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June 21, 2021

The Chestertown Spy

An Educational News Source for Chestertown Maryland

Arts Arts Notes

Mid-Atlantic Symphony Announces Formation of Youth Orchestra

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The Mid-Atlantic Symphony is forming a youth orchestra to give talented young musicians on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and in southern Delaware the opportunity to learn, perform and create memories that will last for a lifetime.

Weekly rehearsals will take place at the centrally located Performing Arts Center in Ocean City, MD on Tuesday evenings from September 21, 2021, through May 31, 2022, culminating in a public performance at the Center.

The Youth Orchestra is open to students in grades 6 through 12. Auditions for strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and harp will be conducted virtually and will commence this month.

“The Mid-Atlantic Symphony Youth Orchestra will provide a stimulating environment that will empower and encourage students to develop a passion for experiencing and performing classical music,” said Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra Music Director Julien Benichou. “Participation in a youth orchestra not only provides challenging and rewarding development opportunities for young performers, but also cultivates the next generation of musicians, teachers, and supporters of fine music.”

“Formation of the Youth Orchestra demonstrates the Mid-Atlantic Symphony’s commitment to engage students in classical music through a variety of outreach programs,” said Board Chair Jeffrey Parker. “We are pleased to be able to provide this exciting new opportunity to young people in southern Delaware and on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.”

Consistent with the Mid-Atlantic Symphony’s goal to serve a diverse audience of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds, scholarships will be available to students who otherwise would be unable to participate in the Youth Orchestra.

Youth Orchestra audition requirements and applications are available at midatlanticsymphony.org under the Youth Orchestra tab. Tuition for the full season is $650; payments can be arranged upon acceptance into the Orchestra

For additional information about the Youth Orchestra, contact Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra General Manager Dane Krich at 410-917-7587, or by email at dane@midatlanticsymphony.org.

The only professional symphony orchestra serving Maryland’s Eastern Shore and southern Delaware, the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council; the Talbot County Arts Council; the Worcester County Arts Council; the Sussex County, DE Council; and the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, Inc.

Free Singing Program for Youth

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Singers 8 and up are invited to join the Young Singers Academy beginning the week of June 28.

The Young Singers Academy is a four-week program where participants will receive weekly video lessons and materials via email.  These lessons can be used at their convenience and repeated as often as desired.  In addition to the four lessons, participants will join in weekly zoom sessions for a group sing.  Video lessons will explore vocal production, note reading, rhythm skills, and musicianship through songs and activities.  This is a free program offered to all youth in Talbot County, supported by the Talbot Optimist Club.  Leading the program will be Amy Morgan, Artistic Director of Allegro Academy.  To register, please email amy@allegroacademyeaston.com.

Allegro Academy is funded by the Talbot County and Maryland State Arts Councils, and generous contributions from our community.  For more information its programs, please visit www.allegroacademyeaston.com or call 410-603-8361.

Derek Hills Receives 2021 Maryland Pro Bono Service Award Lee A. Caplan Award

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L-R: Derek Hills, The Law Office of Derek Hills, LLC and Meredith Lathbury Girard, Esq., Managing Attorney at Mid-Shore Pro Bono.

Local attorney, Derek Hills received the Lee A. Caplan Award this month at the MSBA Legal Summit. Nominated by Mid-Shore Pro Bono, Hills was chosen for the Caplan Award — an award geared toward a solo or small firm practitioner who has rendered pro bono service over many years.

“The Awards Committee received a terrific response to our request for nominations this year,” Dave Pantzer, Director of Education, Outreach, & Technology, Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland said. “With such a wonderful selection of recommendations, the decisions for each award were often difficult ones.  Indeed, all the nominees deserve special recognition for their outstanding contributions toward increasing access to legal services for the poor.  Even so, the Committee was particularly impressed with these candidates’ pro bono efforts to ensure equal access to justice.”

Hill’s nomination was submitted by Meredith Lathbury Girard, Esq., Managing Attorney at Mid-Shore Pro Bono. Girard said she was thrilled that Hills was accepted for the service award.

