A Town Called Valentine

A High School Setting is as fresh as one makes it, so they say in storytelling.

Here are some more of the current goings-on, taken straight from the pages of the Valentine Vizier...

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The Valentine Vizier, the most widely-read school newspaper on campus (by virtue of being the only one), is losing readership!

The newspaper club's previous faculty advisor has just retired, and the only one willing to step into his place is newly-hired English teacher Charles Jacobson. He's looked into the newspaper's readership data as a part of taking on these duties, and quickly realized what the previous advisor had failed to say - not many high school students are interested in reading a school newspaper. In fact, if numbers don't pick up soon, there's a good chance that the club will be axed!

There are a few die-hard newspaper club members who refuse to surrender so easily, though. One of the most ardent is newspaper club president and the Valentine Vizier's editor-in-chief, Lisa Lang, who has only just gotten elected club president. An organized and meticulous young woman, she's willing to try anything to boost the popularity of the Vizier. Jenna Olsen is an incorrigible gossip, which makes her the Vizier's star reporter - she is also in desperate need of the extra credit that writing articles for the newspaper gets her, since she has a bad habit of skipping class. Thomas Perry is one of the best artists in the school, though he is especially inspired by political cartoons and enjoys the fact that others get to see his satirical masterpieces in the school paper.

Can the newspaper club create a newspaper that their fellow students will actually want to read?

Once a year, the Valentine High School Theater Department allows one student to write and direct their own play, to be put on in the school's auditorium.

Mrs. Jillian Sullivan has been Valentine High School's theater teacher for 10 years. In that time, she's seen good plays, bad plays, and everything in between. This year, she's decided to greenlight a student director with a show that, in her mind, could be very different than any play the school has put on before.

Shawna Williams is the student director in question, and one of the most creative people on campus. It didn't surprise many people when the play that she submitted to the department was the play chosen to be performed. What is surprising was that when auditions were announced, one of the qualifiers for the lead role was that the actress be chubby! This hasn't gone over well with petite Diana Green, who has always taken the leading female role in every school play since her spectacular audition in freshman year! Meanwhile, plump Cassidy Burns, who has only ever played bit roles despite her passion for the stage, sees this as her big chance to be the one in the spotlight for a change!

Will the play be a success, or will backstage drama bring the whole production down in flames?