Better Than “Back to Normal”

Gabi Robbins ’24  Tolo Co-editor

The past few years Covid has loomed large over clubs and activities at Franklin. The pandemic forced every group to adapt. This year they are not only getting back to normal, but they are also even better. Two reemerging clubs include Mock Trial and the Theater Department. I talked to students in these programs about how they adapted to the pandemic, and what is new this year in the return to normalcy. 

Oona Berk, a senior and co-captain of the Mock Trial team, told me, “There’s been a big puzzle piece missing from mock trial the past few years and I’m really hoping everyone on the teams gets to compete in a real court room to get the full mock trial experience.” Oona is the only team member who has been to an in-person competition. In 2018 the FHS mock trial team was the best mock trial team in the US, and the following year they competed at Nationals again. But when school went virtual in 2020, so did Mock Trial. With practices and competitions online, the team struggled to maintain connection and rigorous training as in past years. There were also changes in the coaching team. In the 2021-22 season, the team had meetings after school rather than during the school day and was fully student led. 

This year, three coaches are returning. Peter Heineccius (’99) and Ben Stafford (’99) were both on the FHS team in 1999 and are now both attorneys. The parent of two FHS graduates, the Honorable Pauline Freund, is a judge at the SeaTac Municipal Courts and will be a volunteer coach as well. The Language Arts teacher, Ms. Rasmussen, is new to Franklin and will be teaching the Law and Society class. Muna Jaylanni, (’22) will also be assisting the team.

In addition to experienced coaches and staff, there is another exciting new approach this year. “We’re going to have two teams at an equal level to make sure that everyone is provided with equal support. Usually there is a varsity and junior varsity team, but this nontraditional approach will prove to be extremely successful,” says Berk, based on her own experience of in-person regular training in a courtroom. With new coaches and a new team layout, Berk says she’s, “really excited for this competition season because the new additions to the team have a lot of potential and foundational knowledge.”

In the 2020-2021 school year, the Franklin High School Drama Department pivoted by producing an original student-written radio show and an online production of Treasure Island over zoom.  The transition back to in-person school in 2021 allowed the return of live performances but still included many restrictions and a gap left by not having the benefit of an experienced technical team.  Despite these challenges, the students and staff still put on a full musical in the spring, The Addams Family.  

This year, the FHS Drama Club is putting on a play called Almost Maine. Almost Maine is a collection of vignettes about a small rural town. Sara Call, Franklin’s dedicated theater teacher, told me audiences “should be excited about seeing a show where all the actors have good, strong roles that show a variety of emotions and showcase their talent.” The show is directed by Ms. Call and assistant directed by Franklin senior, Evon Hussein. Hussein says, “People should be excited to see the show because we’re doing a lot of new stuff we couldn’t do last year. We can have a full house, seating 400 people per show. Last year, we had to wear masks, take a covid test before every show, and had to stay 6-ft apart on stage.” 

In addition, the Improv Club has been reactivated after taking a break for three years. Adam Dow (’09) is the coach for the team. He is currently working for an improv company in Seattle and his expertise is helping the team prepare for their competitions. Sophomore Nicole Duong, a member of the Improv Club, says, “We just had a competition on Nov 3rd at Eastlake High.  This was my first competition and it wasn’t how I expected it to be…” then added, “We did pretty good.”  Opportunities to grow and learn through experiences like this are one exciting part of what makes “back to normal” even better.

If you’d like to catch the fall play, performances of Almost Maine will be on January 19, 20, 24, 25 in the Franklin auditorium.

Gabi Robbins