Night of culture is showcase of students’ accomplishments
By Michael S. Hoey
Correspondent
The Badger High School French, art, music and culinary arts departments will put on the 10th annual cabaret at Badger on Jan. 21. Money earned at the event will benefit scholarships and activities for those departments.
French teacher Rebecca Larson-Reyes and orchestra teacher Loni Gornick came up with the idea for the cabaret in 2004.
“We wanted to reach out to the community to promote the arts and French culture and language,” Larson-Reyes said.
Larson-Reyes said the show started very small 10 years ago with about 150 patrons attending a small reception in the Badger commons and a cabaret show in the recital hall. The first show had about 10 three- to five-minute performance acts.
The show grew so much that three years ago, it was moved to the auditorium and more than 400 people attended. Three other faculty members have helped get the show started – French teacher Susan Schmidt, culinary arts teacher Russ Tronsen and art teacher Kari Morrison.
Larson-Reyes said others have joined in the past few years including some from other schools in the district. Amy Craine teaches French at Lake Geneva Middle School and organizes her students to be mimes during the reception. Jeanine Kopecky teaches French at Woods Elementary, and her students perform a French selection for the show.
Badger art teachers Elizabeth Lindbloom, Lindsey Weimer, Lindsay Neighbors and Don Hammon prepare their students to do live stained glass and sculpture demonstrations, portraits of patrons attending the event, and architectural drawings of famous French monuments.
Tronsen orders, prepares and serves pastries, cheese trays and sparkling cider. Choir teacher Matt Roemer prepares Badger vocal students to perform. Theater teacher Andrew Stoltenberg organizes students to run the sound and lights and create props for the show.
The reception includes mini French lessons, states and mimes, live strolling musicians, crepes and other tasty selections, French trivia with prizes, and a 50/50 raffle. The cabaret performance includes live emcees who ask trivia questions before each act for prizes. This year’s cabaret will showcase 15 acts by Badger students, faculty and community members centered around the French language and culture.
Staple performances will include “La Vie en Rose” sung by Brookwood Elementary teacher Jeanette O’Dierno and “La Danse des Petits Cygnes”from the ballet “Swan Lake” performed by four varsity boy athletes to honor the all-male ballet dance troupe called “Les Ballet de Trockadero de Monte Carlo.”
Larson-Reyes said the cabaret is a true district-wide and community event the students learn a lot from.
“It benefits me as a student because it allows me an opportunity to surround myself with the language and be comfortably engaged,” Badger student and emcee Alec Williams said.
Williams also said the cabaret helps show off to the community what Badger is doing with languages other than English.
“That students can shamelessly flaunt their knowledge of the language shows the progress that the French curriculum actually provides,” Williams said.
“I like how it incorporates a variety of acts, such as ballet dancing and opera singing, into one performance,” student Tristan Steiner said. “I am able to support other students’ talents and observe a variety of different cultures.”
“One of the things that excited me when I first came to Badger was the awesome foreign language program,” Kyrie Staab said.
“I love that the different school programs come together to make this happen,”
Staab said. “It’s a great way not only to get involved with other people but also to display our talent and connect with the community.”
Staab said the cabaret has helped her personally with other students and teachers and improved her ability to communicate with others effectively.
“By incorporating activities, art and food that are part of the French culture, attendees can immerse themselves into the culture in a fun, informal way,” Staab said. “The hope, for me at least, is that by giving the community a taste of what the student body has been able to achieve in replicating aspects of French life, they will become more interested in expanding their horizons and seeing what else the different cultures have to offer.”
