Family Fling – Summer 2002
July 17-20
Escondido, California
2634 Bernardo Ave.
Escondido, CA, 92029
Summer
Fling 2002
by
Liz Meihaus
This summer’s ETS Fling
could very well be described as a series of great triumphs.
Since the beginning of ETS, students have debated the issue of Antigone
vs. Creon; finally, their struggles are over as the debate took place one last
time in a formal setting. For
five years, Great Books 5 students labored studiously, pouring over works
ranging from Plato and Sophocles to Kant and Hegel.
Their final efforts were rewarded as they presented their last GB 5
papers. And last but certainly not least, de Lasso’s spectacular
piece, Jubilate Deo, was mastered by over 70 students who attended this
year’s Fling events. Put
simply, this year’s events were a time of great fun and friendships new and
old.
The actual Fling began on
Wednesday, but the Great Books 5 class was treated to a very special dinner by
Mr. and Mrs. Hinrichs on Tuesday evening.
Now, everyone, if there ever was an incentive to finish the Great Books
tutorial, it is the Great Books 5 dinner ;).
Our wonderful servers for the night were Mrs. Hinrichs and Melodie
McDonald, and Emily McDonald, who kept a faithful eye on Benjamin.
The seven course dinner consisted of appetizers of rasberry-wrapped
brie cheese and crackers, followed by salads with mint and rasberry dressing;
tasty squash soup; perfect tri-tip steak with baby carrots and potatoes;
pallette-clearing lemon sorbet; and a delicious dessert of coffee gellatto.
After consuming the last of the dessert, we proceeded to the sitting
area where we had coffee and chocolates, and then a night stroll around the
property. Over all, the food was
spectacular, the servers wonderful, and the company delightful.
The conversation was amusing, as Mr. H recounted the story of his
laquiz raccoon capture (complete with sound effects), and both edifying and
thought-provoking as we discussed faith and other issues.
It was truly an evening to remember.
The next day, the Fling
began at 9:00 in the morning (one more glorious hour of sleep than last
year!). Everyone gathered on the
lawn in front of the Hall, from where Mr. H proceeded to lead everyone on a
tour of the beautiful Hinrichs’ property.
Spankey, a favorite member of ETS, was found sitting in the same spot
as last year. After the grand
tour, various jobs were assigned to and volounteered for by brave young men.
The group then proceeded
into the Hall to sing the traditional ETS songs, hopefully shaking the
remaining sleep from everyone, and then all were seated to listen to the very
first Great Books 5 paper presentation of the week, given by Christy
Giannestras. Her engaging paper
examined Plato’s cave alegory, as she compared this idea of Plato’s and
other philosophies to the truths of Scripture.
After presenting her paper, Christy answered questions for about a half
hour, which became the standard time of questioning for all the papers.
Shortly after the
presentation, lunch was served in typical potluck style at 12:00.
As everyone filled their plates, different groups formed to talk and
enjoy each other’s company. Lunch time has always been a great, relaxing time to
rest from our strenuous activites and to get to know new people, as well as
enjoy old friends. Free
time was cut short this once, as the play guides from the Old Globe theater
came to introduce the Taming of the Shrew at 1:15.
The two guides, who were were entertaining and lively as they discussed
the theme of the play, did a wonderful job as they acted out a scene between
Petruchio and Katherina, and involved everyone by asking for volounteers to
read various sections of the play. They
seemed impressed that such a large group of teenagers would be as interested
in Shakespeare as they were! But
of course, being the ETS students that we are, it should come as no shock. :)
After the play guides left,
we were given a short break, and then the Creon vs. Antigone debate began.
In this debate, the GB 1 students presented arguments,
the GB 3 students acted as coaches, and the GB 5 jury had the deciding
votes. The jury was excused for a bit so the groups could work on
their arguments. As everyone
congregated again, Jensen Near and Francis Pedraza presented opening
arguments, followed by rebuttals,
cross-examinations, and closing statements given by Drew Larsen, Colin McDonald, Brenden McHugh, Carl Gauger,
Frank vonHeiland, and Evan Macy-Beckwith.