Hills operates a solo practice, The Law Office of Derek Hills, LLC, on West Street in Easton. Hills has been a dedicated Mid-Shore Pro Bono volunteer since he began his law practice in 2015. Girard said, “His volunteer service providing counseling and representation on consumer debt cases has resulted in concrete economic benefits for his clients and led to the creation of Mid-Shore Pro Bono’s consumer debt program, which serves over 300 clients every year.”

In that time Hills has worked with MSPB specifically to resolve consumer debt cases — providing hundreds of hours of service on 182 cases to 368 clients.

“Hills is an extraordinary advocate for the rights of low-income people facing debt, collections, auto fraud, and other consumer challenges,” Girard wrote in her nomination, and as a result hundreds of Eastern Shore residents have received, pro bono, much needed advice on their rights and representation in court. “Derek’s clients describe him as a compassionate and effective advocate who stands up for people who often feel they have little voice,” she said.

Hills recognized that defendants in debt buyer cases often do not come to court, often resulting in lasting negative economic consequences. Through the creation of Mid-Shore Pro Bono’s consumer debt program, they are proactively able to reach out to individuals who are being sought after in court by debt buyers and provides them with legal advice and direct representation.

In the first year of the program, Hills represented over 40 clients — and as of 2021 has represented 182 clients in cases and assisted 368 clients with consumer debt issues. Mid-Shore Pro Bono provides targeted outreach and marketing, including mailings to people who are being sued in District court, as well as case management and language interpretation.  “As a result of Derek’s effort to create the consumer debt program, Mid-Shore Pro Bono has helped low-income clients recover over $889,000 in financial benefits,” Girard said.

One of the most extraordinary aspects of Hills’ work is the care he takes to ensure that each client has additional resources they might need beyond their legal issue, Girard noted, citing one instance where he called MSPB requesting information about housing resources for a family he was assisting after he learned that they were living without heat or cooking facilities.

“His clients are often burdened by multiple consumer debt issues,” said Girard.  “Derek consistently and relentlessly assists his clients with humanity and humility.”

UM SRH and Community Partners Schedule Free Mobile Vaccine Clinics

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The University of Maryland Shore Regional Health, in partnership with three area churches, will offer free COVID-19 walk-up vaccine clinics in the coming weeks.

  • Greater New Hope Church and Ministries, 4514 Preston Road, Preston, Md., 21655 will host a vaccine clinic from 4 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 23.
  • New Beginnings United Methodist Church, 12020 N. Central Avenue, Ridgely, Md., 21660 has scheduled a vaccine clinic over two days – from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 24, and from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, June 25.
  • Vision of Faith and Empowerment Ministry, 107 S. Main Street, Hurlock, Md., 21643 has arranged for a vaccine clinic from 3 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 29.

Vaccinations at all locations are open to anyone age 12 or older (if a person is younger than 18, a parent is required to be present to give consent) and are available while supplies last. All locations will be administering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

Second doses of the vaccine will be scheduled at each location and will take place three weeks after the first doses have been administered.

The clinics are free and open to walk-ups; however, people are encouraged to register by emailing their name(s) and phone number(s) to Lisa Eisemann at leisemann@umm.edu, or calling 410-822-1000, ext. 1227.

Since early spring, and because of 20 clinics scheduled through the Mobile Vaccination Program conducted by University of Maryland Shore Regional Health, in collaboration with community partners in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties, more than 2,000 individuals have received COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccines at these locations are administered by UM SRH transitional nurse navigators, registered nurses and pharmacy team members, and also by nurse and physician volunteers from the community.

The UM Shore Regional Health initiative mirrors a comprehensive mobile vaccine project undertaken by the University of Maryland Medical System, which was awarded a state grant of nearly $3 million to expand its work on COVID-19 mobile vaccination outreach for vulnerable populations across the System’s footprint. The grant funds are being used to deploy vaccination teams to communities served by the System’s acute-care hospitals. So far, the UMMS mobile vaccination teams have provided more than 11,400 vaccinations at more than 100 clinics, including businesses, churches, schools and senior housing communities.

