News Briefs: Catch up on school and local news

The art department will showcase hundreds of works of art in the Commons and the art hallways from students in SM East and its feeder schools until Nov. 21 for the second annual East Area Art Fair.

“Other high school feeder patterns have art fairs like this, where all the schools that feed into that high school do a similar kind of exhibition,” art teacher Adam Finkelston said. “We just wanted to do something similar at East. It really helps promote the program.”

The fair’s reception is on Wednesday in the Commons from 3-6 p.m. The reception will include jazz music, face painting and student-led demonstrations on wheel throwing, darkroom photography and printmaking. Art Club members will give tours of the department for younger students and their parents.

Paintings, photographs, sculptures and ceramics will be among the types of art on display throughout the second floor. Students will be able to view the gallery for several weeks, but students and parents from feeder schools will only be able to see works at the reception.

Finkelston encourages parents and students from SM East’s elementary and middle schools to attend to learn more about what the art program has to offer. He also advises current high school students to check out the gallery at the reception and during the school day.

“It’s just nice to remember your elementary art school teachers and see the stuff you remember," Finkelston said. “You might even see projects that you did when you were in elementary school.”

Theatre’s “Bye Bye Birdie” musical runs Thursday through Saturday at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. Admission is free with a student ID or $10 by cash or check. 

The Tony Award-winning 1960 stage musical is about rock star Conrad Birdie, who is drafted into the Army in the 1950s. As a publicity stunt, Birdie is arranged to kiss teen fan Kim MacAfee on live TV, causing chaos in a small town in Ohio.

The show is SM East’s first musical produced in the fall in 10 years, as well as the first “Bye Bye Birdie” performance in over a decade. The show was selected due to its recent Broadway revivals, according to musical director and theatre teacher Tom DeFeo.

“A lot of people like [Bye Bye Birdie],” senior Jordan O'Brien, who plays Mrs. MacAfee, said. “I think it’s the first time in a while we’ve done a show where people are like ‘Oh yeah, I’ve definitely heard of that show.’”

DeFeo says the musical is in the fall this year because of issues with sick actors last winter during “Zombie Prom.” The show’s cast is larger, and many actors double and triple up on roles. The musical also uses eight student-made backdrops, compared to a typical three. 

O’Brien says that while the show has a larger cast, the ensemble is less involved than in previous musicals, with the final number centering around the two main characters. Despite this, she feels that the main cast was well-selected.

“Everyone’s really good friends. I feel like we’re all really close,” O’Brien said. “I think the dynamics are pretty good, and we’ll only get closer as the show gets closer.”

Youth and Government sent five delegates to the State Conference at the University of Kansas Edwards campus on Nov. 3 for the first conference in four years after closing during the pandemic. More than 40 delegates from across the state met to compete to pass their own original bills on issues ranging from gun control to nuclear energy in a mock simulation of state government.

“I thought that it was a really fun conference and a great experience for all the people there,” YAG president and senior Eliza King said. “It was definitely a bit difficult at the start to get used to all the different phrases and how we had to act as legislators, but as I went through the day, I felt a lot more confident.”

King won distinction as an "Outstanding Statesperson” in the House, and junior Anna Nazar was elected as Secretary of State for next year’s conference. King was also one of five delegates to pass her bill through committee and both branches of Congress.

Nazar registered for the conference because she aims to major in history or political science in college. Her bill on food allergy disclosure in Kansas restaurants passed in committee and the Senate but failed in the House.

“Writing my own bill was very fun,” Nazar said. “I’ve written two bills before, [but] it was definitely a new experience since I’m not very used to writing them. I definitely learned a lot about ambiguous language.”

Outside of mock legislation, the Youth and Government club sets up voting presentations for seniors in the fall and a politician panel in the spring. King encourages students to join the club to gain hands-on experience with local government. 

“Through our club, you can become a part of a lot of important things, like hosting politicians, getting in touch with local policymakers and really feeling like you have the ability to make an impact in your community and on a larger scale,” King said. “That’s really powerful and exciting.”