![]() Story by Margaret Bass and Mia Esposito Many people are scared of the stage, but Pietra Fischer takes comfort in the lights. Fischer is from Sao Paulo, Brazil. She is very close with her family and lives with her mom, her 12-year-old brother Henrique, and mutt Amora. She loves spending time with them no matter the workload. “When my mom got home she could be on her phone and I could be on mine,” Fischer said, “but at least we are in the same room.” The hardest part about this time away might be the separation from her family. She says “It's not like when my mom is in her work and I'm at school,” she said. Back home she knew that, “I will see her at night, or when I’m sleeping in my room and she’s sleeping in her room.” No longer. Now, they are separated not by walls but by oceans and countries. Fischer likes it here so far, however the cold has thrown a kink in her enjoyment. She still likes “to speak English all the time,” she says it’s “out of my comfort zone.” It’s not her first time in America. She has visited the regular tourist attractions, but not “a city.” Before North Cross, Fischer was originally planning on attending school in Greensboro where her God-father lives. Only one problem, the school misplaced her information. So they turned to a family friend. They helped connect her to a director at North Cross. She then amassed an arts scholarship. Fischer is enjoying her classes so far but some are difficult “like chemistry or math.” It is hard for her to “understand and write the things in English, because I already have (learned) the content in Brazil.” That being said, she is thriving in her art class and has gotten involved with the North Cross theater program. Her love for performing was sparked when she was 4 years old. Fischer started doing ballet, and her love for the stage grew year after year. The lights, costumes, and makeup drew her in from the start. She did twelve years of ballet before it came to a halt with COVID’s beginning. Looking back on those years, she recalls the little dancers, merely 3 or 4 years old, looking up to the older girls for guidance and inspiration. It’s so important to her that she was able to grow up and become that example for future dancers. Her first lead character on stage was in the ballet The Nutcracker as Clara. Then she played Flounder in The Little Mermaid. She says that one of the main reasons she is drawn to performing is seeing the audience of people supporting her and cheering her on. Fischer’s admiration of the stage leveled up when she was 7 and her mother took her to see Wicked. She was in awe of the dancers doing “all these beautiful things.” She remembers that from then on that she knew this was something she needed to do. She wasn’t picky. After seeing Wicked she said, “I could be the grass,” and she would still be so happy to be a part of the magic she saw on stage. Soon after, she started taking theatre classes. She felt less experienced and a little behind her classmates, but that never stopped her. Her dream roles include Anna from Frozen, Glinda in Wicked, and Odette in Swan Lake. She’s since been in about 20 plays back home in Brazil and wants to continue while in America. Sadly, she joined the North Cross community too late to participate in the winter play, Alice in Wonderland, but she plans on auditioning for the spring musical, Matilda. She is a bit nervous, as anyone would be, but she’s taking the chance because it’s her passion and she wants to be involved in any way she can. Fischer’s theatrical background leaves us excited to see what amazing things she will bring to the North Cross stage in the future.
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![]() At some time or another, everyone has decided to sit down and watch a movie based off of the actors we know who are in it. What is much more uncommon is choosing to enjoy a film based on the director, who are the most overlooked collaborators in the movie making process. Steven Speilberg is one of the most well-known directors of our time. His movies, “Jurassic Park”, “E.T.”, “Men in Black”, and “Indiana Jones and the Lost Dynasty” to name just a few of his most popular films. Without Spielberg, these movies might not have had the success they did and continue to have. Understanding what makes a director stand out can help viewers gain a better appreciation of films. Directors are some of the most noteworthy members of a film-making team. Directors have a difficult and unique position in the movie industry. They rarely get much credit for a film’s success and have to answer the difficult questions such as “Why” and help an actor through a tough time when they are thinking “I can’t do this.” Most directors choose to work with the DP (Director of Photography) on what shots and scenes of the movie need to be shot on what day, and in what order. This can be difficult with time commitments and sets as well as the hours actors are contractually bound to work. Most of the time a movie appeals to people based off of the cast. It can be the deciding factor for if someone purchases a ticket to see the movie on opening weekend. The director is in charge of casting the actors to fit the roles and try to create the best movie possible. A director’s job, according to Berklee College of Music, is to “audition and cast actors; assemble and oversee the production team; provide design directives; lead rehearsals; and manage the production schedule of the project, ensuring that all the moving parts connect.” This is a stressful and long process for the director. Stress is something everyone can relate to, so why should it be any different for directors. Stress and anxiety are often brought up in conversations about mental health, and solutions to help reduce them are researched thoroughly. Often stress can come from financial struggles or safety insecurity and directors can get stressed out about their movies becoming big successes that bring in lots of money, which can decrease their mental