Gaston Day senior to debut plays in Spanish

Laura Gaddis, Mason Farmer, Nana Boateng and Nolan Dee
rehearse "La Cajita Azul." (Photo courtesy Holt Harris)

Porter Yelton, a senior at Gaston Day, said he was inspired last year to produce his own one-act plays in Spanish after watching a similar performance at Providence Day.

He spent two weeks last summer writing them, which he's titled "La Cajita Azul" (The Little Blue Box) and "Estudiantes Atrapados" (Trapped Students).

Gaston Day students (who have had at least two years of Spanish instruction) will perform the plays at the school at 7 p.m. Jan. 18. The show is free, but any donations will be given to Latin American charities.

Porter, who has taken Spanish classes since the eighth grade, said he has worked to refine the plays' dialogues with the help of his Spanish teacher and a native-speaking student. There will be English subtitles displayed for non-Spanish speakers during both acts.

"It is my hope that my efforts (as well as the hard work of my cast members) will generate a unique enthusiasm for the Spanish language in the Gastonia area," Porter wrote in an email.

Spanish skills earn Country Day junior national award

Each year, a select 12 students from across the nation are chosen to receive the Junior Travel Award.

Because of his achievement on the National Spanish Examination, Robert Vann, a junior at Charlotte Country Day School, has won the 2012 Junior Travel Award for his excellent demonstration of skills in the Spanish language.

The national award is valued at more than $3,000. A small group of students become eligible for it by earning a high score on the National Spanish Examination. Select students then submit samples of their written and oral work in Spanish to a selection committee.

As part of the award, Vann will travel to Mexico in July with the 11 other winners.

Photo: Robert Vann stands with his Charlotte Country Day School Spanish teacher, Paty Prieto. Photo courtesy of Lee-Anne Black.

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