In the end, the GB 5 jury decided once and for all the outcome of the
debate. They solemnly dropped
either a red lego brick for the negative or white for the affimative into a
Greek urn. Two votes negative,
five votes affirmative, and the judgment was in favor of the affirmative and
Antigone. The proverbial gavel
was struck once and for all. Both
sides did wonderful jobs presenting for their respective cases!
Arguments for the affirmative were of the sort of
“Creon gave Eteocles a burial because he had posed no threat”, and
humorous, as on the negative, “Antigone didn’t want to bury Polonices
because he was her brother, but because she was a rebellious anarchist!”
All in all, it was a very fun, lively debate, which will hopefully be
laid to rest in favor of different topics at future Flings :).
That evening, after a break
from 4:00-7:00, everyone met at beautiful Balboa Park in San Diego, where the
Globe Theaters are located, for The Taming of the Shrew.
The three and a half hour performance was an entertaining, extremely
well-done production. While there
were some costumes and aspects that lacked in proper decorum, they could be
kindly overlooked as the actual play itself was very enjoyable and quite in
keeping with Shakespeare’s style of writing.
The actors were engaging and convincing, and such costuming as pink,
bow-tied high heels on one of the actors made it even more amusing.
Old Globe performances are always spectacular events, and this one did
not disappoint After the play,
everyone headed home to get a good night’s sleep before the next day’s
activities.
Thursday dawned and everyone
gathered at 9:00 am to listen to my (Liz Meihaus’s) paper.
Not being exactly sure of what to write concerning my own paper
presentation :), I will say that it went well in my opinion, and I enjoyed it
immensely. My paper considered
areas in which philosophy lacks in content and absolute standards, using men
such as Locke and Nietzsche as examples, and compared them in general to
God’s Word and His ultimate principles. After my presentation, Mr. H had the ladies sing Jubilate Deo
separately first, and then the gentlemen, so they could practice their
individual sections more easily. After
the break, everyone gathered again to listen to Kit Topper’s presentation, a
very interesting paper on philosopher Kierkegaard’s view regarding faith,
and how God’s standard of faith compares to the faltering notion that
Kierkegaard had.
After the paper
presentations, lunch was served at 12:00 and groups again formed.
By the second day, everyone has usually settled into a routine.
This day, since there were two hours of free time before the next
event, some broke out footballs, some played music, and some were content to
chat, while the GB 5 class practiced (by that time) their not-so-secret play
:).
The next event at 2:00 was
the Taming of the Shrew reader’s theater.
Great performances were given convincingly by leading characters such
as Petruchio, read by Brenden McHugh, and Katherina, read by Val Near.
Supporting roles were read very well by other students, and
Katherina’s famous speech was delivered impressively by Val, who recited the
same speech at last year’s ETS recital.
Bravo, all! It’s always
great to see the plays and act them out, but always entertaining to sit and
listen to them read by the students. During a break in the reader’s theater, everyone gladly
consumed the large amounts of ice-cream bars and popcicles, brought again on
Saturday afternoon, that had been graciously provided by Francis Pedraza’s
uncle. It was a much-appreciated
break and fun amidst the heat!
After another break in the
evening, the dance practice began at 7:00 and lasted until 10:00, providing
everyone with a great time of learning and practicing new dances such as the
Irish jigs, and and refining old favorites, such as the Virginia Reel and the
Pattycake Polka. Soon even the
Irish jigs will join the ranks of dances that have long been mastered by ETS
students. After the ball
practice, everyone again bid their farewells as they left to get some
much-needed sleep.
Friday began again at 9:00
am with paper presentations given by Magnus Elhardt and Caitlin MacDonald.
Magnus first presented a wonderful paper on the oft-difficult
philosopher Hegel. Magnus’
paper was centered on the idea of Hegel’s idea of Absolute Knowlege, which
in reality lacked absolutes, and the true necessity of firm principles given
in the Word of God.
He then answered questions well, showing that he did indeed understand
Hegel :). We then broke for a small break, and then it was Caity’s
turn to present a fascinating paper on the beliefs of various philosophers.
Her paper pointed out the errors in the subjective thinking of men such
as Plato and Kant, showing the need for real Truth.
