50p
Springsteen Night in Mill Bay
The sun had set and the week was winding down, but on November 26, the staff and students in the Lecture Theatre were winding up for a special occasion. The air was electric, the audience clad in plaid, and everyone was on the edge of their seat, anticipating what was about to happen next.
On one special November night every year, the AP English 11 students get to experience a night like no other with a Bruce Springsteen concert performed by a select group of talented artists. This special event is organized by the AP English teacher, coffee addict, and Springsteen fanatic, Mr Paul Collis, who encouraged the students to arrive dressed in “as much denim, plaid, and sweat as possible.”
The purpose of this evening is to expose the students to Bruce Springsteen’s songs to prepare them for their upcoming synthesis essay in class, which uses Springsteen lyrics as the primary sources. Mr Collis would also argue that it is because of Springsteen’s song “No Surrender” and the lyric that reads: “We learned more from a three-minute record, baby, than we ever learned in school.”
As we entered the Lecture Theatre, Mr Collis stood outside, commenting on costumes, collecting donations for the local food bank, and spraying everyone with “Bruce Juice” - which was water, I hope! After everyone was seated, Mr Collis and his son and fellow English teacher, Mr Toby Collis Handford, gave a brief introduction before the first performance, put on by Ms Olszewski. It was a beautiful rendition of “Thunder Road”. The song lyrics were displayed on the projector behind every performer. Following Ms O was her husband, Mr Olszewski, who played “The River” on his guitar featuring a harmonica solo.
After a series of photos of Bruce Springsteen himself, Mr McGill sang “Factory.” There were a couple of performers who unfortunately couldn’t make it to campus for an in-person performance, including Holly Collis Handford, but we watched videos of their Springsteen renditions. To round out the performances, Mr Collis recited the song “Glory Days” (his 27th favorite Springsteen song) including images from his youth.
To conclude this evening of rock, Dylan G, Davis P and Conor P all Whittall ‘23 with Mr Toby Collis on the piano, led the students in a signalong of “Hungry Heart.”
“It was a really fun night,” remarked Felicity B, Hope ‘23, “I liked getting dressed up with my friends and listening to some good music.” It seems like the concert was thoroughly enjoyed by all and I think a lot of us Grade 11 AP English students might now be converted Springsteen fans.
Maxine P, Alex ‘23
On one special November night every year, the AP English 11 students get to experience a night like no other with a Bruce Springsteen concert performed by a select group of talented artists. This special event is organized by the AP English teacher, coffee addict, and Springsteen fanatic, Mr Paul Collis, who encouraged the students to arrive dressed in “as much denim, plaid, and sweat as possible.”
The purpose of this evening is to expose the students to Bruce Springsteen’s songs to prepare them for their upcoming synthesis essay in class, which uses Springsteen lyrics as the primary sources. Mr Collis would also argue that it is because of Springsteen’s song “No Surrender” and the lyric that reads: “We learned more from a three-minute record, baby, than we ever learned in school.”
As we entered the Lecture Theatre, Mr Collis stood outside, commenting on costumes, collecting donations for the local food bank, and spraying everyone with “Bruce Juice” - which was water, I hope! After everyone was seated, Mr Collis and his son and fellow English teacher, Mr Toby Collis Handford, gave a brief introduction before the first performance, put on by Ms Olszewski. It was a beautiful rendition of “Thunder Road”. The song lyrics were displayed on the projector behind every performer. Following Ms O was her husband, Mr Olszewski, who played “The River” on his guitar featuring a harmonica solo.
After a series of photos of Bruce Springsteen himself, Mr McGill sang “Factory.” There were a couple of performers who unfortunately couldn’t make it to campus for an in-person performance, including Holly Collis Handford, but we watched videos of their Springsteen renditions. To round out the performances, Mr Collis recited the song “Glory Days” (his 27th favorite Springsteen song) including images from his youth.
To conclude this evening of rock, Dylan G, Davis P and Conor P all Whittall ‘23 with Mr Toby Collis on the piano, led the students in a signalong of “Hungry Heart.”
“It was a really fun night,” remarked Felicity B, Hope ‘23, “I liked getting dressed up with my friends and listening to some good music.” It seems like the concert was thoroughly enjoyed by all and I think a lot of us Grade 11 AP English students might now be converted Springsteen fans.
Maxine P, Alex ‘23