Hundreds Turn Out for Dodgeball Fundraiser
More than 380 costumed players on 50 teams ducked, dived and dodged balls at Laguna Beach High School on Oct. 16 for SchoolPower’s 10th annual Dodgeball Tournament. The event raised over $13,000 for SchoolPower, the parent volunteer-based, nonprofit education foundation that has raised money for Laguna Beach public schools since 1981.
Cameron Clark, 6th grade, of the Motley Crew team, prepares to launch a ball during SchoolPower’s Dodgeball Tournament. Photo by Kristin Karkoska/Blue Sky’s Studio
The tournament included students from all four local schools, teachers, PTA leaders and school staff, Laguna Beach firefighters, and local business supporters. Adding to the energy were Dodgeball chair Kristine Flynn and her planning committee of SchoolPower trustees, plus hundreds of parent coaches, volunteer referees, and cheering spectators.
In the high school/adult bracket, defending champions PrescribeWellnesspulled off a three-peat, with one of their two teams taking home the championship trophy once again. Class rivalries played out on the court when the seniors on team 2020 defeated the juniors of Last Kid Picked in a final game for a second place finish.
Beyond bragging rights, champions from each division won $500 in prize money to designate to a teacher or school program of their choice. For more details, visit lbschoolpower.org/dodgeball-tournament/.
The following teams dodged their way to victory:
Division Winners:
4th/5th – Ball Dogs
6th-8th – VSCO
HS/Adult – PrescribeWellness
Best Costume Winners:
4th/5th – The Mighty NarBalls
6th-8th – Balls of Cereal
HS/Adult – RhythmRide
LBHS Theatre presents Thornton Wilder’s ‘Our Town’
Laguna Beach High School Theatre invites audiences to a performance of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town at the Laguna Beach High School Artists Theatre beginning Friday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m.
Set in the small town of Grover’s Corners, “Our Town” follows the relationship of young lovers Emily Webb and George Gibbs over the course of 1901 to 1913. Narrated by special guest artist Mark Dressler in the role of the Stage Manager, audiences follow the Webb and Gibbs families through three acts as their children fall in love, marry, and eventually—in one of the most famous scenes in American theatre—die.
“Mr. Mark Dressler brought a unique brand of passion to his work as he directed and produced scores of successful classical, contemporary, and musical theatre pieces throughout his 25-year tenure at Laguna Beach High School and Thurston Middle School,” said current Laguna Beach High School and Thurston Middle School Theatre teacher and director, Alexis Karol. “Something special occurs when our alumni artists collaborate with our current students, there is a certain level of trust that falls into place immediately. This year, with an alumnus directing and Mr. Dressler performing, there is a clear sense of tradition being handed down at each and every rehearsal.”
The playwright’s stage directions call for “Our Town” to be performed on an unadorned stage: “No curtain. No scenery. The audience, arriving, sees an empty stage in half-light.” The play’s narrator is named after an important theatrical crew member: the Stage Manager. This crucial character has the power to communicate directly to the audience, but can also interact with the characters.
“I am excited to perform on stage for the first time in nearly 40 years,” said former high school and middle school theatre teacher Mark Dressler. “I am especially thrilled to be under the direction of my former student, Celena DelPizzo-Howell, who performed in “Our Town” the last time I produced it at Laguna Beach High School.”
Tickets are on sale now at lbhs.booktix.com(students $12 / adults $17 / premium $22).
Production Dates:
Oct. 25, 26 & Nov. 1, 2 at 7 p.m.
Oct. 27 & Nov. 3 at 2:30 p.m.
Location:
LBHS Artists Theatre
625 Park Avenue, Laguna Beach