stability. In 2016 the Action/Thriller and Comedy blockbuster movie “Deadpool” starring Ryan Reynolds received 19.1% 10/10 rating, according to IMDb, and averaged an 8/10. The movie had a budget of $58 million USD. That same year, the movie “Monster Trucks” starring Lucas Till (also an Action/Thriller and Comedy) received only 8.0% 10/10 ratings and averaged at 5.7/10. Conversely, this movie had a $158 million USD budget, more than twice that of “Deadpool”. Based on this information it is undeniable that the directions given by Tim Miller, director of “Deadpool”, had an unimaginable impact on the movie’s success. You may be familiar with the new movie “Wicked” based on the Broadway musical that first opened in 2003. It stars Ariana Grande as Glinda, Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, and Johnathan Bailey as Fiero. This film has had amazing reviews and is in the running for highest grossing film of the year on a global scale. Some might say this is due to the incredible talented cast, but by taking a closer look there is much more to discover. Some might say this is due to the incredible talented cast, but by taking a closer look there is much more to discover. If compared to another movie-musical such as “Cats” 2019, there is a very big difference in ratings. “Cats” only received 2.8/10 rating, according to IMDb, even though its cast included incredible singers such as Taylor Swift and James Cordon. All of these actors and singers are incredible, there is no doubt about it, but their movies had such different impacts. This can be credited to the directors and the way they chose to have their works produced. The life of a director is just as stressful, if not more than, the life of everyone else. Craig Johnson, director of films such as “Alex Strangelove” and “True Adolescence” said in an interview to LunacyU that, “I’m a pretty even keeled guy, but film shoots are stressful and stuff goes wrong.” In this interview Johnson opens up about his career and how it affected his personal life as well as his mental health. Showing how demanding a career as a director can be. Women directors also have to deal with a certain amount of discrimination and disrespect. According to Beacon Broadside, in a poll in 2023 of the 1,114 narrative film directors, only 45 were women. That is only 4%. Women often have to work harder in their fields to get the respect they deserve and filmmaking is not an exception to this. Another example of proof for how large a role directors play in movie making can be seen through salaries. For “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”, the leading actress, Jennifer Lawrence, was paid $20 million. Francis Lawrence, the director of this movie, was also paid $20 million. He received about the same amount of money for the movie as the superstar actress that is so well known around the world. Movies are a way to bring people together. They spread across countries, languages, religions, race, and so much more. Movies are things that everyone can relate to in some way and there wouldn’t be that sense of connection among people without directors to lead the way. ![]() TAKING A STAND WITH THE LAMPSTAND: Help Save The Next Girl is a non-profit organization that was formed in 2009 to help educate young girls and women about predatory dangers. It is based out of Southwest Virginia with 13 partners including the Roanoke Police Department and The Joyful Child Foundation. The HSTNG club was first brought to North Cross by Bailey Sanders ‘16. The current leadership staff works diligently to make as much of an impact as possible. It is currently run by Fiona Parnell ‘26 as President. Emma Votta '26, Millie Chopski '26, and Margaret Bass '28 all share the role of Vice President; the club also has two Male Representatives, Ethan Grigas '26 and Brandon Carey '26. Scout Kappes '26 and Eliza Vogell '26 are the HSTNG Social Media Managers and Mason Bibby '27 serves as the Outreach Coordinator. The club has been very active in the community recently and has been raising money and supplies for The Lampstand. This is a shelter for young female victims and survivors of sex trafficking from ages 12 -17. These donations and supplies were organized and distributed into a total of 30 bags that will be given to The Lampstand organization and their partnering shelter that helps women ages 18 and older who do not qualify for The Lampstand. Members of the club and other donors gathered fun supplies such as fuzzy socks, marshmallows, journals, blankets and stickers. As well as essentials such as shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste, toiletries bags and loofahs. In total the club raised exactly $1,500 from cash donations and a GoFundMe. “It was amazing. I was in TJ MAXX for supplies and people would ask me what all the stuff in my chart was for. I told them and they would give me five or ten dollars right there,” said Parnell. Votta said.“It was inspiring because everybody, boys and girls, worked together to help.” Packing the bags took the entire block for lunch and over 20 people gave their time for this project. Indira Weed ‘25 describes the event as “fulfilling” and says “Help Save The Next Girl is so important because it educates people on the dangers that women face in the world, and we are able to help amazing causes such as The Lampstand shelter!” Faculty Advisor Sarah Cocowitch is very glad to have HSTNG at North Cross because the “issues we learn about are truly life-saving” and “aren’ts something you learn in academic classes but are critical as young women (and men) head off to college.” She sees the impact the members of the club are making in the community and success they are having with their fundraisers and is “in awe” of what they have accomplished and will in the future. ![]() QUIET BACKSTAGE: Lower School actors in Peter Pan Jr. are embracing their mischievous characters with dramatic lighting provided by Evie Eagan ‘25. The Upper School students who provided