About University of Maryland Shore Regional Health

As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,200 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is a university-based regional health care system focused on serving the health care needs of Maryland, bringing innovation, discovery and research to the care we provide and educating the state’s future physician and health care professionals through our partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore professional schools (Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work and Dentistry) in Baltimore. As one of the largest private employers in the State, the health system’s more than 29,500 employees and 4,000 affiliated physicians provide primary and specialty care in more than 150 locations, including 13 hospitals and 9 University of Maryland Urgent Care centers. The UMMS flagship academic campus, the University of Maryland Medical Center in downtown Baltimore, is recognized regionally and nationally for excellence and innovation in specialized care.  Our acute care and specialty rehabilitation hospitals serve urban, suburban and rural communities and are located in 13 counties across the State. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

Academy Art Museum Publishes Catalogues for Miró and Morgan Exhibitions

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Miró in New York, 1947: Miró, Hayter and Atelier 17 Catalogue

The Academy Art Museum in Easton, MD has recently published two exhibition catalogues on its current exhibitions, Miró in New York, 1947: Miró, Hayter and Atelier 17 and Norma Morgan: Enchanted World.

Miró in New York, 1947: Miró, Hayter and Atelier 17 explores a group of little-known etchings Joan Miró made with influential British printmaker Stanley William Hayter at Atelier 17, the New York outpost of his seminal printmaking studio in Paris. Both Miró and Hayter were key participants in the community of artists in Paris who ultimately formed the core of international movements in contemporary art from the 1930s to 1945. The exhibition is open to the public through July 8, 2021 and viewable online through August 1, 2021.

Mehves Lelic, Curator at the Academy Art Museum comments, “The catalogue explores a transformative moment in the history of printmaking when Spanish artist Joan Miró visits New York and enters an exciting world of experimentation and collaboration at Atelier 17, Stanley William Hayter’s famed printmaking studio. Together, the artists at the Atelier embrace the importance of process and discover new frontiers in the medium.”

“The rich color gradients, dynamic lines and overlapping textures in the prints in this exhibition may offer encouragement and respite as we recover from this past year’s pandemic. Many of the prints in the exhibition were created soon after the end of World War II, by artists who experienced its tumult and horrors first-hand. The historical and artistic underpinnings of the works in Miró in New York, 1947 are complex, and beckon the viewer to connect with them on multiple levels, from an understanding of the historical context of the convergence of so many great artists at Atelier 17, to what experimental methods such as cutting into a printing plate, using soldering wire, and achieving simultaneous color printing mean for the present moment of printmaking in contemporary art,” she adds.

Norma Morgan: Enchanted World Catalogue

Works are drawn from the Museum’s Permanent Collection and loans from Dolan/Maxwell Gallery, Philadelphia, and private collections. The exhibition catalogue includes the wide breadth of experimental and collaborative work done at Atelier 17, with pieces by Fred Becker, Terry Haass, Gabor Peterdi, Anne Ryan, Yves Tanguy, Helen Phillips, Alice Trumbull-Mason, and others, all of whom worked in Atelier 17 alongside Hayter and Miró.

Norma Morgan: Enchanted World is an exhibition of the late artist’s prints, watercolors, paintings and drawings. The exhibition highlights Morgan’s ability to convey a spiritual experience through her landscape and portraiture work and to effortlessly transition from formal observation to magical wonder. The exhibition will be open to the public through August 1, 2021.

Lelic explains, “The planning of Norma Morgan: Enchanted World started out with a simple aim: to do the artist’s profoundly compelling work justice. As a young artist and a student of Stanley William Hayter, whose printmaking legacy is explored in-depth in the concurrent exhibition Miró in New York, 1947, Norma Morgan was responsive to contemporary ideas and open to advancing her technical skills. She was also a pioneer as one of the two known African-American women to work at the studio.”

