NHS Students Concluded Fall Session Career Class With Presentations

By Eliza Hallabeck

Nadine DeLoughy choreographed a dance for her project, Emily Bronson wrote and illustrated a book, Emma Knickerbocker was a teacher’s assistant, and Sarah Weber wrote four chapters of a murder mystery. Other students followed just as interesting quests for their own projects in this fall’s career class at Newtown High School.

“It just kind of turned out to be a murder mystery,” said Sarah, who presented her project on January 9. She was in the NHS Lecture Hall to support her two friends who were presenting their projects from the fall semester’s career class, taught by Peg Ragaini.

Sarah said she plans to finish the book in the future, and she has previously written short stories.

Before the two presentations for the period began, Ms Ragaini explained to a visiting class of students, who were not in the career class but came for the presentations, that the class prepares students for their first year of college.

Ms Ragaini said the career class teachers students to control their time and how to work on their own. The class allows each student who takes it to choose a field of interest and pursue it.

Nadine presented her project first. She had prepared a PowerPoint presentation that detailed the work she put in to choreographing her dance. A video she had taken of a rehearsal would not play during her presentation, but Nadine said her dance would be performed for the public at New Milford High School on January 24 at 5 pm for a Dance Team Showcase with Dance Etc of Newtown.

“My future goal is to inspire this in others,” said Nadine at the beginning of her presentation. “And hopefully I will own my own studio someday.”

For her work in the class Nadine mentored with Jen Turey, the artistic director and owner of Dance Etc. Nadine thanked Ms Turey, although she was not present, during her presentation for the help and encouragement she had given to her.

“Getting started was the hardest part,” Nadine said.

To make the dance Nadine said she had to contact dancers, arrange meetings and rehearsals, cut the music for the piece, define the staging, deciding where dancers should be placed and when, and many other things.

She added that coming up with the ending for a dance is also hard.

“I take a lot of modern movement,” said Nadine in response to questions from the students who watched her presentation.

Emily presented the book she wrote next. She said it was an illustrated book, but when she began it was in comic book format.

“Originally it was for my dad,” said Emily.

Along the way, she said, she lost drawings and suffered other complications, but “it was worth it in the end.”

Emily said she mentored under a playwright who helped her.

“She told me it doesn’t matter what [people] say,” said Emily during the presentation, “and you should pursue your dreams.”

Creating the book helped her with her writing and drawing skills, Emily said. “I’ve always really enjoyed writing,” she said.

A sequel may be in the future, and, she said, she would probably take the course again if given the opportunity.

Emma Knickerbocker took the career class this past semester, but she presented during a prior period in the school day.

“I was a teacher’s assistant in an Italian class,” she said. For her project Emma made lessons and taught two classes.

“I hope to be a translator one day,” she said.