![Adding a tray of canned corn to the pile, junior Michael Collop assists in transporting donations for the Holiday Food Drive. The event, hosted schoolwide from Dec. 10-17, raised over 5,000 food items to deliver to the Parkway Food Pantry, helping several families in need. [The drive] is a great thing for us to do because you're giving to those who are less fortunate, and it helps provide for people who can't provide for themselves. [The] competition is always fun, too. It was fun to be in [social studies teacher Jess] Chazen’s class, because he always gets worked up over [the competition]. He made it exciting, and was always convincing us to turn in cans for the drive,” Collop said.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/feature-photo-unsung-2.png)
![NEW CHALLENGE, NEW TEAM MEMBERS: Every season, VEX creates a new game that robotics team members are faced with and have to build a robot to compete in. This year’s game forces students to create a robot that is able to stack rings onto mobile goals in order to score points. The change in games each season is something that robotics teacher Audrea Moyers appreciates.
“One of the things that I like about VEX is that they have a new problem to solve every year,” she said. ¨Even though the equipment’s the same, they have to analyze the game, and they have to come up with solutions that are unique that year. They are using their knowledge from prior years, but they have to kind of redesign a problem.”
As returning teams were faced a new game, some new teams and members had to adapt to a uncommon playing field and game.
“Three of our four teams were competing for the first time this year, and they had very different experiences match to match, so I think they learned a lot,¨ she said. ¨It’s hard just watching a video online to know how it’s actually going to be in person, so they all learned a lot about what gameplay is like, how to work with an alliance partner [and] how to adapt during the day to changes.”](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_9283-1-1200x800.jpg)
The Performing Arts Department put on the fall musical “Anything Goes” Nov. 16-18. Set on the S.S. American, a boat traveling from New York to London in 1934, “Anything Goes” follows a combination of romantic and comedic storylines.
Ziad Ben-Gacem (’25) played Billy Crocker, a hopeless young man who falls in love with Hope Harcourt, played by Eleanor Ilyas (’24). Crocker ends up on the boat trying to find a way to marry her.
The story grows complicated as Harcourt is engaged to Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, played by Danny Joseph (’26), though she can’t stop thinking about a life with Billy Crocker. Oakleigh inspired laughter and applause as an old British man trying to figure out how everything works in America and please his fiance.
Famous singer Reno Sweeney played by Clarisa Gomez Rodriguez (’24) works to help Billy Crocker with his romantic ambitions after he rejects her. To complicate things further, criminal Moonface Martin, played by Lou Michelson (’24) and his sidekick Erma, played by Kaila Brooks (’24), are attempting an escape to London to get away from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“Originally, I had to push to figure out my character,” Joseph said. “However, now I have come to clutch with my character.” (Laila Taraporevala)
“Working with Ziad is great because I’ve worked with him since I was in sixth grade, and he was in fifth grade,” Ilyas said. “We’ve been in musicals together for years.” (Laila Taraporevala)
“I’m playing a man in the musical, which is very different from what I normally do,” Michelson said. “It’s exciting because I’m stepping into a new version of myself I didn’t know existed.” (Laila Taraporevala)
“I think the cast is together this year,” Ilyas said. “Everything has gone smoothly so far.” (Laila Taraporevala)
“Antonio is a great person to act off of,” Turner said. “We’ve worked together on many musicals, and it’s been great to have someone so reliable that I can count on with my scenes.” (Laila Taraporevala)
“I’ve been singing ever since I was young, and it’s my way of expressing myself,” Rodriguez said. (Laila Taraporevala)
This story was originally published on The Standard on November 27, 2023.