“This exhibition seeks to highlight the overall significance of Morgan’s prolific career of over 50 years, during which the artist conjured an entire magical realm, from homages to Civil Rights icons to haunting observations of the landscapes of Great Britain and the Catskills. The rich textures and subtle details in her work parallel the imposing yet quiet vistas she was fond of and which she depicted with remarkable technical skill and fluency across multiple mediums.”

The Academy Art Museum is proud to present this exhibition with loans from the Kerry and C. Betty Davis Collection of African American Art, Mr. Donnell and Mrs. Dorothea Walker Collection of African American Art, Mr. Freddie Styles, Mr. Darryl Love, and Dolan/Maxwell. The exhibition catalog features essays by art historians Dr. Amalia Amaki and Dr. Christina Weyl.

For further information on these exhibitions or to purchase an exhibition catalogue, visit academyartmuseum.org or call 410-822-2787. The cost of each catalogue is $20.

Unitarians Make $5000 Grants to Boost ‘Inclusion’ in Kent

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The local Unitarian church will make $5000 grants to two groups working to make Kent County a community of connection and inclusion. The monies will go to Kent Attainable Housing and Minary’s Dream Alliance, both of which emerged within the past five years.

“Both these organizations clearly align with our vision of a more equitable, neighborly lifestyle among us residents of Kent County – a lifestyle engaging all races and ethnicity,” said David Biehler, president of the Unitarian Universalists of the Chester River (UUCR).

The grants are likely the first such donations from a special fund of the UUCR, in the recollection of longtime members. The fund has accumulated through recent budget savings, bequests, other one-time sources, and investments.

The UUCR, located on Gateway Drive in the Crest View section, approved the requests after hearing from President Biehler, active with the housing non-profit, and member Philip Dutton, a board member of Minary’s Dream Alliance. At the church’s annual meeting, concluded June 13, members voted overwhelmingly to approve the grants.

Recipient Kent Attainable Housing (KAH) has already completed its first venture in assisting low-income families in becoming homeowners. Two employed parents and their three children moved into a traditional-style new home on College Avenue in January. Like all approved KAH clients, they had taken classes in budgeting and home maintenance.

“It warms my heart to know that the youngster (in the College Avenue household) will grow up in his own yard with room to play. And that the parents’ payments will be earning them equity in the property. It’s our way to help make up for the decades of housing discrimination against people of color,” Biehler said.

Studies show that homeownership is the major financial asset of the typical American family. Those studies also reveal families of color fall far below white averages on that measure, thus handicapping succeeding generations. About 75 percent of KAH applicants are people of color, Chair Lani Seikaly reports.

The UUCR gift will go toward buying a lot or property for a third family. The second family, consisting of three generations in the household, is awaiting a new home in Butlertown designed for their special needs.

The other UUCR recipient, Minary’s Dream Alliance (MDA), plans to provide programs across a broad range. These will take place at a nurturing clubhouse serving the needs and desires of youth, particularly those underserved by other resources. The UUCR funds will go toward the capital needed to acquire a “place where boys and girls can unapologetically be themselves,” says co-founder Paul Tue on the website minary’s dreamalliance.org.

With the UUCR grant and donations from many others, MDA will complete purchase of the former American Legion property off Morgnec Road (Route 291), where it has been renting space. With frontage on Morgnec Creek, the 9-acre property will afford access to kayaking, fishing, picnicking, and other outdoor recreation for youth and their families. Mentoring teens toward their futures is a major goal, with hands-on exposure to culinary and other occupations.

Already MDA operates Feed the Elderly Initiative, established by the Social Action Committee for Racial Justice, from the Legion site. The initiative delivers fresh produce, protein, and staple foods to more than 200 Kent seniors each week.

The organization recently started a club for teens age 12-17 impacted by or diagnosed with opioid use disorder. Mid-Shore Behavioral Health, Inc. has awarded MDA an “Adolescent Clubhouse” grant of $500,000 to provide those dealing with substance abuse an additional layer of support. MDA intends to tailor its recovery services to address the particular needs of teens and their families. This program will welcome youth in the five Mid-Shore counties.

