The Glen Cove High School Masquers Society will present its spring musical  “Man of La Mancha” this Friday, April 25 and Saturday, April 26 in the GCHS auditorium beginning at 8 p.m. on both nights. Tickets are $8 for adults, $7 for students and $6 for senior citizens.

“Man of La Mancha” takes place in the 16th century, as lead character Miguel de Cervantes (poet, playwright, and part-time actor) has been arrested by the Spanish Inquisition, along with his servant Sancho. Both are accused of presenting a controversial show. Inside the dungeon into which they have been cast, the other prisoners gang up on Cervantes and Sancho, and begin a mock trial with the intention of stealing or burning his possessions. Cervantes wishes to desperately save a manuscript he carries with him and stages an unusual defense along with the participation of the other prisoners: his presentation of the story of Don Quixote.

Michael Banks stars as Miguel de Cervantes, who in turn plays Don Quixote. Kristin Ingegno plays the role of Aldonza and D'metri Fernandez plays Sancho. Tom Wallace directs and Edward Norris is the musical director.

Congratulations to Glen Cove High School senior Jackelyn Hayduk who won both the 1st and 3rd place awards at the Photographic Society of America's Youth Photography Showcase, organized by the PSA's Long Island Council. As a result, Jackelyn has won a cash prize, the honor of being published and her work will be exhibited on the national stage!
 
Jackelyn won 1st place in the Photojournalism category for a photograph of her grandfather roping a calf while on horseback in Wyoming. She also won 3rd place in the Landscape category for a stormy Wyoming landscape. Her winning photos, along with her biography, will be published in the September 2014 issue of the PSA Journal and will be displayed on the PSA website. Her winning photos will also be exhibited during the PSA's 2014 National Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Locally, her photos will be exhibited on Saturday, April 26, 2014, 3:30pm – 6:30pm, at the Ethical Humanist Society, 38 Old Country Road in Garden City.

Jackelyn will be attending Drexel University, studying Interactive Digital Design in the fall. Her photography teacher is Melissa Johnides.

The Glen Cove High School Model United Nations club delivered an impressive showing at the prestigious World Quest competition, recently held at Stuyvesant High School in New York City.  World Quest, an intensive high-school-level team competition run by the World Affairs Council of America in conjunction with the Foreign Policy Association, is designed to challenge students on their knowledge of international affairs, geography, culture and history.

As the only high school fielding two teams, GCHS competed against eight other schools at the competition. Both GCHS squads tied for fourth place and finished ahead of perennial contenders such as Herricks High School and the Bronx High School of Sciences.  

“It was a wonderful experience and the club is looking forward to bringing home first place next year!” said Model UN advisor Chris Contorno, whose Model UN students have been very successful in local competitions the last few years.
 
Congratulations to the Model UN teams comprised of students Shayan Awan, Christopher Christodoulou, Matthew Gallo, Nicolas Garcia, Ali Raza, Andrew Shuck, Brando Vizcarro and Blake-Lee Woods.

The Glen Cove High School Dance Club held a “Zumba Night” fundraiser for students and community members. Zumba instructors were former Glen Cove High School ESL students Mimi Ruiz, Katherine Flores, Erica Dobrovszky, and Marjorie Bell. The event raised $280 for the 20-member startup club.

“We would like to perform at school events and our members enjoy dancing for fun,” said Dance Club advisor Clare Germino. “We learn all different types of dances.”

The Glen Cove High Student Senate (pictured) recently kicked off a Relay for Life campaign to help spread the word and encourage others to participate in this worthwhile event that will be held at North Shore High School on Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8.  

Relay for Life is an organized community fundraising walk comprised of teams who agree to camp out around a track overnight. Members of each team take turns walking around the track, usually at a local high school. Relay for Life events, which benefit the American Cancer Society, are designed to raise funds and awareness for cancer research and also allow participants to pay tribute to cancer survivors and loved ones who have lost their battle.

The GCHS Senate’s team, The Thunder Cats, is captained by senior Samantha DiPaola, who has been extremely active in spreading awareness and garnering participation for Relay for Life in previous years. As captain of the varsity girls lacrosse squad, Samantha has been influential in coordinating and promoting two Coaches vs. Cancer fundraisers (which also benefit the American Cancer Society); a Zumbathon fundraiser held on April 1 that raised more than $400; and the upcoming lacrosse and softball Coaches vs. Cancer games, scheduled for April 12 at GCHS at 10 a.m. (softball) and 12 p.m. (lacrosse).

In addition to the Thunder Cats, the GCHS Key Club and kickline also have teams registered, among other Glen Cove teams. The Senate hopes to encourage enough students, staff and members of the school community to join Samantha’s team or an existing team, or start a team of their own. In years past, as many as 10 teams have represented Glen Cove at the North Shore Relay for Life. Last year, more than 50 GCHS students participated in the event, including Samantha and her Student Senate team, which won the Relay’s “Heart and Sole” award for the most miles walked.

To register for the North Shore Relay for Life and sign up with a team, visit www.relayforlife.org. Students can contact Student Senate adviser Ellen Lynch at GCHS for more information.