The Book Fair is coming!! Preview day is March 17! Book. Sales will be March 18-21 with evening hours on March 20 during Family Reading Night!
REMINDER: Spring Picture Day is approaching!
Hello Elementary Families,
Please click the link below to access this week's Galva Elementary Weekly Wildcat Newsletter for 3-9-25:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PXjgSx0mZeE3xr8qdCYpHOrjlzzLDAv9/view?usp=sharing
Galva Elementary School's Word of the Week for 3-10-25 to 3-14-25!
Cast Spotlight #8: Our Seniors, Past, Present, & Future
As the director of Galva Drama Club, I have had the honor of knowing nine sets of graduating Drama Club members, some of which were a part of the club every year from junior high through senior year. Watching these individuals grow in their skills, their friendships, and their confidence is what brings me back to the theater year after year.
I remember each of our Drama Club members: Olivia King and her houseful of daughters in Cheaper By the Dozen, Lauren Hawes and her authentic pink prom dress from the 1950s, Kyra Dulla belting her songs in Zombie Prom. The dedication to excellence in all that Shivam Patel did, the tenacity of Brooklyn Taylor to master challenging dialogues, the hilarity of Jimmy Byrd as Teddy Roosevelt charging up the living room stairs, Everett Thuline breaking the fourth wall while pretending to be a little old lady, Carolyn Raley's devastation as her character watched Cedric Diggory die, the creative touches Katie Clemons added in Radium Girls, the fortitude of the Covid-Era outdoor actors, Parker DeVenney in his green body paint bursting out of a locker... Cameron Faber, Knute Larson, Cal Clucas, Katie Kocan, David Mock, Sarah Kaiser, how delighted Jaymi Gibb was when was cast in the role of Mr Gibb, Jenna Suddeth, Josh Allen... I could go on and on. Drama Club Alum, even those I did not call out by name, please know that the sets, props, and roles you created are etched on my heart forever.
This year is just as special, as we have four seniors performing and six seniors working behind-the-scenes in Shrek.
Addie Moore stars as Donkey. One thing I appreciate about Addie is how professional she is: she masters her lines outside of rehearsal, really digs into the characters' personality, and uses body language with great humor. Addie will be studying marine biology next year. Her favorite musical is Hamilton and her favorite thing about Drama Club are the friendships.
Maddie Bates is Peter Pan, and her favorite musicals are Six and Hamilton. She loves to read dystopian fiction and she is active in practically every sport and activity Galva has to offer. Maddie shined in her role as that Potter boy in Puffs and I hope that she continues with theater at ISU.
Shane Garcia is Gingy. He is the most recent addition to this class of Drama Club seniors. Last year, the role of Tom Kreider in Radium Girls became vacant just a week before opening night. Shane agreed to help out, and in just that short time mastered the role. The acting bug bit Shane, and I couldn't imagine a funnier Gingy. Shane will pursue music and astronomy at Knox College.
Tori Conner is the cutest Ugly Duckling to ever exist. Her caring heart and big smile made her perfect for the role. In Radium Girls last year, Tori played the role of scientist Marie Curie. Whether as Marie Currie, Ugly Duckling, or herself, Tori is a role model and is devoted to helping others. She is passionate about becoming a CNA.
As for the senior crew members, Lily Wigant created many of our set pieces and will lead our stagehands on Saturday night. Lily is a real leader of the class of 2025, and has been a driving force behind many of her class fundraisers. I truly believe that Lily's leadership, attention to detail, and strong work ethic will make it so she accomplishes anything and everything she dreams. Dakota Olander created the dragon costume. He is a talented artist in drawing, sculpting, and welding. Curiosity drives Dakota, and he often questions the world in order to have deeper understanding. He knows a lot about a lot of things, which makes him a great person to have deep conversations with. Cheyanne Piester created many of our props. She is a hands-on person, excelling at projects and helping with whatever needs to be done. I appreciate her positive attitude in all that she does. Faith Simoneaux created set pieces and props. She has a great sense of wit and is an avid reader and a talented writer. Grace Klein uses her hair and make-up talents to bring our characters to life. She loves music, especially musicians such as David Bowie and Hozier. She is a dedicated member of the dance team. And last but not least, Loreyn Robinson returns as our excellent sound manager, especially vital since Shrek is a Musical. Loreyn is kind, creative, and active participant. You can always find her helping out, whether at school or a part of the Galva music scene.
Don't miss your chance to see our special seniors do their things for the last time in their high school careers on Saturday, March 8th at 7pm.
And remember seniors, as Drama Club Alumni, you will always be welcome to come "Shake It Out" with us.
