Over the summer, BHS alumnus, auditorium manager and district technology coordinator Joel Freimark departed for New York.
He left behind more than his job. He left behind the White & Gold variety show, the tech crew and the drama club’s plays, all of which he had been involved in since he was a student back in the late nineties.
This leaves students wondering… what will happen to the BHS tradition of White & Gold? What about the tech crew? Who will be replacing Freimark for the future?
The answer so far is unknown. Last Friday, the decision has been made. Two new advisors have been selected by administration- Substitute teacher Don Majercak and Intervention Specialist Michele Toomey. Although surely it will be difficult to fill the many roles that Freimark covered for so many years. “He had gotten [White & Gold] down to a science,” said student activities coordinator Craig Alexander. “Frankly, if Mr. Freimark wishes to return just to advise White & Gold, I’d have no problem with it,” Alexander continued.
Freimark himself has confirmed that possibility of him returning isn’t very likely, however, he wishes to contribute in any way he possibly could. “There’s no doubt about it- I love working with the students and advising White & Gold” Freimark said in an interview over Skype.
“I really care that White & Gold is a stellar production every single year because I think the student body deserves it and it’s a matter of taking pride in what you do,” said Freimark.
“I’m not coming back to Cleveland for at least a year, so the majority of the meetings would have to be done over Skype– which is fine,” said Freimark.
“The reality is, however, one of the key reasons White & Gold was so great was because I was on the ground at the high school every single day. If a kid was slipping in class, [teachers] would let me know and I’d be able to approach the student and take care of the situation” said Freimark.
“A large part of the whole thing is being able to associate directly with students. For that reason, it would be better for [a staff member to advise] this year.”
BHS Principal Robert Hardis has revealed that there are already a few people in line to advise White & Gold. However, he could not reveal any names. There is a strong possibility of co-advisers rather than just one as in years past.
“Maybe it would feel less overwhelming for someone who doesn’t have experience in such a thing. I thought perhaps they would have an interest in sharing this load and learning with a colleague,” Hardis said.
Another question for this year’s White & Gold, is whether or not faculty musicians will be returning to collide with students in the form of a rock band.
English teacher Todd Butler said, “White and Gold has meant quite a bit to me. It is the one time of year that I can wipe the dust off of the guitar, play with friends, and enjoy playing music collectively. There really isn’t anything like that feeling. There is a unity we have with each other, and there is a reciprocated appreciation from the audience to us as well as from us to the audience.”
Butler has been performing in the show for six years, and says that he plans to continue in the future- Joel Freimark or not. “We always say that we love playing together but that is not why we play. We play because the students enjoy playing with us, just as we do with them.”
Not only are staff members in the dark, so are this year’s directors. Even without any adviser at the helm of White & Gold, the directors are still chugging forward.
“We will start interviewing for assistant directors very soon, and audition posters will be displayed around the school any day now,” said co-director and Senior Samuel Goldman.
“It [White & Gold without Freimark] will be different, and it won’t be easy. Even if our new advisor is really great, Joel really had experience and had a process of doing these things, and it worked. Joel really knew what he was doing with the show, especially because he knew so much about the auditorium and all of the equipment. He knew how to set up these complicated lights (as in, go onto the cat walk and lower down giant metal bars, then attach the thousand dollar lighting fixtures, then hoist them back up to the cat walk with confidence), and how to control them. He was obviously a vital part of this process and it’s clear that there are definitely going to be some things that will be much more difficult this year,” Goldman said.
Although the future of White & Gold remains uncertain, that doesn’t mean it won’t happen this year. “There is no doubt that there will be a White & Gold this year. With all of the changes in the school there’s no way we can take this away from the students. It doesn’t need to be in the capacity that it was previously, but it will happen” Alexander said.
