#1Teacher Spotlight: Dan Taube
At HAPA, a major influence on many of the performers' lives is the Director of Theatre and Acting teacher, Dan Taube. Prior to working at Morton, Taube attended numerous institutions. He received a BFA in Acting from Tisch School of the Arts (NYU). During his time at NYU, Taube studied at both the Playwrights Horizon and Circle-in-the-Square Theatre Schools, along with apprenticing with a successful Broadway Director.
Currently, Taube is directing a play that will be performed in the HAPA Black Box.
“The play, Isn’t it Romantic, deals with the post-college careers and dilemmas of two former classmates. Both characters struggle to escape lingering parental domination while trying to establish their own lives and identities,” Taube explained.
The show opens Thursday, May 17th and will close on Sunday, May 20th. Come out and support the Arts while being exposed to the phenomenal talent that the Hammond Academy for the Performing Arts has to offer. More information regarding the show and future productions can be found at http://www.hammondapa.com.
Student Spotlight? Kalee Skalba
As a part of the HAPA Dance Department’s Spring dance show there will be a special factor to Act II. The Dance Department’s Jazz and Choreography Classes, along with the HAPA Dance Ensemble, will be performing a 28 song Motown Medley. However, the Motown Piece isn’t simply dancing, it has been intricately woven and adapted to tell a story.
A major influence in this piece is Sophomore, Kalee Skalba. At the beginning of Motown, Kalee meets a potential love interest, however, her peers and mother disapprove of the relationship immediately. As Motown continues, we are exposed to the story of a large group of friends in a “typical teenage hangout.”
At Morton, Kalee is involved in the HAPA Dance Ensemble. To contribute to her busy schedule, Kalee takes dance classes at a local studio and dedicates her time to teaching the younger students as well. Although she is only a sophomore, Kalee anticipates studying Psychology in college.
The Spring Dance show will be performed on Friday, April 27th and Saturday, April 28th at the HAPA Mainstage at 7:00 pm both nights.
Morton Track Team
This year, the boys and girls Track Team have been hard at work, striving for personal bests and first place ribbons. Although many of the outdoor meets have been canceled due to the cold weather, the training must continue to prepare for each meet.
On Thursday, April 19th, Morton hosted the Jesse Jones Invite. This meet was particularly special in the sense that it was also Senior Night for the Track teams. At the beginning of the meet, the Morton class of 2018 Track athletes walked across the football field with their loved ones as their future plans were announced to the audience.
Although the Track season is a month away from being over, there are still many opportunities to see the teams compete. On May 2nd, the teams will compete at Clark High School in the evening. The following week, they will compete at Gavit High School to defend their Great Lakes Athletic Conference Championship title. Then, on May 15th, the runners will compete at Sectionals at Highland High School.
Prom 2018
Although the school year is almost over, there are so many events to attend. Everyone’s favorite event during the Spring semester at Morton is Prom. This year, Prom will be held at the Dynasty Banquet halls on May 4th. Students attending are encouraged to participate in the annual Grand March in the Morton auditorium to show off their gowns and tuxedos. Spectators are welcome to attend and will be charged a dollar upon entrance- all proceeds will go towards the Junior Class.
AP Exams
Morton offers several AP Classes to its students every year. These classes range from AP Art History to AP Spanish Language and Culture. To conclude all the hard work that the AP Students dedicate, they will be taking AP exams starting in the second week of May. Tentative to their success on the exams, students are eligible to receive college credit.
College Signing Day and Graduation
As May 1st approaches, the deadline to submit college enrollment deposits is nearing. At Morton, Dean of Students Mr. Barlow has a Student Decision Wall. Across this wall are pictures of students from the Senior Class indicating where they will be attending school this fall along with their anticipated major. This is a great way to show all the success that Morton has to offer.
In honor of College Decision Day, students from the Morton Blueprint Program will be attending a “Decision Day Ceremony” at the Area Career Center. There they will announce to other members of the Hammond Blueprint Program and next year's Blueprint students where they will be attending in the Fall.
To conclude the 2017-2018 school year, graduation has been set for Friday, June 1st, 2018. This year, graduation will be held in the auditorium at Morton High School, since seating is limited, all guests are required to present a ticket to enter. For those that are interested in watching graduation but are unable to obtain a ticket, there will be a live stream available. Further information regarding graduation can be found on the Morton High School website.