Philip Dutton, the UUCR advocate for the MDA grant, said he was “grateful to the congregation I’ve belonged to for years for making this significant gift to a group I believe in strongly. MDA has leaders we all can believe in – Doncella Wilson and Paul Tue. It’s exciting to envision the impact that MDA will have on the Mid-Shore.”

The Chester River Chorale has decided to hold rehearsals there, Dutton noted, and other groups needing space are considering meeting there. The building of more than 5,000 square feet includes a stage, ballroom, conference rooms, and commercial kitchen among other features.

“MDA is going to create a welcoming space for the whole community,” Dutton said.

The Gunston School’s 110th Commencement Honors 49 Students

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The Gunston School celebrated its 110th commencement this past Saturday, June 12, honoring the Class of 2021 with a waterfront ceremony overlooking the Corsica River, as family and friends looked on. The procession began with Bagpiper Robert Wallace, followed by school faculty and staff, and then the graduating seniors. Senior Class President and Valedictorian Lydia Periconi, who is headed to Penn State Schreyer Honors College to study veterinary and biomedical science, greeted the audience and her peers before each graduate shared their senior quote aloud.

Photo: Front row, from left, Lillian (Lilli) Ward, Sydney Nittle, Lydia Davis, Adison (Adie) Parish, Glynis Gardner, Lydia Periconi, Kayla Flood, Reagan Gessford, Marion Riddle, Lily Berntsen, Emily Ryon. Second row, from left, Helen Boone, Avy Aubin, Phebe Wood, Hannah Worth, Olivia Hershey, Hannah Beckman, Isabella (Bella) Adams, Erin McDonald, Emma McClary, Erika Lee. Third row, from left, Yongah (Jonathan) Choi, Brianna (Brie) Barrett-Kennedy, Henry Shifrin, Orion (Rion) McCluskey, Charles (Charlie) Shifrin, Colin Ward, Sean Riley, Carter Janney. Standing, fourth row, left to right, Assistant Head of School Christie Grabis, Head of School John Lewis, Ethan Nuessle, Samuel (Ranger) Hightower, Maxmillian (Max) Brady, Christian Walker, Campbell Parkhurst, Severin Schut, Zachary (Zack) Anderson, Graduation Speaker Ben Dize, Chair of the Board of Trustees Patrick Shoemaker ’03. Fifth row, left to right, Aidan Myers, Joseph (Brennan) O’Connor, Henry Sheets, James Fordi, Jack Pigman, Owen Santora, Connor Reichardt, Kylee Rushton and Joshua (Josh) Sanford. Not pictured are Suah Choi, Hyunseok (Luke) Lee, and Yi (Lily) Zhang.

Head of School John Lewis then introduced the commencement speaker, Mr. Ben Dize, a retiring faculty member who has spent just over 50 years teaching, with the last 22 spent at Gunston as the chair of the art department. “Born in Crisfield, Maryland as the oldest of three children, Mr. Ben Dize spent his formative years living a true Eastern Shore childhood from a bygone era,” began Mr. Lewis. “Immersed in the waterman culture, and without a television until the 9th grade, he was part of a small graduating class of 58 at Crisfield High School. From there, he migrated to College Park, Maryland, graduating in 1968, and then earning his Master’s degree at Towson in 1974. He started teaching in the Kent County Public School System in 1969 before coming to Gunston in 1999. For 22 years, he’s been a fixture as a teacher and advisor, seeing the school through growth and change.”

