Higher Learning

CONTEMPLATING COLLEGE:  Kids. They grow up fast. So fast that it's time to start thinking about college for CJ.

Fortunately, Washington state has a program called Running Start that lets high school aged students get a jump start on college. Recently, we went to an info session about the program. I'll have CJ tell you more about it. ...

On a Tuesday evening, 28 August 2018, my mother and I went to the Highline College in Des Moines, WA. We went to the campus' Building 7 for a presentation about Running Start, a program run by Washington State allowing high school juniors and seniors to begin their college freshman and sophomore years, while still in high school. As of the time I'm writing this, I am not yet eligible for Running Start.

At the presentation, the audience (consisting of me, my mother, and roughly seven other people) were told the benefits (tuition paid by the state, both high school and college credit, etc.) and considerations of Running Start. An example of a consideration is that when high school isn't in session, college is, and while college isn't in session, high school is. Fortunately for me, I have a non-traditional schooling schedule, so this would likely turn out different for me than for most other students. Midway through the lecture, I asked about textbook expenses (the PowerPoint mentioned that textbooks must be paid for by the student). After the instructor clarified that textbooks are a student expense, a woman sitting in front of us informed me of a website named thriftbooks.com, where textbooks can be found for cheap.

At the building entrance (and in the middle after the lecture), there were multiple papers (including a Running Start application form, notepaper for the PowerPoint, information about a sister program named CareerStart, etc.) for attendees to pick up. I picked up a copy of all of them, for usage at home.

Highline is a pretty little campus, several miles southwest of our current 'campus.'

Unfortunately, I didn't take but a couple of photos while there. A couple of totem poles got my attention. 

Here's a panoramic photo of the campus from the college's website. ...

You can take a virtual tour of the campus by clicking on this link: https://www.highline.edu/campus-guide/take-a-tour/

We're going to check out the Running Start program at South Seattle college, as well.

SETTING THE STAGE: After finishing a drama workshop last month through Seattle Public Theater, Annabelle was offered an opportunity for a set design mentorship with the organization.

It has been a big commitment - three evenings a week at the theater on Green Lake, as well as 4.5 hours each Sunday afternoon for three weeks.

I'll have Annabelle tell you a bit more about it.

Foundry10 recently began a collaboration with the Seattle Public Theater to bring students at the Bathhouse Theater at Green Lake an opportunity to peek into the world of set design. Four other students and I were being taught under Stephanie, who does set design for her career. Upon the beginning of the course, we immediately began work on a set for "The Pirates of Penzance," a famous opera students would be performing the following week. We began by laying out eight wooden panels on the floor and priming them bright white before using charcoal to sketch in mountains and a harbor according the grid we were provided. Instead of uncomfortably crawling on our hands and knees the entire time, we took pieces of charcoal and chalk taped to the end of long roller sticks (usually meant for painting high walls or ceilings).

The set ended up being completed with standard latex paints as we learned about new techniques such as scumbling (mixing of paint with brushstrokes) and how to effectively use color to imply distance from the “camera.” Once the painting on the boards was completed, they were hung behind the stage and we continued on to paint the floor a nice sandy color and color the acting blocks (rectangular props you can sit or stand on) a rocky grey. The walls next to the panels were then painted to match them and the set was complete.

Over time, the other four students dropped the class. Thankfully, the other two sets we worked on were considerably less complicated. For a play titled “The Woods,” we simply changed the sandy beach of the background to a more greenish color reminiscent of a swamp. The final play we’re currently constructing a play for, “Trix of The Light,” has one tablecloth that simply has some magic sigils on one side and an Egyptian tomb on the other. Those two sets are still in progress, but as this is the final day they should be complete soon!

I didn't get to see any of the plays or the sets. I was super impressed with the work shown in Annabelle's photos (above) for "Pirates ..."

So, while the internship has been a lot of work and a huge monkey wrench in our schedule, it seems a very worthwhile experience.