Ghost Writers Ferris Parents Preparing A Generous Serving Of Puns For The 1998 Production Of “Phant-Ham Of The Opera’
South Hill parents are hoping a week’s more worth of ham will amount to a half-million dollars’ worth of revenue.
Every year, hundreds of Ferris High School parents pitch in to produce Ham on Regal, a pun-filled, song-packed extravaganza - and a pretty convenient way for students to see their dads in drag.
In its 35th year, the production has raised nearly $500,000.
If this year’s parents reach their goal of $50,000, that would put the total well over the half-million-dollar mark.
The money raised is divvied up among Ferris departments. Last year’s $47,700 bought gear for the school’s gymnasts, wrestlers, basketball players and band and drill team members. It also purchased choral robes, CD-ROMS, laser discs and a VCR.
The 1998 season gives us “Phant-HAM of the Opera,” a spoof on the classic spooky ghost story. It will also poke fun at the Oscar awards, with Cher and Mr. Rogers slated for appearances along with Elvis and his clones.
Rehearsals for this special anniversary Ham are just around the corner.
If that seems a tad early for the March production, consider this: Parents take just a one-month breather after their mammoth production before they start all over again. That allows for the 11 months necessary to get the show together.
That means 40 committees writing scripts, designing costumes, sewing, building sets, selling tickets and acting.
It’s a full-time labor of love, says Mary West, who has worked on Ham for three years and is one of the chairs of this year’s production.
“You get to know all of the parents - more than 300 of them,” she said. “We love it.
“We have four kids, so we figure we’ve got about 12 more years.”
Here are the dates so far for aspiring parental stars:
1 p.m. Sunday: New Ham orientation
2-5 p.m. Sunday: Opening day kickoff
6:30-9:30 p.m. Monday: Dance line tryouts
7-9 p.m. Tuesday: Women’s speaking and men’s singing tryouts
7-9 p.m. Wednesday: Men’s speaking and women’s singing tryouts
“Phant-HAM of the Opera” will take place March 17-21.
New board member named in Cheney
The Cheney School District has appointed a replacement for the school board position vacant since October.
Rick Mount, a Cheney attorney with a private practice in Spokane, was named to the board at its regular Dec. 10 meeting.
Mount will take over the four-year position that opened when former board member Dale Lamphere left to take a job within the district.
Mount says he’s been involved in the district for the past three years, since his family moved to Cheney from Spokane. Mount attended Cheney High School.
He has served as president of the middle school’s parents advisory committee and participated in the districtwide citizen advisory committee. The committee spent a year producing a district wish list of building improvements for the next 20 to 30 years.
That committee was also instrumental in closing the 109-year-old Garden Springs Elementary this year amid parent protest. It recommended the board close the tiny kindergarten through third-grade school, saying its crumbling structure wasn’t cost-efficient.
These experiences prepared him to tackle a school board position, Mount said.
“I hope I’m able to bring some diversity to the board through a fresh look at ideas,” he said.
He said he’d also look to efficiently spend district dollars.
“That’s always a big concern: Are we spending taxpayers’ money wisely?” he said. “The administration runs a pretty good ship.
“If you look close enough, you can always find things to improve.”
Mount will join the board just as it prepares to place two levies on the ballot Feb. 3.
A two-year replacement maintenance and operations levy would provide nearly $8 million between 1999 and 2000. A separate two-year capital levy of $2.1 million will fund instructional technology updates as well as $280,000 to repair Cheney Middle School.
As a former middle school volunteer, Mount said the building’s inadequate size is one of the bigger issues facing the district.
“I’ve seen the size of the middle school,” he said. “It’s bursting at the seams.”
Mount has four children in the Cheney School District - two at Betz Elementary, one at the middle school and one at the high school.
, DataTimes MEMO: Education Notebook is a regular feature of the South Side Voice. If you have news about an interesting program or activity at a South Side school or about the achievements of South Side students, teachers or school staff, please let us know. Deadline is Monday. Write: Amy Scribner, Education Notebook, South Side Voice, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. E-mail: amys@spokesman.com. Call: 459-5439. Fax: 459-5482.