative team responsible for an ill-fated Broadway show in which three chorus girls were murdered by the "Stage Door Slasher" is re-united for a backers' audition of a new musical. The scene is the library of a potential angel's suburban estate in Chappaqua, NY. The time, as in the title, is 1940, which means the game is afoot with Nazi saboteurs as well as domestic maniacs--and jokes about the Hollywood of the period.

The cast of The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 began rehearsal back in March. The show has provided laughs and challenges for the Storm King students. Many of the references to movie stars of the era were initially lost upon the actors, but the humor is universal and there's plenty of physical comedy to keep everyone entertained. The set provides surprises, too, with sliding doors, revolving bookcases and secret passageways. The cast includes Kara K as Elsa Von Grossenkneuten, the owner of the estate, Lily S as Helsa Wenzel, her maid, Sam V as Mike Kelly, an undercover New York cop enlisted by Elsa to solve the murders, Andrew T as Roger, the new musical's composer, Katrina W as Bernice, the lyricist, Dwight R as Ken, the director, Julius S as O'Reilly, a tenor auditioning for the show, Frank C as Eddie, a young comedian, Emma L as Nikki, a dancer and Dominique D as Marjorie, a potential backer. Several characters are not who or what they seem to be and the audience is left guessing the identity of "The Slasher" until the end.

We hope you'll join us for an evening of mystery and laughs! Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and children under 12. For advance sale tickets, please call (845) 534-4135.

by Production Manager Anne Fulton 

The way junior Teobista S. explained it, the six students in Dr. Dawn-Michelle Baude's English class had found their studies interesting and fun and wanted to share a bit of what they had learned with the rest of the SKS community. They collaborated to write a script entitled "The Id, The Ego, and The Super Ego," featuring the three components of the psyche in Sigmund Freud's model. One student took each of these parts, while a fourth played the patient, a fifth played the psychotherapist, and the sixth student was the narrator in the short drama. In addition to Freud's theories, students incorporated bits of other psychotherapies (including behavior modification), taking an integrative, pragmatic approach to resolve the patient's conflicts. The underlying theme was that, when experiencing conflict or stress, it helps to talk about it and consider various approaches to work things out. As the students performed their script, Dr. Baude and Creative Arts Center Director Frank Annunziata taped it for them and helped students to edit and present it to peers and faculty during an all-school assembly. It was a fun way to share what the class had covered.

Keisuke Ikuma, principle oboe player for the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, stopped by the School for a brief performance with Storm King's Artist-in-Residence Jim Rensink just before lunch on Wednesday, April 13^th. Mr. Rensink played the piano, accompanying Mr. Ikuma on the oboe. (Mr. Ikuma also plays the English horn.) It is always a delight when Mr. Rensink treats the SKS community to the musical stylings of his professional colleagues. For Mr. Rensink's biography, click here.

Photo by Raymond Erlacher

Kudos to Lucy F, class of 2011, for her solo performance in the Ballet Art Studio's 2011 Spring Concert at the Bardevon on June 4! For more information, click here. Lucy, who has been a student and taken dance classes at SKS since 2005, commented, "Storm King and the Ballet Arts Studio allowed me to develop a broad variety of styles and knowledge. Next, I'm going to Dean College on a dance scholarship to prepare to be a dance teacher."

Lucy and other SKS students will share samples of what they've learned at a Performing and Fine Arts Awards/Dance and Chorus Performance, which is open to family and friends in SKS's Walter Reade, Jr., Theatre on May 31^st. We're all looking forward to this treat!

SKS enjoys a safe, beautiful campus setting. At the same time, its proximity to New York City provides easy access to a wealth of shows, museums, shopping, and restaurants. Performing Arts Chair Harold Heno invited students to join him in seeing the Tony Award nominee musical comedy Catch Me If You Can on Broadway April 30^th, and several students took him up on the offer. "It was a fantastic production, and the students really enjoyed both Sardi's Restaurant and the show," according to Heno. Sardi's, a pre- and post- theatre hangout, is known for its more than 1,300 caricatures of celebrities displayed on its walls. Exclaimed Elana K, "It was fun, fun, fun!"

The much anticipated International Fair took place on Wednesday, April 20^th. Students in Ms. Anna Stein's Spanish classes and Ms. Kristen Casey and Ms. Lan Ngo's ESL classes each chose a country, their country of origin for many, and prepared colorful poster boards, signature dishes, crafts, music, and more.

The Dining Room bustled with activity as students, faculty, and staff milled around sampling foods and learning about the various cultures and traditions. Offerings included an assortment of teas, limeade, empanada, chia, dumplings, kimchi, fried rice, papas a la Huanacaina, dulce de leche, salsa, and black bean soup. The kitchen staff even participated this year and received rave reviews of their Mexican tostada. Represented countries included China, Korea, Kazakhstan, Peru, Taiwan, Columbia, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Mexico, the Ukraine, and Spain.