Spotlight #7 Our Sponsors & Support SystemDrama Club wants to thank our community sponsors BHE Renewables and State Bank of Toulon. The Moore Family and BHE Renewables donated the funds to purchase a theater projector for our Drama Club program. A fundraising initiative by the State Bank of Toulon coordinated by Shelly Hurd donated funds for this year's production. Funds went to purchasing a professional-level lens for the projector and a screen. The projector and screen will be used for many years and will allow us to have dynamic backgrounds and special effects. Additionally, our students interested in tech can develop the skills to design custom projections for future plays.
The Galva Performing Arts Boosters is our constant support. This year, they have donated towards our costumes. Our costumes are either handmade or rented from the Quad Cities Music Guild. The Galva Performing Arts Council hosted our community play preview, giving our kids valuable practice of performing in front of a life audience. Regional Media News in Kewanee invited us to interview on the radio, and promoted our production. Thank you to all.
And last but not least, thank you to our Drama Club families. They have nourished with food and love during tech week
Spotlight #6: The Best Robe Wearers
Lord Farquaad is the catalyst that propels all the events of Shrek the Musical. Wants a "perfect" kingdom? Banish the fairy tale creatures to the swamp! Need a princess to make him a king? Send the ogre! Our Lord Farquaad is played by freshman Megan Thuline, a natural comedian with no short supply of talent. Come see Lord Farquaad, his shiny hair, flowing robes, and noble unicorn on Saturday, March 8th.
Our second spotlight in this post is one AJ Bresnahan who is the Bishop at Lord Farqauud's wedding. When not in the flowing Bishop's robes, he devotes his time as the custodian of Galva Jr/Sr High. In his eleventh year at Galva, he takes pride in providing for the students a clean and orderly learning environment. This is his first time on the stage , spending his youth playing sports and his adult years in the Navy and raising his family. He has always loved music and would rather listen to music than watch television. One of AJ's talents is making people laugh, whether in the hallway or from the stage. Come see AJ Saturday at 7pm and see if you can guess which of his lines are from the script and which he added himself. Thank you, AJ, for making all of our days at Galva brighter and more full of laughter.
Check out Volume 7 of the Newsletter!
Congratulations to the All Academic All Conference Team for Boys Basketball 2024-2025! Shout out to Ty Dowell-Keup, Reid Harris, Braden Murphy, Josh Gravitt, and Cyrus Hurd!
Congratulations to the LTC All Conference Teams. Congratulations to Blake Stahl, MJ Louck, JP Sloan
Spotlight #7 Our Sponsors & Support SystemDrama Club wants to thank our community sponsors BHE Renewables and State Bank of Toulon. The Moore Family and BHE Renewables donated the funds to purchase a theater projector for our Drama Club program. A fundraising initiative by the State Bank of Toulon coordinated by Shelly Hurd donated funds for this year's production. Funds went to purchasing a professional-level lens for the projector and a screen. The projector and screen will be used for many years and will allow us to have dynamic backgrounds and special effects. Additionally, our students interested in tech can develop the skills to design custom projections for future plays.
The Galva Performing Arts Boosters is our constant support. This year, they have donated towards our costumes. Our costumes are either handmade or rented from the Quad Cities Music Guild. The Galva Performing Arts Council hosted our community play preview, giving our kids valuable practice of performing in front of a life audience. Regional Media News in Kewanee invited us to interview on the radio, and promoted our production. Thank you to all.
And last but not least, thank you to our Drama Club families. They have nourished with food and love during tech week
Indoor Track results hosted by BVHS at Westwood Athletic Complex in Sterling. We competed against 11 teams. Brayden Robinson 30.27 a PR (personal record) in the 200 m dash, 10.22m a PR in the Triple Jump. Sage Kaiser 1:34.52 a PR (personal record) in the 400 m dash. 4x200 m relay: Sage Kaiser, Charley Chamberlain, Ella Ingels, Olivia Calderon 2:25.42. Olivia Calderon 5.63 m a PR (personal record) in the Shot Put, Reese Sumner 3.35 m a SR (seasonal record) in the Long Jump, Ella Ingels 7.36 m a PR (personal record) in the Triple Jump. Well done!
Here is the 8th Grade Bracket IESA Volleyball
Drama Club Correction: Addie Boston will perform as Young Fiona on Friday night, and Ellory McDonald on Saturday. The opposite was accidentally posted yesterday. Both girls will be Fairy Tale creatures both nights.
Spotlight #4: Our Junior High Members
It could be scary auditioning for an activity that includes both highschoolers and junior highers, but these talented actors are brave and kind and true assets to our program.
Brielle Jeffrey stars as Princess Fiona. This is her first production at Galva, but theater is her passion and she hopes to continue with it throughout her life. One of her fondest memories is seeing the Great Gatsby on Broadway in NYC with her dad.
This year, our cast includes 8th graders John Clemons (Papa Ogre & One of the Three Pigs---the one who built with brick), Sophia McArthur (Mama Ogre & One of the Three Pigs---the one who built with straw) , and Sebastian Rodseth (Guard, Puss N Boots, and Grumpy). They all performed in Radium Girls last year, too.