After the presentations,
lunch was served at its usual time of 12:00, and everyone gathered their food
to go find a place to fellowship. Soccer
was finally played! Many joined
in to participate in this favorite sport. As had been announced the evening before, the afternoon was
going to be free time, since the bowling trip that was planned fell through
when the local Palomar Lanes unexpectedly closed.
The free time was filled as some played soccer or music, and others
praticed plays or talked and mingled with friends. Everyone soon departed to prepare for the ball, which is
always the highlight of the Fling.
Everyone gathered again at
7:00 for the ball, eager to dance the night away. A sign of the growth of ETS is when the entire group has to
assemble on the front lawn instead of the Hall! It was wonderful to see the many people who had come far and
wide for the four days’ events. The
traditional introductions took place, and then everyone walked down to the
Hall to listen to the favorite Letter to the Young Gentlemen, and, this year,
a Letter to the Young Ladies. These
letters encourage the ladies and gentlemen alike to proper ETS and
Austen-esque behavior at the balls. The
Grand March began, and everyone quickly got a partner to participate in this
first dance. The evening quickly
passed as everyone had a wonderful time dancing favorites such as the
Gaygordon, Saint Andrew’s Cross, and of course, swing!
The ETS swing band, headed up by Dave Martina, surprised the group with
a great, live performance of In the Mood, and other songs.
Now all we have to do is persuade Mr. H to have a separate Swing Dance
night :). After the dancing, Mr.
H gathered everyone to sing the traditional songs and hymns.
The night was closed as everyone took pictures to their hearts content,
and then departed to rest their weary feet and fall gladly to sleep.
By Saturday, everyone is
usually quite tired as this day proved :), but it was still very enjoyable to
listen to the last paper presentations of the Fling, given by Jonathan Palmer,
and Katherine vonHeiland. Both
presented different papers than had been the standard for the week, and both
were excellent and refreshing. Jonathan’s
paper was written on the inevitability of war, showing how it was portrayed in
the Great Books, and how God looks upon it in Scripture.
After a short break we reassembled, and Katherine began her talk on the
Consitution, examining this great reflection of American spirit using the
Federalist papers, and showing the importance of this document to our freedoms
of today.
Lunch was again served at
noon, and everyone gathered for one last time of fun, fellowship, and soccer
and frisbee games. After lunch
was cleared away, chairs were set out for the ETS recital.
The recital is always a wonderful time of music, recitations, and skits
that showcase individual talent. Beautiful
piano, guitar, recorder, and cello music was intermixed with other pieces such
as a four-part song performed by the Nygaards and Cody Ackerman, and a special
theatrical performance by the Holmlund family.
Realt, who is gaining fame quickly, and consists of Daniel Newheiser,
Tim Hurley, and James Romeo, played superbly.
They kept on going even in the midst of a broken guitar string halfway
through their piece! All
participants in the recital did a wonderful job, and as always it’s so
enjoyable to witness the hard work that everyone dedicates to their music.
After the recital, everyone
either headed home or rested at the Hinrichs property before the ETS Theater
that night at 7:00. Everyone
arrived and awaited the three plays of the evening.
First up was the GB 5 class and their motley Chorus, composed of Dave
Martina as Chorus leader, and members Tim Cook, Brianna Hurley, Wade Hurley,
Brenden McHugh, and Francis Pedraza. The
performance was a rendition of Sophocles’ Antigone, written flawlessly by
Adrielle Heath, another GB 5er who was not able to make it to this year’s
Fling. In the play, Antigone was
faced with the decision to either follow Creon’s command to not bury
Polonycies, or to die a death of flogging with wet spaghetti noodles (this was
obviously a very serious play :) ). She
chose a death by noodles, but even Creon did not get away with his tyrannical
rule, as the city was attacked by killer raccoons in their ultimate demise.
The next play was the last
act of The Importance of Being Earnest, performed by Mrs. H’s English
Literature class. They did a
charming job, and were very entertaining as they acted out the story of an
“orphan”, Earnest, who finally comes to understand who he is by birth.
The cast consisted of Amanda Meyneke, Afton MacDonald, Josh Bell, Chris
Haynes, Colin Woodside, Rebecca Pearsey, Caitlin MacDonald, and Noah Elhardt.
