![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)
Nebraska Supreme Court comes to Bellevue West
Caitlyn Wohlford
Security: State Patrol Officers prepare to screen students entering the trial.
April 14, 2022
Because of the Bellevue West Mock Trial team’s success in competition, the Nebraska State Supreme Court held arguments for a court case in the Bellevue West auditorium on Thursday, March 30. Students who attended this event were able to watch the proceedings as well as ask the court questions.
Tyler Jenkins, a member of the team, said that he thought it would be a positive experience for many.
“I feel like we got to help kids experience this, since a lot of other kids from different classes are going to be coming down,” Jenkins said.
Among the students who took the opportunity to watch the proceedings was senior Emma Redler, who commented on what a unique experience it was.
“It’s an environment you don’t get to see every day, especially at this age,” Redler said.
The first step to preparing the school for this event was locking down the area that the Supreme Court traveled through and putting the proper security in place. Officer Dylan Cass of the Bellevue Police Department described the security process for visitors and students wishing to watch the proceedings.
“In order to get into the building you have to remove all metal, whether it’s a belt or something from your pocket,” Officer Cass said. “Everybody gets screened before they enter the room. The Nebraska State Patrol will run an explosives detection dog through the area to make sure nothing has been planted or any crazy stuff like that.”
The event began with an introductory explanation of how cases make it to the Nebraska Supreme Court, and then the oral arguments began. Junior Tamyia Bender said that paying particular attention to the arguments could help her write better speeches in forensics.
(Caitlyn Wohlford)
After arguments, the court answered questions from students. The questions ranged from technical details of the legal system to an inquiry about the justices’ most interesting case.
Social studies teacher Tara Patomson said that in addition to all there was to learn about Nebraska’s and The United States’ legal systems, the event showed the people beneath their legal obligations.
“I appreciated that the lawyers, especially involved in the case we saw, had humanity,” Patomson said. “You saw mistakes, and recovery from mistakes, and so I think that’s a life lesson in itself.”
This story was originally published on The Thunderbeat on April 6, 2022.