By inviting junior high students to audition, Drama Club is able to pick plays that have larger casts, which increases the fun for everyone. For the students, it gives them the time and opportunity to develop more skills and interests within the theater field.
This year's crew includes 8th grader Jerzie Coakley, who brings her prop-making experience from the Galva Arts Council Summer Theater Program to our stage. 7th grader Madelyn McCurdy has been learning the ropes on the technical side, by learning to run the spotlights, soundboard, and scenic projections.
Galva Drama Club's Shrek the Musical is on March 7th & 8th at 7pm. Tickets are $10 at the door. We will have t-shirts and chocolates with character trading cards for sale! (while supplies last).
Spotlight #5: The Incredible Crew
It takes a lot of behind-the-scenes work to put on a show. Qualities of a strong crew member include creativity, attention to detail, communication, good time management reliability, adaptability, and willingness to develop new skills. Our stage manager this year is Landon Rodseth, who has learned set construction by assisting Mr Angelo for multiple years. Dakota Olander designed and assembled our dragon costume, and Lily Wigant, Cheyanne Piester, Faith Simoneaux, Madelyn McCurdy, Brayden Anderson, and Jerzie Cloakley all created props and pitched in where ever needed
We wouldn't have music for our play without Loreyn Robinson who returns as our sound manager. Allison Nordstrom brings the songs to life through her dance choreography and leadership. Grace Klein lends her hair and makeup talents on show nights. Grace, Cheyanne, Faith, and Dakota will double as Angry People with Pitchforks. Thank you to our incredible crew!
Galva Drama Club's Shrek the Musical is on March 7th & 8th at 7pm. Tickets are $10 at the door. We will have t-shirts and chocolates with character trading cards for sale! (while supplies last).
It's a Championship night!
Our 7th-grade volleyball girls play in the IESA Regional title match at 6pm at Visitation School. Let's go!
Cast Spotlight #3:
Our Three-Peats! These young actors are showing off their talents for the third time with Galva Drama Club. One of the missions of the Galva Drama Club is to offer a different style of production each year, so that by the time each member graduates, they have developed dramatic, comedic, historical, contemporary, improv, and musical skills.
Our three-peats are Angie McArthur (Shrek), Allison (Piggy, Teen Fiona, Duloc Games Master, and dance manager), Randal Engels (Pinocchio and Knight), and Sebastian Rodseth (Grumpy, Guard, and Puss N Boots).
These three-peat actors performed in the Harry Potter-based comedy Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic. While rehearsing for the historical drama Radium Girls, they visited Ottawa, Illinois, and learned about the real-life radium factory workers who developed health problems that cost them their lives. The actors were then able to portray those struggles and triumphs on stage, sharing the fascinating story that ultimately improved the health and safety conditions of American workers. Now, in Shrek, these young actors have worked diligently to master singing solos and in ensembles while also dancing, and sometimes sword fighting!
Galva Drama Club's Shrek the Musical is on March 7th & 8th at 7pm. Tickets are $10 at the door. We will have t-shirts and chocolates with character trading cards inside on sale! (while supplies last).
Cast Spotlight #1
First we are going to spotlight our youngest cast members! Addie Boston and Ellory McDonald are playing the role of Young Fiona. Locked in the tower when she was only seven years old, Young Princess Fiona has only her dolls to talk to and her books to keep her entertained---and what's that sound? A dragon! Oh no, how will she ever survive ? Ellory will perform as Young Fiona on Friday and Addie will perform on Saturday. When not in character as the Princess, the girls are in the ensemble as fairy tale characters.
Other elementary actors include Jacob Boston as Young Shrek and the Frog Prince, Libertyann Clemons as Fairy Godmother, and Knox Glaser as Bluebird and Scarecrow.
Galva Drama Club's Shrek the Musical is on March 7th & 8th at 7pm. Tickets are $10 at the door. We will have t-shirts and chocolates with character trading cards inside on sale! (while supplies last).
Cast Spotlight #1
First we are going to spotlight our youngest cast members! Addie Boston and Ellory McDonald are playing the role of Young Fiona. Locked in the tower when she was only seven years old, Young Princess Fiona has only her dolls to talk to and her books to keep her entertained---and what's that sound? A dragon! Oh no, how will she ever survive ? Ellory will perform as Young Fiona on Friday and Addie will perform on Saturday. When not in character as the Princess, the girls are in the ensemble as fairy tale characters.
Other elementary actors include Jacob Boston as Young Shrek and the Frog Prince, Libertyann Clemons as Fairy Godmother, and Knox Glaser as Bluebird and Scarecrow.
Galva Drama Club's Shrek the Musical is on March 7th & 8th at 7pm. Tickets are $10 at the door. We will have t-shirts and chocolates with character trading cards inside on sale! (while supplies last).
