Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Spring 2019 | Page 14

ST U D E N T S P O T L I G H T
Staying on her toes: Madeleine Walsh ’21 competes in
Irish Step Worldwide
Madeleine Walsh ’21 is all smiles after being announced
as the New England Regional Champion 2017.
A
fter the final bell rings at Thornton Academy each
day, students can be seen heading off to study, to
various club or activity meetings, and to athletic practices.
Sophomore Madeleine Walsh can be spotted journeying
to the Stillson School of Irish Dance in Portland to refine
her step skills for her next competition. Once she arrives to
practice, Walsh will spend anywhere between two to three
hours preparing for team and solo competitions, working to
keep her arms by her sides, turning her feet out, staying on
her toes, and perfecting her routine for competition.
Now in her eighth year of competition, Walsh is competing
in what is known as the “Open Championships,” the highest
possible level on national and worldwide stages. Her journey
began at Steppin' Out Dance Centre in Saco by chance.
“I saw a class being offered at Steppin' Out in Saco and I
thought it would be cool to start learning,” explained Walsh,
“I never thought I would end up this far.”
After beginning to develop her skills in Saco, her dance
teacher, Carlene Stillson, approached Madeleine and
encouraged her to begin classes at the Stillson School
because she believed she possessed a special talent that
would allow her to be successful in competition. Currently
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Story by Brittany Brown · Photos Courtesy of Madeleine Walsh
TA T R E A S U R E
Linnell Gymnasium
A
nyone familiar with Thornton Academy knows that
Linnell Gymnasium is way more than just a place to
practice and play sports. Since its dedication on October 20,
1963, William Shepherd Linnell Gymnasium has been a hub
for Thornton Academy students as well as the greater Saco
community. Our gym has hosted theater productions, formal
dances, graduation ceremonies, all-school assemblies, numerous
events for children, and the ever-popular pep rallies.
At the dedication ceremony in 1963, Mr. William Linnell spoke
of plans for the future expansion of Thornton Academy. No
doubt he would be proud of the school’s constant pursuit of
growth and development to better serve our students. With
the addition of a fieldhouse, the amount of space to serve our
community will more than double.
Here’s to another 55 years of memories!
Madeleine soars with perfect form at a recent competition.
the Stillson School is home to approximately 20 dancers
who compete individually and on teams. From the Director's Chair
Walsh has taken to Irish Step Dance with great success. She
travels across the country and around the world to compete
in a one-of-a-kind custom-made dress. Chris Queally reflects on memories from the stage of Linnell Gymnasium.
“My solo dresses are made by a man in Ireland and shipped
to the US. We give him a general idea of what we would
like and he sketches the design and shares it with us before
he makes it. When I get a new one, I use it until I grow out
of it,” Walsh shared. “We will hand dresses down to other
dancers when they no longer fit.”
In April 2018, Walsh traveled to compete in the World Irish
Dancing Competition where she placed 19 th overall. Just
before Thanksgiving, Walsh competed in the Regional Irish
Dancing Competition in Rhode Island and placed third.
Other competition locations she has travelled to include
Montreal, Glasgow, and Dublin.
Over February vacation, Walsh travelled to Ireland for an
overseas competition. She says, “I have trained hard for
this competition. The World Competition will be held in
Greensboro, North Carolina in April. I love traveling to
different states and around the world. I get to meet new
people and challenge myself.”
I
must have directed between five to eight fall productions,
and an equal number of one acts as well as directing book
on five or six musicals in the Linnell Gymnasium between
1984 when I was asked by then Headmaster Jim Jortberg to
resurrect TA’s dormant theater program and 1997 when we
abandoned the stage at the Linnell Gymnasium and began
performances in the brand new Garland Auditorium.
My very first play—The Lottery by Shirley Jackson was
actually performed on the gym floor. We used a lot of real
stones mixed in with a bunch of foam ones for the stoning
scene at the end. Then I started working on stage with
Lonnie Woodward, TA’s beloved vocal music director, I
think on Once Upon a Mattress. Glenn Anderson ’69 (a TA
alum and former Trustee) was the book director and I sort
of took over for him – I don’t remember why. But he had
taken over for Lonnie’s brother-in-law, Roger Huntress.
Anyway by the time we got to Lonnie’s last musical: Little
Shop of Horrors—staring now Dean of Students, Greg
Paradis ’91, as the carnivorous plant—I was the book
director. Our last musical in the gym was Into the Woods.
I directed book with Michelle Hansen Snow ’87—her sister
Melanie Hansen Serrano ’93 was one of the stars.
And I believe the very last show in the gym was my
production of Romeo and Juliet. We tried to modernize it by
having the Capulets wear baggy pants while the Montagues
wore tight jeans. We rented three stories of construction
scaffolding for the balcony scene and had a fight master
from the Theater Department at USM come in to teach the
kids stage combat and dueling. Alicia Hotinger Fisher ’96
whose daughter, Basia, graduated from TA in 2018, starred
as Juliet. I remember that was the last play on the gym
stage because I recall showing Alicia the new theater space
under construction that spring. It was certainly the last
Shakespeare Play on the gym stage.
Story by Katy Nicketakis · Photos Courtesy of TA Tripod
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