The cast of Grease gave an unforgettable performance on their closing night—a musical that captured their hard work, showcasing their passion for the art of theatre to the audience in the Marshall auditorium, Jan. 17.

“Performing the first two shows were amazing,” senior Roman Rodriguez said. “There was so much positive energy on stage when everyone was moving in sync.”

The energy transcended the performances, as the cast members found joy in working together and forming stronger bonds throughout the production. 

“I enjoyed working with everyone and building chemistry with all my cast mates,” Rodriguez said.

One of the leads speaks on her cherished moments from preparing for Grease.

“My favorite part about this entire process has for sure been getting to see all the visions come to life,” Aubree Hernandez, the actress for ‘Sandy’, said. “From marking things in rehearsal, playing pretend with nonexistent sets and trying to picture costumes, wigs, makeup and so much more.” 

For the cast, the long journey from preparing for Grease to final production has been an unforgettable experience, allowing each performer to embrace their roles mentally and physically, bringing the story of Grease to life.

“I felt so honored and blessed that I got a chance to play the role of Danny Zuko,” Rodriguez said. “Playing a role that has been portrayed by John Travolta is something that you can’t take lightly and I was ready for the challenge.” 

Rodriguez recognized that playing this role would require higher energy, so he immediately started preparing.  

“I’ve played basketball for 12 years and it took a lot on my body, so when I got back into playing a very physical character like Danny, it made me get back to training,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez’s physical preparation for his role was just one of many challenges the cast faced during production.

“A challenge I faced during this show was remembering my part of the songs,” senior Carmen Larish, ‘Frenchie’, said. “I focused and I learned the songs well enough that I instinctively sing my parts now.”

And although the cast mentioned that there were challenges to overcome, each member worked hard to improve their skills. But of course, the support from each other was the most impactful. Rodriguez mentions how he is proud of everyone and their growth, especially ‘Sandy’, played by Hernandez. 

“I’m super proud of her and how she handled her character,” Rodriguez said. “She truly made her character iconic and one of a kind.”

There is nothing but unconditional support and love when it comes to theatre, but it doesn’t automatically stop the fear of failing.

“I was very, very, very nervous about playing lead,” Hernandez ‘Sandy’ said. “But everyone in the cast and crew were so kind and supportive and made me feel so comfortable and confident.” 

As the musical comes to an end, the cast is able to take a moment to interpret what this musical means.

“Everyone thinks of Grease as a story about a girl changing herself for a man and I disagree,”  Larish said. “I think it’s a story about finding your own sense of worth.” 

Larish’s interpretation of the musical reflects how much thought and heart the cast and crew put into producing Grease, shown also through other cast members’ commentary about the anxieties the characters face trying to fit in and be perceived in a certain way.

“It’s present in how Danny and Sandy both change themselves to make themselves believe they belonged with the other,” Hernandez said. “I think we all have a better idea today of how changing yourself to fit in shouldn’t be necessary.” 

The story deeply resonates with the cast beyond its iconic songs and dances. Hernandez and Larish’s interpretation paired with everyone’s hard work made the production into something extraordinary.

“Grease is the word!” Hernandez said.

Band’s annual Holiday Concert took place at 7 p.m. on Dec. 10 in the auditorium. Both the symphonic band, a larger band consisting of many members with different skill sets, and the wind ensemble, a smaller group consisting of more experienced musicians, performed three songs each.

Proud families, friends, and teachers attended the concert to hear winter holiday favorites and a few new pieces. Class of 2024 band alumni Conrad Espinosa traveled from Texas A&M at College Station to see his former bandmates that are still in high school.

“My favorite part of the performance today was seeing my friends, seeing how they improved  since last year, and just overall, seeing all my old buddies again,” Espinosa said.

Espinosa, who played the clarinet during high school, enjoyed the symphonic band’s rendition of Last Christmas the most. But French horn player Allesandra Maza’s favorite song to play was Cowboy Christmas, a new piece featuring classic holiday song melodies and the “clopping” of horses’ hooves.

“I like the features we have in it, and it’s different from what we usually play,” Maza said. “I like the different parts each instrument plays.”

Trumpet player Heather Luna’s favorite song was also Cowboy Christmas because of the fun melodies. She described the process of learning to play the piece.

“It was actually kind of short,” Luna said. “We only had three or four weeks to learn these songs. So it was a little bit challenging, but it was worth it.”

