Field trips open minds of students

With the school year quickly coming to an end, restless students are excited to jump out of their seats as both MAP and drama are venturing to Southern California on class field trips.
Drama plays with other schools

Because the drama department is a member of the Thespian Troupe of the International Thespian Society, an organization that recognizes the excellence in the work of theatre students, the department has been invited to attend the California State Conference held at Upland High School from March 22 to 25.

Students will prepare pieces, such as monologues and songs. Then, judges compare their performance of those of thousands of other drama students.

Besides the International Thespian Society competition, the students will also attend workshops and festival events. The festival showcases half an hour of its plays that get high ratings.

Earlier in the year, the department performed the musical, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” and hopes to enter it to be showcased on stage too.

After the conference, the students will spend the day at Disneyland.

“Besides Disneyland, I’m most excited to meet people,” senior Penny Burgess said. “Our department has around 50 people, but there are at least a thousand people at the conference who all share the same interests as us,” “It’s just really fun to be with a huge group of people who enjoy drama just as much as we do.”

The students also learn a lot from watching each other and exchanging feedback between peers.

“It’s interesting to see what other schools are doing and the level of talent that’s out there,” Burgess said.

Usually the trip occurs prior to spring break, allowing a resting period for students. However, due to the schedule of the state conference, the trip has been pushed to the middle a six-week grading period.

“This time we’re going to be a lot more tired,” Burgess said. “However, that isn’t stopping me from wanting to go at all.”

MAP looks at the bigger picture

MAP students will be in Los Angeles from May 16 to 22 to Los Angeles. The itinerary involves college visits to USC and Chapman, and studio visits to Warner Brothers and Paramount.

Students are also going to Universal Studios and attending the new Cirque Du Soleil show, “Iris,” which is based on the history of filmmaking.

Along with the touring, students are expected to work on MAP projects, which requires students to use media to capture their material. The gathered information, photographs, footage and film is used for the annual Saratoga Media Arts Honor Showcase Night (SMASH’N), a recognition from MAP staff members honoring students and their works, to be held on June 1.

Last year, the projects given were assigned themes, requiring students create a montage of pictures they took.

The goal of the trip is to show students the college and career aspect of media arts.

“There are a lot of avenues at the university level for media arts program,” MAP Coordinator Kerry Mohnike said. “It’s not just about being a moviemaker; there are a plethora of things students can do. California’s third highest industry is entertainment, so there are a lot of opportunities beyond what students tend to believe.”