![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)
Walking into the media center on a Tuesday night, sophomore Jorge Jordan lugs in crates of Legos, preparing for nearly 30 middle schoolers to arrive. Jordan is a mentor for the First Lego League Challenge program, in which he coaches team Minimancers.
“You get to connect with these kids,” Jordan said. “They appreciate you, and that can be satisfying.”
Members from robotics team 4717 The Mechromancers mentor students from local schools every Tuesday night in robot design, coding, team building—even speech and writing. The kids are split into divisions based on their age, with elementary schoolers in Explore and middle schoolers in Challenge.
This year, the “Challenge” regional competition was held in November with the theme of energy. Students had to program a robot, research a problem, find a solution, and prepare a speech for judges. They participated in various missions with their robots, including one in which they had to push a couch with people sitting on it close to a TV set.
Although the teams did not take home any prizes, the experience has helped them grow their STEM knowledge, as well as make new friends. For the next few months, the teams will refine their projects for the parent showcase in April. Eighth grader Satvi Vijaykumar values robotics for the social skills it has given her and hopes to see the teams grow in the following season.
“You’re building your teamwork and collaboration skills as you build robots,” Vijaykumar said. “I love getting to know more about other people and interact with them during robotics.”
This story was originally published on Hagerty Journalism Today on February 16, 2023.