For weeks, candy streamers and colorful posters lined the hallway of Orr Commons, as the Prom Committee heavily promoted the "Sugar Rush" themed event, held April 29th. Mountainville Manor provided a beautiful setting for the festive, well-attended event. The Prom Committee arrived early and transformed the room with over-sized candy decor, balloons, glow sticks, and jars and vases of various candies. Guests arrived in tuxedos and gowns, with hair done up and nails polished, looking and feeling fabulous.

Highlights of the night included the crowning of this year's Prom King and Queen, Sam V. and Crystal F., and the lively sounds of DJ Eric Santana, who entertained the crowd with a big screen and bubble machine. The dance floor was hoppin' all evening!  

Japan Relief Yard Sale

The news of Japan's earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis hit The Storm King School community hard. As students watched the grim media coverage, they couldn't help but think of alumni and friends living throughout the region. They wanted to help.

Teacher Lan Ngo traveled from dorm to dorm in the evenings, talking with students about the disaster and collecting donations. In just four days, $530 was raised. After research, discussions, and communications with friends in Japan, they decided to donate the funds to Doctors without Borders.

A group of compassionate, ambitious students organized a community yard sale fundraiser. Students, faculty, parents, and friends donated a variety of clothing, electronics, toys, books, records, student artwork, and more. The Cougar Boosters sold refreshments as well. These proceeds went to CARE, an organization that provides emergency relief in the aftermath of a natural disaster and longer term community rehabilitation.

SKS's thoughts and prayers continue to go out to its Japanese alumni and fellow citizens.

The following are excerpts from comments written by Kevin Wilkins, a member of the faculty who, like most members of the faculty, is also a coach and a dorm parent.

"This year, Geometry class has been quite unique. The group is diverse in both ability and interests... I decided to teach the ratio and proportion chapter by assigning a group project. The details of the project were simple: They were to choose a building or landscape on campus and create a replica of what they had chosen, scaled down to fit in the classroom. The task was daunting, and... students spent long hours, during class and after school, working on their models. All in all, the projects turned out to be excellent, and were placed on view in the hallway of Stillman. The projects turned out to be a topic of discussion for quite some time."

Mr. Wilkins's job is far from over when he leaves his classroom each afternoon...

                       
"In Dempsey Dormitory this year, Mr. Shovan and I have 22 teenagers, ages 14 to 19, from five different countries. We have the unique opportunity to build a unified residence among a diverse crowd. It began with an unannounced pizza party on a Tuesday night in September. As dorm parents, we knew that keeping the dorm "together" was very important to promote a sense of community. A weekly dorm meeting and an open door policy until lights out are two ways we foster this idea of community. These meetings, combined with the new system of dorm leaders (a returning student serves as a big brother to a group of five or six younger students), gave way to a sense of unity, which came naturally. On snow days, during the winter months, we met for hot chocolate and watched basketball games as a dorm--everybody rooted for a different team!" 

The Storm King School's History Department welcomes Jackie Berghela this semester as she fulfills her student teaching practicum. Ms. Berghela taught Global History I and is teaching Eighth Grade U.S. History under the guidance of History Chair Jonathan Meisel and History Teacher Kristen Shuart.

Ms. Berghela brings energy and spirit to her position and is enjoying her experience just as much as her students are! She remarks, "Students are so nice here and, with the small classes, it's much easier to get focused at the beginning of each class and so much easier to zero in on each student's need for extra help. There is definitely a difference that people should know about." She continues, "More than a school, Storm King is a warm and supportive learning community... The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, offering me a wealth of teaching advice and guidance. Storm King opened my eyes to the world of independent schools and the endless opportunities they offer."

Ms. Berghela graduates later this month, and we wish her all the best as she heads to her next gig at The International School in Seoul, Korea!

On Monday, May 2, the Storm King Boys Varsity Lacrosse team travelled down the mountain to face arch rival New York Military Academy. The team was hungry for a victory, but at halftime the Cougars trailed NYMA 7-1. Coaches Graziosi and Russo delivered a pep talk and reminded the players of how much they wanted this win. Storm King worked to close the gap in the third quarter, bringing the score to 7-3, still trailing their rivals. Finally, the young Cougars took control of the game and imposed their will on NYMA in the fourth quarter by outscoring the Knights 8-3 in a stunning 11-10 victory. This victory will go down as one of the greatest moments in the history of Storm King's Lacrosse program.

Saturday, June 18, 2011     10:00 am-12:00 pm

Saturday, June 25, 2011     10:00 am-12:00 pm

Saturday, July 16, 2011     10:00 am-12:00 pm

Saturday, August 6, 2011     10:00 am-12:00 pm

Saturday, August 13, 2011     10:00 am-12:00 pm

These Open Houses start in Orr Commons in the center of The Storm King School campus.  We will start with a tour of the campus after brief welcoming remarks.  You will learn about the School and its programs.  After the tour, you will see a short video about the School and participate in a discussion about the application process. 

It is helpful if you call (845-534-9860) to register in advance.