High School musical: ‘Grease’ is the word

I love this time of year. As the snow melts and the geese return, high schools throughout the region are rehearsing and presenting their spring musicals with imagination, verve and vitality.

First up, Sullivan West’s ( swcsd.org ) incredibly energetic presentation of “Grease” this past weekend in Lake Huntington, NY. In spite of the storm, replete with a power outage on Saturday night that obliterated the light and sound cues that the crew had spent countless hours to create, the show went on.

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Why is art important?

By TAMARA MURRAY

Recently I was asked the question by a local business owner, “why is art important?” We were discussing the proposed 11 percent reduction in the Pennsylvania state budget for the arts, and how this would impact the arts in our area. With people losing jobs, businesses closing and real estate values falling, he was feeling the crunch of these economic times.

I replied that it is a common misconception that communities support the arts at the expense of other local economic development; but research shows that the arts not only enhance the quality of life in communities, but they also contribute in their economic well-being.

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Smoking

I had my first cigarette somewhere around mid-November 2002, standing at my brand new address in New York City: 35 Fifth Avenue. I was 18 years old. I had never smoked in high school, and took it up for reasons inbetween an excuse to stand out on Fifth Avenue at dusk and a small act of rebellion. I looked forward to those early cigarettes, mostly taken with friends. Sometimes, we would sit on the stoop across the street. But, we weren’t smokers.

I had one a day for a month or so, then, sometimes, if I was really enjoying myself, I had two. Then, sometimes, I would have a cigarette after lunch. Never in the morning though, I would tell myself.

Then, sometimes, I would smoke in the morning.

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