Characters from current events were at the Cook County High School Night of the Notorious event on Monday, January 9. Right: Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour (Bradley VanDoren) debated the merits of offshore oil drilling with visitors. Far right: Dr. Diane Harper (Lauren Murray) spoke in favor of the Gardasil vaccination for young women.
Headlines came to life on Monday, January 9 when School District 166 College in the Schools (CITS) students presented The Night of the Notorious. Characters from current events—news, sports and entertainment— were on hand to debate issues at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts.
It was an evening enjoyed by all as Ivy Church’s CITS students were put to the test, answering questions about the notorious characters or issues they had chosen.
Two students selected sports figures—one notorious for his illegal activities, another for his coaching style. David Bergstrom calmly portrayed Phil Jackson, sometimes called the “Zen Master,” who has accumulated an impressive winning record employing a Zen Buddhist philosophy. Asked if he used those Zen techniques while waiting in line or stuck in traffic, David/Phil nodded sagely and said, “I use this philosophy in all parts of my life.”
The other sports figure, Nevin Shapiro, could have used a better philosophy. Michael Sjogren played the sad figure of Shapiro—in jail for being the “number one booster” of the University of Miami and providing over $930 million in “benefits” to college players with money gained through fraud.
Far left: Tyson Chicken CEO Donald Tyson (Cecelia Olson) explained why he feels that the use of antibiotics is important in the production of chicken meat. Middle: “Zen Master” Coach Phil Jackson (David Bergstrom) shared his philosophy of basketball— and life. Left: Kimberly Speas (Ashley Deschampe), a “pageant mom” who appears with her daughter on Toddlers & Tiaras, brought her “daughter” along to help explain her stance on childhood beauty contests.
A strong woman and advocate for the prevention of child abuse is Alice Miller, who was brought to life by Michaela Buchheit. Michaela/Alice raised the thought-provoking question, “Why is it so hard for some people to see and report child abuse?”
Another strong woman was Judge LaDoris Cordell (Ashley Ross), who talked about the difficult task of determining when juveniles should be tried as adults.
Ashley Deschampe, as Kimberly Speas, brought a most effective prop, her little cousin Morgan, to portray her “daughter” and star of reality TV show Toddlers & Tiaras. Ashley/Kimberly defended her decision to enter her daughter in beauty pageants, declaring that she learns manners and poise from the competitions. The pageant mom said she would let her daughter stop entering pageants whenever she wanted. Asked by an audience member about the toddlers who have temper tantrums on the show, Ashley/Kimberly smiled a dazzling smile and insisted, “Not my daughter.”
Geologist Richard Alley (Alex Ditmanson) argued passionately for alternatives to fossil fuels, including whether or not a biomass plant is feasible for Cook County. Next to him was Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour (Bradley VanDoren) who argued that his state would benefit from offshore drilling. To his detractors, the governor said his state could acquire all of its energy needs from an offshore drilling project. He reassured listeners that they would not even see the rigs. “They are 12 miles out in the ocean,” he explained.
Medical professionals were represented— Lauren Murray was Dr. Diane Harper, arguing for the Gardasil vaccination to prevent cervical cancer and Dylan Quaife was Dr. Simeon Wall Jr. whose plastic surgury practice includes teen-aged patients.
In a question that affects us all, Cecelia Olson as Donald Tyson answered some tough questions about the use of antibiotics in food production—and the size of his yacht.
Celebrity Celine Dion (Molly Zafft) fielded questions about eugenics and whether in vitro fertilization should be used to create “designer babies.” Another celebrity, the author of the famed Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling (Annika Stone), defended her books by stating her books have a religious theme. “I’m a devout Christian,” she told one concerned audience member.
All of the students did a great job of researching their characters—and withstanding the grilling of audience members who were quite taken in by their Night of the Notorious personas.
Leave a Reply