backstage assistance were Suvi Hansen ‘26, Samantha Belderes ‘28, Evie Eagan ‘25, Noah Shorey ‘26, Taahir Iman ‘27 and Caroline Welfare ‘27. Lightboard Operator, Eagan, has been helping out with tech for North Cross’s theatre since 2022 with the production of Little Shop of Horrors. She’s primarily helped out with lighting and sound through the years but has done a bit of everything. The lightboard can be a stressful and difficult position to manage, but Belderes ‘28 says “She really kept it together the whole time. We are going to miss her a lot.” Eagan also helped out with getting the rowdy kids into their mics backstage before each performance. This was tricky because often the younger kids would misplace their mic belts which were used to secure the mics onto the actors. There was also some trouble backstage keeping the budding actors quiet and behaved. One such event was when the kids would roll around in their Heelys and say, “I’m flying!” They used these shoes onstage to imitate “flying” across the sky to Neverland and it was difficult to limit this to only onstage. Eagan’s favorite memory of the production was opening night. “The theatre was completely packed,” she said, “and it was amazing to see all the actors get so much love from the audience!” Thomas Costello, Director and Choreographer, has worked with Evie in every production since he joined North Cross two and a half years ago. She was a part of the tech crew for Mr. Costello with the productions of Tuck Everlasting, Annie Jr., The Addams Family, and Peter Pan Jr. “She is very easy going, always ready to help with whatever we need.” Photo by Sarah Sledd ![]() Remington Lewis ‘27, who prefers to go by her nickname Remi, is one of the many additions to North Cross this school year. A social butterfly, she enjoyed the homecoming dance and looks forward to her close friend Julia Corliss’s senior night volleyball game on October 16. The 5-foot-9 middle and outside hitter joined the Varsity Volleyball team and has contributed ten kills, four aces and four blocks in the 23 sets she has played this season. Unfortunately, Lewis sprained her ankle during an intense game against Roanoke Catholic. She was in a boot for a couple weeks but Lewis is back on the court with more enthusiasm than ever. Lewis is also enthusiastic about the beginning of basketball season as she has been playing since she was 6 years old. Her jersey number is 2, the day of her dog, Pepe’s, birthday. She played on a travel basketball team with sophomore Maddie Howes ‘27 last winter. “I would say she is probably one of the most supportive players I have played with,” Howes said. With such an interest in extracurricular activities, the benefits of NCS are not lost on Lewis. “It’s really nice! The teachers are really nice, very welcoming,” Lewis said, when asked about her experience at NCS so far. “You know they really want to get to know you. They always greet you and say hi to you.” Lewis is also involved in Media Club. She has an older brother, Conner and loves listening to the artist Frank Ocean. She can’t decide between “Seigfried” or "Bad Religion" for her favorite song. Lewis also loves to travel. Her favorite place she’s visited was Lake Como, Italy. She loved the food and beautiful landscape. In the pesto capital of Italy, Genoa, Lewis enjoyed muscles, pasta, and an amazing chocolate cake for dessert, saying that this “was my favorite meal of the trip, and still might be my favorite meal of all time.” But not much else in the U.S. compares to her favorite burger from Jack Brown’s in downtown Roanoke. Though Lewis is an outgoing friendly face to say hi to in the hallways, she does have her secrets. “No one knows my middle name,” Lewis said, “And I won’t tell anyone!" ![]() Remi Lewis ‘27 sits with friends, Scout Kappes ‘26 and Maddie Howes ‘27, on Decades Day of Spirit Week. For Homecoming Spirit Week the SCA chose the theme of decades for each grade on Monday. The freshmen wore ‘70s fashions, the sophomores dressed for the ‘80s, the juniors were decked out in ‘90s gear and the senior class traveled back to the 2000s. Each grade enjoyed searching for an outfit to match their decade. The competition during break for who had the best costume was won by Tristan Lange ‘26. “I think the person that had the best outfit was Julia Corliss with her amazing flip phone costume,” Lewis said. Lewis’ own costume consisted of blue jeans, a Virginia Tech jacket, an orange headband and yellow Nikes. There was some speculation among students about the results of the contest ,but by the end of the day it was forgotten and students eagerly awaited Tuesday’s Duo Day. To describe the Decades Day in one word Lewis enthusiastically said, “colorful.” ![]() A TRIP FOR THE BOOKS: My grandmother, mother, sister and I are having an incredible experience at the palace of Versailles in France. My grandmother took the women of my family on a trip to Europe this summer. We visited London and Paris, seeing all that the cities had to offer. Versailles’ gardens were spectacular to see in person after waiting my whole life to visit them. I’ve wanted to visit Paris since I was a little girl so this trip truly was a dream come true. My sister Virginia said, “My favorite part was all the statues.” Throughout the garden we could see statues of famous people and art created by fascinating artists. The body of water seen near the top of this photo was a gorgeous pond where the wind blew ripples across its surface. And even though it was too cold at the time for the fountains to be turned on and show us their beauty, we were in awe of the gold accents along the edges. Such a memorable trip! |
I am MargaretHello! I'm Margaret and I'm a freshman this year. I am on the Varsity volleyball team and I also participate in theatre and I love to sing. I like to bake and listen to music in my free time. I'm excited to be a part of the journalism program this year. Archives
February 2025
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