IN Woodland Hills Spring 2014 | Page 28

oodland Hills WOO DL AN D HI LL S SC H OOL D IS TR IC T NE WS Ms. Robin Frederick and Mrs. Nicole Clark-Bey catch up during the Chocolate & Diamonds Affair cocktail hour. Last year’s diamond winner, Maria McCool (left), poses with this year’s diamond winner, Georgine Johnston(right), and Galina Shimenko of William Penn Jewelers. Woodland Hills Foundation Scholarships Do you know a senior who will graduate from Woodland Hills High School this year? Make sure they know about the six scholarships offered by the Woodland Hills Foundation: I The Julia Anne McCool Memorial Scholarship I The Debbie Spahr Thames Memorial Scholarship I The Hospital Albert Schweitzer Scholarship Mrs Phyllis Friend, one of the night’s Friend of the Foundation Award recipients, poses with her family I The Woodland Hills Foundation Senior Scholarship I NEW! The Barrie and Arleen Bartulski Scholarship for Academic Excellence I NEW! The Darcy Lynn Herman Scholarship Mr. & Mrs. Dave Letson, Dr. Missy Criss and Jim Kiley enjoy the evening’s festivities. 26 Woodland Hills Applications can be found on the Foundation’s website www.woodlandhillsfoundation. org or in the High School Guidance Office starting March 1, 2014. Applications will be due Monday, March 31, 2014. Questions can be posed to Ms. Jamie Glasser at general.info@ woodlandhillsfoundation.org. WHHS Department of Performing Arts presents Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd” is thought to be the “angriest musical ever written”. Benjamin Barker, unjustly imprisoned for 15 years, returns to 19th Century London as Sweeney Todd and sets up a barber shop out of the upstairs room of Mrs. Lovett’s Pie Shop. In order to extract revenge for losing his wife and daughter, Todd, with Mrs. Lovett’s help, lures men to his barber chair, kills them, and disposes of their bodies – transforming Mrs. Lovett’s pies from “The Worst Pies in London” to the most popular. Join us this Spring for the fun and merryment! April 24th–26th & May 1st - 3rd at 8pm Saturday Matinees at 1 pm Woodland Hills High School 2550 Greensburg Pike Pittsburgh, PA 15221 For advanced ticket information: Tom Crone [email protected] 412.244.1100 x 5154 Woodland Hills | Spring 2014 | icmags.com 27 W OODL AN D HI L L S SC HOOL DI STRI C T NE WS This year’s five diamond finalists pose before taking their chances at opening the diamond box. Usually, an individual’s transition from high school to post-high school is a stressful period. Whether a student plans to further his/her education at a four-year university, trade school or begin a career, this time period is one of adjustment and decisions. Fortunately for me, entering college at The University of the Arts was fairly easy. I maintained a 3.15 GPA while interning at the prestigious Sigma Sound Studios. However, I owe my ambitious nature and smooth transition into the university to attending Woodland Hills from K-12. At Woodland Hills, I received a well-rounded education, learned how to multitask and was surrounded by kids from different backgrounds and neighborhoods. My senior year, I gained acceptance to Duquesne University, Berklee College of Music and the University of the Arts. With a $14,000 a year scholarship, I wholeheartedly decided upon attending the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Happily I declared my school of choice. I was then met with warnings from well-meaning friends of the dangers of Philadelphia. But these warnings were spoken by folks who were sheltered from urban life and afraid. Living in Rankin for nearly 18 years and growing up with family members and friends who lived in various urban Pittsburgh neighborhoods, their warnings left me undeterred. As a Woodland Hills graduate, I was equipped to handle a variety of people and situations – even becoming best friends with those with different interests than my own. My friends ranged from football athletes to aspiring engineers and physicists. While Woodland Hills School District is known for being a sports-oriented school, it is highly underrated in its art and music programs. The resources are fantastic. While some students (and even parents) complain about a ‘lack of help’ or ‘getting ahead,’ it is up to the individual student to put forth the effort. That’s what I loved about Woodland Hills: encouragement, praise and information are provided, but it’s the student’s choice if he/she chooses to excel. With the experiences and education provided at Woodland Hills, students don’t just leave the district as graduates; they depart as confident Wolverines. Attend the Tale... Woodland Hills Chocolate & Diamonds Affair A Letter from Woodland Hills Alumnus Justice Clark-Bey, Woodland Hills High School Class of 2013