Mr. Dize posed the question “What is it about Gunston that makes it special? Every senior here probably has a slightly different answer. For some, it’s the lifetime friendships that were made here. For others, it’s a certain teacher who saw in them something they did not see themselves. It might have been the freedom to be an individual, or the chance to be a leader. Whatever your path has been, Gunston has played a role in your becoming. Gunston changes lives, alters attitudes, opens doors to self-discovery, challenges ways of thinking, and makes written communication an essential part of an individual’s educational journey. For all of us, the past 15 months has been a time of historic challenges and changes. We all have a shared story here—shared loss, shared pain, shared disappointments. But there are things I would like you to remember: BE KIND. As our parents used to say, ‘it doesn’t cost you anything.’ And, as a teacher colleague of mine used to say, ‘Do not mistake kindness for weakness.’ REMEMBER TO THANK PEOPLE. You didn’t get here by yourself.  Also, don’t wait until it’s too late. BE GENEROUS. You’ll probably run out of time before you run out of money. I love quotes, and perhaps my favorite is, ‘Life is not about getting and having, it is about being and becoming.’ This is your time to be and become.”

Mr. Lewis and Gunston’s Chair of the Board Patrick Shoemaker ’03 then presented each graduate with their diploma, individually handcrafted by faculty member Michael Kaylor on an antique letterpress. This year’s senior class had a successful college admission season and worked hard to earn $7.3 million dollars in merit scholarships. The graduates are listed here with the honors presented to them the day before on Friday, June 11 during the school’s Green & White Awards Ceremony. Student government and team captains are also noted.

Isabella Webster Adams (Captain of Green Team), Zachary Richard Anderson (Moore Award for Improvement), Avy Rose Aubin (Sandra Slacum Spears English Award, State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award), Brianna Ranae Barrett-Kennedy, Hannah Eve Beckman, Lily Marie Berntsen, Kenneth Charles Bonuccelli, Helen Abigail Boone (Science Award), Maxmillian Xavier Brady (Captain of Green Team), Suah Choi, Yongah Choi, Lydia Marie Davis, Kayla Irene Nicole Flood, James Philip Fordi, Glynis Paige Gardner, Reagan Olivia Gessford (U.S. Naval Academy Prep School, Class Representative), Olivia Louisa Hershey (Environmental Stewardship, Student Government President), Samuel Ranger Hightower, Carter Watts Janney, Erika Uta Lee, Hyunseok Lee, Emma Katherine McClary, Orion Timothy McCluskey (Senior Paradigm, Diversity Leader Award, 2021 Van Hollen Public Service Award), Erin Ann McDonald, Aidan Thomas Myers, Sydney Gail Lorraine Nittle (Anita Gruss Athletic Award, U.S. Naval Academy Appointment, Class Representative, Captain of White Team), Ethan Nathaniel Nuessle (Computer Science Award, Mathematics Award), Joseph Brennan O’Connor, Adison Dryden Parish, Campbell Hawkins Parkhurst (Capt. John P. Vest History Award, Captain of White Team), Lydia Grace Periconi (Valedictorian, State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award, Spanish Award, Science Award, Senior Class President), Jack Ryan Pigman (The Gunston Award), Connor Kevin Reichardt, Marion Somervell Riddle (Faculty Award), Sean Patrick Riley (Class Treasurer), Kylee Whitman Rushton (Anita Gruss Athletics Award), Emily Catherine Ryon, Joshua Seth Sanford (Engineering Award), Owen Edward Santora, Severin Suhaili Schut (Theatre Award), Henry Bennett Sheets IV, Charles Robert Shifrin (Faculty Award), Henry William Shifrin (Art Award, Leadership Award, Class Vice President), Christian James Walker, Colin James Ward, Lillian Taylor Ward (Hila C. Ferguson Literature Award, Marguerite Thomas Community Service Award, Class Secretary), Phebe Lace Wood (Music Award), Hannah Margaret Worth (Senior Paradigm, Art Award), and Yi Zhang.