Bravo!
The last play of the evening
was the last act of the Taming of the Shrew, which included leading roles
Petruchio and Katherina, played brilliantly by Matt Ball and Val Near
respectively, and an excellent supporting cast. After seeing the play performed at the Old Globe, it was
great to see it performed by ETS students!
They all did a wonderful job and were encored so as to be able to do
the play again at an accelerated speed :).
After the end of the plays,
everyone gathered one last time to close the week, and to sing favorite ETS
songs and hymns. Jubilate Deo was
sung in unison one last time, and the sound was delightful.
To think that last year only one page was sung, and this year, the
entire song was completed! Non Nobis Pacem sounded beautiful, and the high B-flat was
sucessfully hit by the courageous sopranos :).
The evening was finally closed with prayer, and everyone proceeded to
savor every last minute as they danced swing dances, took pictures, and said
their final goodbyes.
All in all, these four days
were full of of fellowship, learning, and fun.
Many thanks go out to the Hinrichs, and Mr. and Mrs. Hinrichs senior
for their work and sacrifice. For
some, the experience of ETS is just beginning; for others who have graduated
from ETS or highschool, these events will always be wonderful memories.
For everyone, it is a time to witness the sense of family that we have
through Christ. May there be many
more wonderful times to come!
For the King,
Elizabeth Meihaus
GBT 5 Dinner
To read the GBT V papers click here.
Fling Chronicler - Liz Meihaus
Fling Photographer - Noah Elhardt
Wednesday
9:00 - 10:00
Fling introduction
10:00 - 12:00 Paper presentations
Christy Giannestras - Plato's Progress: The Gospel According to
Reason
To read the GBT V papers click here.
12:00 - 1:00 Lunch – Potluck
Please bring your own drinks, plates and utensils. Please bring a main course and if your last initial begins with A-L please bring a salad or side dish and if M-Z, a dessert. Please bring an amount proportionate to the number of mouths you bring with you. All potlucks follow these same instructions
1:00- 2:00 Play guide introduction from Old Globe on Taming of the Shrew
2:00 - 4:30 Informal debate
We will be having an introduction to NCFCA debate and then holding our own group debate. This years topic will be RESOLVED: "Creon's actions regarding the body of Polynices were wholly unjust and indicative of the tyrannical abuse of his office." GBT 1 students will be presenting arguments. GBT III students will be acting a team coordinators and debate coaches. GBT V students will play the part of jury and judge in our final debate.
8:00- Old Globe Theater- Taming of the Shrew
If you are planning to attend Taming of the Shrew, please send $12 per ticket to ETS with your payment for the fling. All siblings of students are also welcome. If you wait too late to purchase tickets from ETS, you can purchase regular priced tickets from www.oldglobe.org.
Thursday
9:00 - 12:00 Paper presentations and morning
activities
Elizabeth
Meihaus - The Pursuit of Truth
Kit Topper - Substance and Evidence
To read the GBT V papers click here.
12:00 - 2:00 Lunch – Potluck
2:00 - 4:00 Reader’s Theater – Taming of the Shrew
If you would like to read a part please contact -
Amanda Helland - OtterWyseMandie@aol.com
A Lord, Pedant - Tim Jackson
Huntsmen 1, Huntsman 2, Tailor - Amanda Helland
Page, Player, haberdasher - Julia Jackson
Christopher Sly - a tinker - Cody Ackermann
Hostess, widow - Erinn Woodside
Servants (including Nathaniel, ect, ect, ect.) - Chelsea Nygaard
Baptista Mino - Jonathan Palmer
Vincentio - David Martina
Lucentio - Kit Topper
Petruchio - Brenden McHugh
Gremio - Justin Helland
Hortensio - Avalon Roberts
Tranio - Jenson Near
Biondello - Christi Larsen
Grumio - Sarah Neufeld
Curtis - Anna Roberts
Katherina, the shrew - Val Near
Bianca - Jayne Mynecke
7:00-10:00 Dance Practice - no dress code
We will practice waltz, Irish, swing, polka and folk dancing.