For trumpet player Legend Smith, it’s worth it to hear the band’s performance the next day on a recording of the concert.

“My favorite part of performing is to hear myself play,” Smith said. “To hear how we do and actually replaying the recording back. It sounds amazing.”

Once a year in spring and fall ROTC has a barbecue to raise money, mainly for the annual military ball. Military ball is similar to prom but it’s only for ROTC students. 

The barbecue works the same way as a fundraiser and as well as a way for the cadets to openly talk to others that they wouldn’t normally talk to because of their class schedules. It gives cadets a chance to interact with each other

“Everybody helps out and gets to hangout outside of the school environment, and to see different cadets that they normally wouldn’t see because of the different schedules,” First Sergeant Goldwaite said.

Such as doing team building activities or just talking to one another about anything, and also to make new friendships. For the food items they had two sausage wraps, a bag of chips and also a drink all to go or to donate the food to others. The way donations work is people still have to pay the $10 but the people that donate just don’t get the food or drink. 

“We also use the money we raise for events after school, like football games, PT events, Drill meets and so forth,” Goldwaite said.

They give the food to veterans, and then the money goes to a savings for the military ball. The barbecue also gives the cadets the opportunity to experience public speaking and taking leadership. 

“ Not only are we getting financial benefits from this, but we are developing a sense of community spirit,” Goldthwaite said.

“All of the cadets that attend the barbecue from each platoon get a sense of camaraderie because they get to actually help each other out and interact with one another,” Goldwaite said.

Having opened in November of 2021, the LMS building has included lounges in both upper and lower floors of the building. These lounges are sitting areas that students are allowed to use for studying and chill out areas.

“It’s a place for students and teachers to work and to study,” LMS Principal Margaret Bray said.

The lounges are located in Upper and Lower B building and are open for all students to use for doing homework, studying or just as a calm hangout spot. As long as students present a pass as permission to be there, all are welcome.

“There’s never a time when someone is going to be told ‘you are a Marshall student; you aren’t an LMS student, and you need to leave’,” Bray said.

These lounges are social community places. Made for any and all people of the campus to just have a spot to be, But when the lounges are dirty and not treated with care it can cause restrictions and limitations to be placed instead of giving free reign in the area.

“It just makes me sad when it’s not respected, when it’s not taken care of,” Bray said. “These are valuable areas. Students need to take care of them.”

While Lower lounge area has more couches and is more like a chill out area, upper B building has a set of stairs and barstools that usually is used for when there is a guest speaker on the campus, or sometimes when class photos wish to be taken.

“There’s not a lot of flexible seating across the campus, so that’s why those spaces were designed, and we encourage students to use them,” Bray said.

Clubs cover individuals and events that came before the campus, much like the Social Studies Honor Society, or Rho Kappa, while others discuss more modern situations. Keeping up with current events can be a daunting task, but our campus houses a club that does just that. Here’s to another issue of Club Spotlight Corner, where all eyes are on Current Events Club.

Senior Izzy Sowell, the president of Current Events, shared what Current Events Club entails.

“The Current Events club is a place where anyone interested in what is happening in the world around them can learn more information,” Izzy said. “It’s meant to be not only a safe space for people to express their opinions about the issues plaguing not only the country, but global issues, as well.”

Utilizing the ability to create an on-campus group, Current Events Club was part of the community for quite some time to provide a place for students to speak on the current state of the world. Izzy shares how she learned of this club, which led her to becoming the 2024-25 president. 

“I was a sophomore when I first learned about the club’s existence,” Izzy said. “The previous club sponsor told his classes about it and the club piqued my interest.” 

The purpose of the club is for students to find a sense of community and further knowledge with the world around them. Open conversations are welcoming of all members within each meeting.

“If you cared about either current politics or had some interest in the news you could join,” Izzy said. 

The diversity of different members allows for nuanced perspectives on different topics, specifically pertaining to news reports the student’s found.

“Our meetings are open ended discussions about news headlines that we’ve found throughout the week. We typically bring in news articles and have a discussion about them,” Izzy said. “Club meetings started up fully around a month ago and are in the mornings on Wednesdays.”

Due to the nature of bringing people together, Izzy discusses how the Current Events Club benefits her.

“Current Events was able to give me a sense of community within the school environment,” Izzy said. “It helped me make new friends that I without a doubt wouldn’t have even talked to without the club.”