Reading Olympics Lindsay Shuster

 On March 12, 2015, I interviewed Masterman's Librarian Mrs. Kearney about Reading Olympics. Reading Olympics is a city-wide competition to encourage  reading teamwork for Charter, Public, and Catholic schools. This is for grades 4-8, and is sponsored by PHILADELPHIA READS, The Free Library, the School District of Philadelphia, the Archdiocese and the City of Philadelphia. The two divisions are from grades  4-6, and from grades 7-8, with 10-12 members on each team. Each team is given a list of 15-20 books and they have to read their selection or 5 of those books. At the competitions, each member must answer questions about the books they have read. An example of a book that is in the selection is a Fantasy called, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein. Masterman's team will go to different campuses in May for the competition. Thank you to Mrs. Kearney for this information.

The Wiz

The Wiz

by: Filip Przybycien

“The Wiz”, a Charlie Smalls musical, was a great hit. Directed by Calvin Atkinson and accompanied by Dr. Shapiro, the musical was a huge success. Having a cast of over 50 high schoolers and over 70 middle school students, the cast performed wonderful shows, even with the weather and date change.

“The Wiz” begins like the original “Wizard of Oz” with Dorothy(Maryanne Cosgrove) and Aunt Em(Anna Luce) talking. A tornado comes along and Dorothy lands in Munchkinland, frightened and spooked that she killed the Wicked Witch of the East. Addapearle(Nell Amari) and the Munchkins(Middle School Cast) set Dorothy on her way to the Wiz. On the way, she meet the Scarecrow(Tyler Harrison), the Tinman(Leonard Meirson), and the Lion(Atamanu Hagins). They encounter Kalidahs and the horrible Poppies. When they reach the Emerald City, everyone laughs at their presence but once they see that Dorothy as the late witch’s slippers, they let her in to the Wiz(Chaz Wattley). There, they get to meet him and ask for what they want.

Act Two starts in Evillene’s(Wicked Witch of the West; Zanae Rorer) castle and her and her forced-into-labor high school ensemble. The Monkeys(Middle School Cast; Jack, Graeme, Simon, Atamosi, Kimmy, Andy, Scott) fly in to arrest the group of travelers. Dorothy luckily melts the witch and “Everybody Rejoices.” Then, with another visit to the Wiz, Dorothy loses hope due to the Wiz leaving her. Glinda and Addapearle come to the rescue and give the “click your heels three times” speech. Dorothy goes home and everybody gets what they wanted.

“The Wiz” was a hard show to perform. With all the snow days and rehearsals they had, they still managed to get through. Special thanks to all who helped the cause and always showing up when needed.

Poem Column

Poem Column

From you have I been absent in the spring... (Sonnet 98) by William Shakespeare

From you have I been absent in the spring,
When proud-pied April, dressed in all his trim,
Hath put a spirit of youth in everything,
That heavy Saturn laughed and leaped with him,
Yet nor the lays of birds, nor the sweet smell
Of different flowers in odor and in hue,
Could make me any summer's story tell,
Or from their proud lap pluck them where they grew.
Nor did I wonder at the lily's white,
Nor praise the deep vermilion in the rose;
They were but sweet, but figures of delight,
Drawn after you, you pattern of all those.
Yet seemed it winter still, and, you away,
As with your shadow I with these did play.

                                                                                
A Thank-You Note By Michael Ryan

For John Skoyles

My daughter made drawings with the pens you sent,

line drawings that suggest the things they represent,

different from any drawings she — at ten — had done,

closer to real art, implying what the mind fills in.

For her mother she made a flower fragile on its stem;

for me, a lion, calm, contained, but not a handsome one.

She drew a lion for me once before, on a get-well card,

and wrote I must be brave even when it’s hard.

Such love is healing — as you know, my friend,

especially when it comes unbidden from our children

despite the flaws they see so vividly in us.

Who can love you as your child does?

Your son so ill, the brutal chemo, his looming loss

owning you now — yet you would be this generous

to think of my child. With the pens you sent

she has made I hope a healing instrument.

Poem By Muriel Rukeyser

I lived in the first century of world wars.

Most mornings I would be more or less insane,

The newspapers would arrive with their careless stories,

The news would pour out of various devices

Interrupted by attempts to sell products to the unseen.

I would call my friends on other devices;

They would be more or less mad for similar reasons.

Slowly I would get to pen and paper,

Make my poems for others unseen and unborn.

In the day I would be reminded of those men and women,

Brave, setting up signals across vast distances,

Considering a nameless way of living, of almost unimagined values.

As the lights darkened, as the lights of night brightened,

We would try to imagine them, try to find each other,

To construct peace, to make love, to reconcile

Waking with sleeping, ourselves with each other,

Ourselves with ourselves. We would try by any means

To reach the limits of ourselves, to reach beyond ourselves,

To let go the means, to wake.

I lived in the first century of these wars.

The Goddess Who Created This Passing World 

By Alice Notley

The Goddess who created this passing world
Said Let there be lightbulbs & liquefaction
Life spilled out onto the street, colors whirled
Cars & the variously shod feet were born
And the past & future & I born too  
Light as airmail paper away she flew  
To Annapurna or Mt. McKinley  
Or both but instantly
Clarified, composed, forever was I  
Meant by her to recognize a painting  
As beautiful or a movie stunning  
And to adore the finitude of words  
And understand as surfaces my dreams  
Know the eye the organ of affection  
And depths to be inflections  
Of her voice & wrist & smile