Through the Presidential Classroom program, Copper Canyon Academy girls spend one week learning leadership skills, meeting students from other countries and getting a behind-the-scenes look at how the federal government works. They also participate in role-playing exercises (sometimes acting as ambassadors of other countries) and write proposals that are presented at simulated world summit meetings. The Presidential Classroom program is offered to high schools throughout the world and has been around for about 40 years, but Copper Canyon is one of the few therapeutic schools that participates in the program.
Copper Canyon Girls to Compete at Shakespearean Festival
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Six students from Copper Canyon Academy are brushing up on their Shakespeare in order to compete in this year's Shakespeare Competition Oct. 9 to 10 in Cedar City, Utah.
During the competition, held annually in conjunction with the Utah Shakespearean Festival, the girls will perform a scene from Shakespeare's "Two Gentlemen of Verona" and monologues from "The Merchant of Venice" and "King Henry VI Part 1."
The performances will be held at Southern Utah University, and will be staged three times in front of three different panels of judges. This will be the third year that students from Copper Canyon have competed in the 33-year-old competition.
"The girls may be stepping up in an area they hadn't before, so they get a solid feeling of satisfaction," said Ken Buxton, academic director at Copper Canyon. Buxton prepares the girls for their scenes, drawing on his own experience directing Shakespearean plays, and accompanies them on the four-day trip.
Strong Competition
Thousands of middle and high school students from private and public schools around the country compete in the Utah Shakespeare Competition. The Copper Canyon girls are often up against performing arts schools, which devote a significant amount of resources to their drama programs.
During the competition, performers are graded on presentation, proper text usage, character, voice and their knowledge of Shakespeare and his plays. "I make sure the girls know the entire play so they can portray their characters better," Buxton said.
Copper Canyon students are selected to compete based on their interest and background, Buxton said. "I prefer those with some experience in drama or Shakespeare because the competition is really stiff," he said.
As the first step in the audition process, Buxton has potential participants memorize and perform 12 lines of Shakespeare to show their willingness, motivation and self-discipline.
Many Rewards
In past years, students from Copper Canyon have received distinguished marks from the adjudicators, as well as certificates and awards, for scenes from such classics as "Romeo and Juliet" and "Much Ado About Nothing."
To attend the competition, which is about six hours from the academy, the girls are gone four days. On the way back, Buxton tries to stop somewhere like Zion National Park or the Grand Canyon to give them some exposure to the nearby scenery.
"Taking them way off campus for four days shows we have a lot of trust in them," Buxton said. "The girls really appreciate that trust."