Upper School Performs Annie
By Ciara O’Connor '14​

 

On Thursday and Friday, November 16 and 15, students in the Upper School performed the fall musical, the perennial favorite Annie. The cast consisted of fifteen students from all grades, as well as alumna Lily O’Brien, Boston College High School student Michael Middleton, and faculty members Mr. Badini and Mr. Sullivan. This production had more student participation than any other Upper School production in several years. 

“I was really excited about the surge in interest for this musical,” says Cristina Gallo ’14, who plays the conniving villain, Miss Hannigan in the show. “The musical Annie usually requires a large cast, and luckily, with the increase in participation, we were able to execute it well. The larger cast, though it had its challenges, provided many benefits, including impressive ensemble numbers, and a large pool of talent. We all enjoyed performing Annie because it is has an extremely fun atmosphere; people really got a kick out of making these famous characters come to life, and the audience really saw and appreciated that. However, there is an added challenge of doing well-known musicals, because everyone knows them and people are familiar with the songs and characters, which forces us to focus on living up to the audience’s expectations. But even with this pressure it was great that the audience was so positive. This was one of the most highly attended shows that I have done at NCDS. Also, the costumes were amazing. The costume designers tried to stay true to the characters and the time period.”

 In response to the expectations for the show leading lady, Stephanie Fox ’13, says “there was a lot of pressure now especially because Annie is on broadway. Luckily we started early in the year so we could all create the character on our own. We actually tried to stay true to the comics instead of the movie, which is difficult because the audience always has an expectation especially regarding songs and characters from the movie. However when the audience member goes in with an open mind, they will never be disappointed. The fact that we did a more well-known show has contributed to the participation in the show. Everyone was really passionate about it and really involved. As a senior, it’s great to know that there will be great productions in the future after this grade graduates.  I think that Annie was the best show yet, of all my experience at NCDS. It is fun to perform because it is a comedy and a light show so that we could all really have fun with it, and because we portrayed comic characters, we got to go above and beyond and put everything out there. It was great to have the whole school community supporting us especially because you really have to put yourself out there as an actor. It’s great to know that it isn’t just who won the “A” pool that matters, but who does a great job in the play.”

Annie was a great experience for both cast member and audience alike, and sets a new precedent for NCDS productions in the future.

​Meet Mr. Stephenson:
New Freshman and Sophomore History Teacher!

By Jessie Smith '14 ​

Mr. Stephenson grew up in Gaithersburg, Maryland. However, he returned to his birth state to attend the University of Oklahoma where he was a pitcher on the baseball team for some time. After receiving his master’s degree in teaching, Mr. Stephenson worked as a teaching intern at Boston Arts Academy. He started work at NCDS this fall.

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When asked if he was knowledgeable about art, “Oh absolutely not. I’m a terrible artist.”

So what should you know about Mr. Stephenson? He loves sports, played both basketball and baseball growing up. He also loves to watch movies, host parties, and vacation. His favorite movie? Return of the King. His favorite band? Metallica (a hard rock group). Quite the adventurer, Mr. Stephenson’s favorite vacation was backpacking through Europe in the summer of ’08.

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Now a part of the NCDS community, Mr. Stephenson has added school athletics and committees to his plate. He serves as a service committee moderator, coaches JV basketball, and will also help coach softball. His favorite NCDS tradition so far is the Blue-Silver rivalry, being a proud member of the silver team. He enjoys the unique tradition we have here at school because “it gives each girl a competitive sense” when defending her color’s title.

When asked how our school is different in little ways from other schools, Mr. Stephenson’s immediate response was the fire drills. “I was shocked when we had our first fire drill,” he said, “Never before have I seen so many people take a fire drill so seriously. Nobody even tried to speak!”

Some last fun facts about Mr. Stephenson: he sometimes falls asleep when he reads (even though he’s a history teacher), he got married last summer, and his grandfather played for the St. Louis Cardinals. When asked about three things he would take to a desert island, he decided on a blade, a water storage vessel, and something to write with. Despite encouragement to think more creatively about his packing list, it was settled that Mr. Stephenson can’t help but be a “practical guy.”

Introduction of New Faculty: Ms. Kenney​

By Madeline Westover '15

  

This year the Newton Country Day community welcomes many new faculty members, among them is Ms. Kenney.
 

Ms. Kenney was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. She grew up running track, playing soccer and playing the violin. Ms. Kenney attended Williams College. At Williams, she was a part of the soccer team. Today she still enjoys playing soccer, as she is in an adult soccer league. After graduating from Williams, she moved to Maine. Ms. Kenney is now enjoying her sixth year living in Boston. Before teaching at NCDS, Ms. Kenney taught Math and coached soccer and track at a charter school in Boston.
 

Fittingly, Ms. Kenney enjoys country music. Some of the artists she likes are The Zac Brown Band, Miranda Lambert, and Taylor Swift. Ms. Kenney’s favorite television shows include Homeland, Modern Family, and Criminal Minds. Her favorite movie is Good Will Hunting. Ms. Kenney also enjoys camping, and has completed a one hundred mile hike on the Appalachian Trail. Her favorite vacation spot is Cabo.  Ms. Kenney enjoys watching many sports, namely the Boston sports teams as well as the Tennessee Titans and the Nashville Predators.
 

As a part of the NCDS community, Ms. Kenney teaches Algebra II and Pre-Calculus, as well as serving as a 9th grade moderator and the Junior Varsity Soccer Coach. Ms. Kenney’s favorite parts of NCDS include Upper School Announcements, Jeans Days and the service included in the daily lives of the students. She also enjoys the Blue and Silver competitions, a member of the Silver team herself. Ms. Kenney admires the work ethic of all of the students, and respects the high standards they set for themselves. She applauds the students for focusing on what is important– personal growth, and the sense of community in the school.

Exchange Student Profiles

By Hannah Maguire '15 and Annie Pickard '15

We had the pleasant opportunity to sit down with some of the exchange students asking them questions about their experiences and also receive feedback on the differences between countries and schools. Although the exchange students came from different backgrounds, they all agreed on one thing: they enjoyed their visit to NCDS and had a great time.

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International Exchange Student Profiles:

Name: Marine Niel

From: Nantes, France

Host: Emily Ix, Grade 10

School Name: La Perverie Sacre Coeur

Biggest Difference in schools: “My school is co-ed”

Biggest Difference in countries: “Homecoming, we do not have it.”

Favorite American Food: “Bagel with cheese cream”

Favorite Memory of your trip: “Doing Halloween with my host family!”

Favorite Class: French

Name: Nadia Cruise

From: Madrid, Spain
Host: Sophia Sgroi, Grade 10
Biggest Difference in Schools: “In my school there are boys!”
School name: Sagrado Corazon
Biggest difference in Countries: Nadia lives in an apartment back home a “flat” and here she says there are different individual houses.
Favorite American food: Pizza/ “Everything!”
Favorite memory of trip: Laia and Nadia traveled to Boston together and they said that they got to ride on the duck boats!
Favorite class: Biology

 

 

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