![IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Junior Zalie Mann performs “I Love to Cry at Weddings,” an ensemble piece from the fall musical Sweet Charity, to prospective students during the Fine Arts Showcase on Wednesday, Nov. 8. The showcase is a compilation of performances and demonstrations from each fine arts strand offered at McCallum. This show is put on so that prospective students can see if they are interested in joining an academy or major.
Sweet Charity originally ran the weekends of Sept. 28 and Oct. 8, but made a comeback for the Fine Arts Showcase.
“[Being at the front in the spotlight] is my favorite part of the whole dance, so I was super happy to be on stage performing and smiling at the audience,” Mann said.
Mann performed in both the musical theatre performance and dance excerpt “Ethereal,” a contemporary piece choreographed by the new dance director Terrance Carson, in the showcase. With also being a dance ambassador, Mann got to talk about what MAC dance is, her experience and answer any questions the aspiring arts majors and their parents may have.
Caption by Maya Tackett.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/53321803427_47cd17fe70_o-1-1200x800.jpg)
![SPREADING THE JOY: Sophomore Chim Becker poses with sophomores Cozbi Sims and Lou Davidson while manning a table at the Hispanic Heritage treat day during lunch of Sept 28. Becker is a part of the students of color alliance, who put together the activity to raise money for their club.
“It [the stand] was really fun because McCallum has a lot of latino kids,” Becker said. “And I think it was nice that I could share the stuff that I usually just have at home with people who have never tried it before.”
Becker recognizes the importance of celebrating Hispanic heritage at Mac.
“I think its important to celebrate,” Becker said. “Because our culture is awesome and super cool, and everybody should be able to learn about other cultures of the world.”
Caption by JoJo Barnard.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/53221601352_4127a81c41_o-1200x675.jpg)
UCM’s Kelly Murphy wins “Tough as Nails”
John Kennedy
Kelly Murphy, UCM military and veterans services director, won the championship title on the first season of the CBS show “Tough as Nails.” Photo by John Kennedy
February 18, 2021
Kelly Murphy, UCM military and veterans services director, won the championship title on the first season of the CBS show “Tough as Nails.” The television program aims to celebrate the attributes of Americans who roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty at work. Kelly Murphy, also known as “Murph,” is a former marine who served for 22 years. It has been eight years since his retirement, but he saw the show as an opportunity to test his abilities.
“The reason I did the show was to prove to myself that I could still bring it like I did in the military,” Murphy said.
He said the show was a perfect competition for him because of how similar it was to his military experiences. Just as soldiers move from one small unit to another, where there is little time to get to know people and their capabilities, Murphy had a short amount of time to get to know his teammates on The Savage Crew and accomplish their team goals on the show. Murphy used his leadership skills to get by and gained lifelong friends by the end of the season. To this day, he still messages his crew weekly.
My goal is to be a better version tomorrow than what I am today. Season 1, Episode 2
— Kelly Murphy
“I’m very proud to be part of the movement,” Professional welder and teammate, Linnett Key, said. “I loved the people that I worked with, and we became family.”
Murphy said his favorite episode was season 1, episode 6: “Trash Day.” After his team had already lost four previous challenges, their team made a big turn around in the challenge of moving boxes and furniture into a truck to ultimately win.
“The energy and emotion were phenomenal,” Murphy said. “It’s better than my individual win to watch my teammates win.”
Murphy earned special recognition once “Tough as Nails” aired. He met Governor Parson and was introduced on the Senate’s floor in the Missouri House. He said he thinks what he did was good for the show and a great way to advertise UCM. Throughout the season, viewers can see him proudly wearing a UCM shirt as he competes in the challenges.
“I think Kelly brought a lot of publicity and new people to UCM,” Audrey Murphy, Kelly Murphy’s eldest daughter who has been attending UCM for three years, said.
“Tough As Nails” gave Murphy confidence and an entire crew lasting friendships.
“It was a good experience, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” Murphy said.
This story was originally published on Muleskinner on December 4, 2020.