Along with Mr. Dize, two other beloved faculty and staff retired this year including Mrs. Weixing Shepardson, who spent 19 years teaching mathematics at Gunston, and Mrs. Becky Schmier, who spent 16 years as the school’s business manager. Additionally, Gunston’s Board of Trustees honored three long-serving board members who are retiring and include Mrs. Betsy McCown, a former parent and Bay Studies Partner who served for a decade and provided invaluable leadership on the Chesapeake Watershed Semester advisory committee; Mr. Mark Freestate, a former Gunston parent and great champion of the school who completed his third tour on the Board and has also served as Chair; and Mr. Jim Wright, who leaves the board after serving five terms since 2008, having served as board chair, helped to bring both Horizons and the YMCA summer programs to Gunston and this past year, and served on Gunston’s COVID response team.

Founded in 1911, The Gunston School is an independent, nonprofit, nonsectarian, coeducational, college preparatory high school located in Centreville, Maryland. Visit gunston.org for more information.

Tred Avon Players Audition Notice for The Great Gatsby

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The Tred Avon Players are getting back on stage with a glamorous, full-scale production of The Great Gatsby, opening this fall.

Auditions for The Great Gatsby are scheduled for Sunday, July 11 at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, the 13th, and Wednesday, the 14th, at 7:00 p.m. at the Oxford Community Center, 200 Oxford Road, Oxford, MD.

The performance dates are October 28, 29, 30, and 31 and November 4, 5, 6, and 7 at the Oxford Community Center.

Note: All cast and crew members must be vaccinated.

The Story:  Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire, passionately pursues the elusive Daisy Buchanan. Nick Carraway, a young newcomer to Long Island, is drawn into their world of obsession, greed, and danger. The breathtaking glamour and decadent excess of the Jazz Age come to the stage in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel and Simon Levy’s adaptation, approved by the Fitzgerald Estate. The Great Gatsby is directed by John Perkinson and produced by John Norton.

The Cast: Includes five women and seven men. All parts are open, and no parts are pre-cast. Cold readings are from the script. Copies of sides will be available at auditions. Hairstyles appropriate to the period will be required during the show.

Jay Gatsby – male, mid-20s – mid-30s: A young romantic idealist millionaire with shady business connections. His disarming smile opens doors, but there’s only room in his heart for one girl, Daisy.

Nick Carraway – male, mid-20s – mid-30s: A focused and optimistic newcomer to New York and West Egg looking to make his way in the bond market. His gentle manner exudes upbringing but not pretension.

Daisy Buchanan – female, 20s – 30s: An attractive young debutante from Kentucky, she is the quintessential “Flapper.” Her “party girl” attitude tries to hide her shallow and self-absorbed attitude.

Tom Buchanan – male, mid-20s – mid-30s: An imposing athletic figure that demands attention be paid. His money and arrogance swept Daisy off her feet and kept mistresses at his beck and call.

Jordan Baker – female, mid-20s – mid-30s: An amateur golfer of some acclaim with her sharp sarcasm wrapped around an aloof attitude. Her modest fame strikes an attractive chord for Nick at Daisy’s urging.

George Wilson – male, late-20s – late-30s: A completely helpless husband to Myrtle, his desperation to please her leads to his blindness of her affair with Tom.

Myrtle Wilson – female, 20s – 30s: A fierce exuberance to rid herself of this disappointing marriage, she finds her ticket out in the form of Tom Buchanan.

Meyer Wolfsheim – male, 50s or older: A gambler that would bet on two cockroaches racing and juice his long shot when the other guy wasn’t looking.

Mr. McKee – male, late 20s – late 30s: An amateur photographer who satisfies his passion with his young wife.

Mrs. McKee – female, 20s – 30s: An exhibitionist for her doting husband

Policeman – male, late 20s – early 40s: A professional law enforcement officer

Mrs. Michaelis – female, late 20s – early 40s: The nosy neighbor next door.

For more information about this audition, please email GatsbyatTap@gmail.com

Easton High Teacher is Maryland TESOL Teacher of the Year

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Mrs. Heather Andrews

The Maryland TESOL (Teachers of English Speakers of Other Languages) Association has recognized Mrs. Heather Andrews as the 2021 ESOL Teacher of the Year for K-12.

The ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages) Teacher of the Year Award honors two ESOL educators, one K-12 and one Higher Education, who go above and beyond in their job duties inside and outside of the classroom, and have distinguished themselves within that year for specific reasons. Nominees must be ESOL educators in the State of Maryland and a member of Maryland TESOL. The Award is presented at the Annual Spring Dinner and Meeting which was held virtually on May 20, 2021.

Mrs. Andrews teaches 9th and 10th graders EFL II and Sheltered English 9 at Easton High. She was nominated by Mrs. Renee Warfield, a fellow ESOL Teacher, who said the following:  “Heather Andrews has been a fiercely advocating ESOL teacher and tutor for elementary school students and high school students for a decade. She always goes above and beyond to make families feel a great sense of belonging when they transition into a new life here in Maryland. From family picnics, evening phone calls, handwritten letters, coordinating pen pal pairs with Spanish students, coordinating support with counselors, to researching her craft to bolster her students’ literacy, Heather always puts 110% of her time, energy, mind and heart into her students who often continue to reach out to her to stay in touch post-graduation.  In a time of uncertainty, her care for her students and knowledge of what is going on in each and all of their lives, Heather’s approach to learning has always been all in for the human experiences she is privileged to have everyday with students from around the world. Maryland is better to have her!”

“Thank you for the opportunity to serve and represent the TESOL profession and the MD TESOL Association,” Mrs. Andrews said. “I am grateful to my esteemed colleagues, the staff and administrators at each school where I have worked, as well as my family who believed in me. I am honored to accept this award.”

Maryland TESOL is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the improvement and advancement of teaching English to speakers of other languages. Maryland TESOL is an affiliate of TESOL, the international organization of professionals interested in teaching English to speakers of other languages.

WC English Professor Wins Prestigious Iowa Prize for Literary Nonfiction

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Sufiya Abdur-Rahman

Visiting Assistant Professor of English Sufiya Abdur-Rahman has been awarded the prestigious Iowa Prize for Literary Nonfiction for her manuscript, Heir to the Crescent Moon. The book will be published by University of Iowa Press later in 2021. Iowa’s programs in creative writing and nonfiction have an international reputation for being the best there are. 

One of the Iowa Prize judges, Susan Steinberg, said this about the work: “In swift, stunning passages, Abdur-Rahman’s brilliant memoir…fearlessly and honestly recounts what it is to inherit religion, to embody wisdom, to protect love, and to assume the immeasurable role of daughter.”

The Iowa Prize for Literary Nonfiction, open to both new and established writers, is awarded for a book-length manuscript of literary nonfiction originally written in English. The winning manuscript is published by the University of Iowa Press.

Abdur-Rahman teaches a range of courses for Washington College in creative writing, nonfiction, and journalism. She has been instrumental in developing curriculum for the College’s new minor in Journalism, Editing & Publishing. She is also creative nonfiction editor for the national literary journal, Cherry Tree.

About Heir to the Crescent Moon

In Heir to the Crescent Moon, Abdur-Rahman, the daughter of two Black Power-era converts to Islam, investigates her Muslim past and that of her parents in a search for self-discovery. From age five, she feels drawn to Islam even while her father, a devoted Muslim, tries to keep her from it. He and her mother abandoned their Harlem mosque before she was born and divorced when she was twelve. Forced apart from her father—her portal into Islam—she yearns to reconnect with the religion and, through it, him.  

Writing with quiet beauty but intellectual force about identity, community, violence, hope, despair, and faith, Abdur-Rahman weaves a vital tale about a family: black, Muslim, and distinctly American. 

About Sufiya Abdur-Rahman

Abdur-Rahman has previously published essays and criticism in Catapult, The Common Online, Gay Mag, NPR, The Washington Post, and other publications. She has been awarded fellowships from the Sustainable Arts Foundation and is a two-time alumnus of VONA writing workshops. She is Creative Nonfiction Editor for Cherry Tree, a national literary journal, at Washington College, where she teaches nonfiction. She lives in Annapolis with her family.