The Pikes Peak Bulletin is proud to partner with the Manitou Springs High School newspaper, The Prospector, to bring you a selection of articles by student journalists. Read more at MSHSProspector.org.
Review: Happy Cats coffee
MADISON SHARON/SENIOR REPORTER, THE PROSPECTOR
Happy Cats Haven is a nonprofit animal shelter located in Manitou Springs that is dedicated to finding homes for homeless cats and kittens. As a no-kill shelter, it has the goal of providing a safe, comfortable, and welcoming space for cats, especially those that are frightened or have had negative experiences in the past. The shelter has a goal to create an environment where the cats can heal and feel secure before being placed into their forever homes. Over the years, Happy Cats Haven has successfully found homes for more than 7,000 cats, which shows just how effective their work has been.
In addition to their work as a shelter, Happy Cats Haven has a small cafe, which offers the opportunity to enjoy drinks and snacks while supporting the shelter’s mission. The cafe’s hours are 7 a.m. to noon. on weekdays, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. The proceeds from the cafe go directly to helping fund the shelter’s programs, including the care and adoption of cats. This gives visitors a chance to contribute to the shelter in a way that is both enjoyable and practical.
On Jan. 18, I visited the cafe to check out what they have to offer. I was impressed by the variety of drinks available, including a selection of different coffee options, hot chocolate, tea and even certain sodas. I decided to try a vanilla latte, which was a good choice for the cold day I visited. Since it wasn’t busy, the barista took extra time to create a small cat design in the foam, which was a nice touch. The cafe also offers a few snack options, including scones, pod bars, banana bread, and ice cream. So there’s something for visitors to enjoy alongside their drinks.
It’s a great place to visit if you want to make a difference, rather than going to Starbucks or Dutch Bros everyday.
In addition to the food and drinks, the cafe sells a range of cat-themed products created by local artists. These include items like handmade cards, artwork, and crocheted plushies. These products are a great way to support the shelter, as well as the local arts community. For those who might not be interested in food or drinks, these items offer another way to contribute to the shelter’s efforts while also getting a unique, cat-themed souvenir.
In conclusion, my visit to Happy Cats Haven was very enjoyable. I got to learn more about the shelter, enjoy the drinks and snacks they offer while contributing to the cause and seeing the cat-themed products created by local artists. It’s a great place to visit if you want to make a difference, rather than going to Starbucks or Dutch Bros everyday.
MSHS students undertake writing and directing plays
BY CORDELIA PORTMAN/COPY EDITOR, THE PROSPECTOR
On Feb. 25, in the Media Center at MSHS, seven student-directed plays were put on for classes to watch. MSHS has put on student-directed plays in the past depending on the students in the PPSC Theater class, and what they’d like to focus on in the fall in that class. [Pikes Peak State College Theater Arts 1005: Theater Appreciation is a class MSHS students can take for college credit. It counts as an English credit at the high school.–ed.]
In the fall semester of 2008, Abby Steen, who is now a choir teacher at MSHS, requested to direct her own play in her theater class during her senior year of high school, bringing about the first MSHS student-directed play. Wendy Harms, the current and former Theater Arts instructor, encouraged Steen to direct all those years ago and continues to today with her current students.
“I knew Ms. Steen was going on with some kind of performance major, and I said to her, like I say to all of my seniors, ‘what is the one last thing I can give you before you leave this institution?’” Harms said. “And she said, ‘I’ve never directed.’”
Since Steen student-directed, Harms has found that some students have the same drive to direct as Steen had. “For a while after she did it, I started to have groups of students who were really ripe for student directing,” Harms said.
Students in the PPSC theater class get the opportunity to sway the focus of the class in the fall. “They wanted to focus on playwriting, which we did to great effect. And then they wanted to learn some directing things, so the idea was that they’d write and direct pieces,” Harms said.
Harms had her student directors choose their own pieces, so that they are passionate about the piece they direct. “You have to direct what you love,” Harms said. “Two students were going to direct pieces that we were going to purchase, but then when they got into them, they changed their minds. And so everything now is also student-written.”
Harms enjoys the new perspective that student directing provides for the students who were previously actors under her direction. “The thing I first love about this is when the directors come back to me and say, ‘Oh my god. I didn’t know this, what am I going to do about that?’” Harms said, “I hope that it gives them a whole different perspective on what they’ve been the recipient of.”
Harms hopes that after every show is complete, the directors can feel proud of what they put together. “In the end, what I want most of all is for them to be proud of themselves,” Harms said. “And when we get done and the show is closed, what we’re going to do is sit down and go, all right, what did you do right? What do you wish you had done? What tripped you up? That kind of thing.”
Harms believes that the student-directed plays open the theater department to a whole new audience at MSHS, including new prospective actors or directors.
Harms hopes that the student directors take the plays as an opportunity to learn and empathize with her work. “I’m just excited for the opportunity for them to share this work,” Harms said.
Isaac Boczkiewicz (grade 11), a student in the PPSC Theater class, is directing a play that he chose because of its comedy elements. “I decided on this play because it is so wacky and goofy that I knew I would have a fun time with it, and so would my actors,” Boczkiewicz said.
Harms believes that the student-directed plays put student leaders in charge of their peers in a whole new way, and opens their eyes to the responsibilities behind a production.
Boczkiewicz was prepared to take on his role of being a director. “I’m super excited to put myself in the shoes of the director and face all of its challenges, as well as get all of the satisfaction when the play is successful,” Boczkiewicz said. “I’m also excited to see people who have never done theatre before be able to have a go at it, and see their potential.”
Boczkiewicz believes that student-directed plays and larger productions both have their benefits. “I think that if you are going into theatre for the first time, it is helpful to do a short student-directed play so there isn’t so much on your plate,” Boczkiewicz said, “but at the same time, doing an actual play is also very fun and fulfilling.”
Jameson Cunningham (grade 12) is directing a comedic play as well, and he was excited to experience the process with his cast. “In truth, I never expected myself to have this much responsibility,” Cunningham said. “However, I like the challenge. I have heard from the other directors about how difficult it is for them, and how stressed they are, but I’m not stressed out about any of this stuff. The people I am working with have good energy, and they will tell me if something is amiss, making my job a lot easier and less stressful.”
Cunningham had doubts about his cast learning their lines because neither cast member had a smaller role than the other, but he was pleasantly surprised when he discovered that lines were being memorized well.
Cunningham believes that the path from actor to director contributes to his directing methods. “For students that want to direct a play for themselves, I recommend theatre experience beforehand,” Cunningham said. “A director who has done the work of an actor before can empathize with the cast and understand their point of view, while also understanding that a deadline needs to be honored. This helps them push the actors enough so they can get their stuff done.”
Halli Leonhardt starts her career as a volunteer firefighter
BY NAOMI PORTER/ENGAGEMENT MANAGER, THE PROSPECTOR
Halli Leonhardt, a senior at MSHS, is a volunteer firefighter in Green Mountain Falls and hopes to continue her career as one.
Ever since she was a kid, Leonhardt has wanted to be a firefighter. “I would run around with my little firefighter helmet,” Leonhardt said. “I always really liked fire trucks, I had the little toy figures, and I really liked to play and pretend to be a firefighter.”
Leonhardt was also inspired to go into firefighting by her dad, Shaun Leonhardt.
“My dad’s a firefighter, which I also thought was cool,” Leonhardt said. “I got to go and see a lot of things for his work. We went on rides and just hung out at the station even before I was old enough to do anything.”
Leonhardt believes that her dad’s passion for firefighting influenced her interest in it. “The light in his eyes, like the sparkle as he’s explaining all of the tools and everything to me, and just watching him keep his crew safe, I saw the passion that he had for it, and it made me want that,” Leonhardt said.
The chief of the Cascade Fire Department, Steve Murphy, was introduced to Leonhardt around a year ago by her dad, with hopes of getting Leonhardt a volunteering opportunity at the station.
Murphy’s first impression of Leonhardt was that she was shy and quiet, but as he got to know her, he got more familiar with her. “She’s funny, she’s got a great sense of humor, she’s got a quick wit, and she is a hard worker,” Murphy said.
Leonhardt’s training officer, Lauren Bishop, agrees that her first impression of Leonhardt convinced Bishop that she was quiet and shy.
Although Leonhardt seemed to be quiet and sweet, Bishop was still worried about the level of responsibility that Leonhardt’s position required. “I was concerned that she was not only in school, but she had a job and I didn’t think she would have enough time to fulfill her duties with the fire department,” Bishop said.
After some time at the station, Bishop discovered that Leonhardt had no problem upholding her duties. “She is incredibly determined. She makes time for not only her work and school responsibilities, but also for the fire department,” Bishop said.
Before joining the company on probation, Leonhardt was required to form bonds with other members, and then get voted on. “It was like a two-week period in the beginning where you come to training,” Leonhardt said. “I came to two trainings before I got voted on; and at the trainings, I would volunteer and talk to people, get to know them, so that hopefully they would like me and want me to join.”
After Leonhardt was voted on, she was assigned a training officer and a probationary member booklet. She was required to complete either Firefighter I Interior, Wildland, or EMT. “I did Wildland because I was most interested in that,” Leonhardt said.
After high school, Leonhardt wants to go to college for Biomedical Engineering and then attend the Fire Academy.
“My plan after that is to go and work at either Colorado Springs Fire Department or Monument Fire because my grandpa works there and my dad works there, and it would be cool to have three Leonhardts in one department. I think that would be a nice little family tree,” Leonhardt said.
Her training officer is confident in her, especially if she’s able to get more years of experience. “I can easily see her continuing through and being a leader,” Bishop said, “I am extremely proud to see her grow.”
