Thespians take a ‘bow’ at Syosset High homecoming

Syosset High School’s Association of Creative Thespians is challenged each year to raise money for the club.

For the last 17 years they’ve run Bard-A-Thon, a 12-hour theatrical marathon where student actors recite Shakespeare for $2 a sonnet or poem or break into stage combat – fake fighting with umbrellas.

This time around Jenna Fingerman took matters into her own hands to help raise more money – and the result was colorful red bows everywhere.

“Last year, my sister Alana looked up how to make bows online and created bows for Syosset’s spring Bravefest,” said Jenna Fingerman, a junior at Syosset High School. “Alana created funny patterns with musical themes. Everyone loved them.”

Alana is now a freshman at Arizona University studying to be a music teacher. Jenna has continued her sister’s tradition to raise money for ACT.

The Wednesday before homecoming, while home during the standardized PSAT testing, Fingerman and her friend, Syosset junior Bonnie Chen, created 50 bows. They planned everything ahead of time and even bought clips online to adhere onto the vibrant red fabric. They measured fabric, and cut and pinched the pieces into the shape of a bow.

“Then we wrapped a smaller loop around the middle to really make it look like a bow and hot-glue-gunned it all together.”

SEE PHOTOSPhotos: High school homecomings across LI

The bows were sold for $5 each. By Saturday afternoon, many patrons were walking around the carnival wearing the bows either in their hair or as bow ties around their necks.

Jenna said that she and her sister were inspired by the cool creations of Syosset High’s stagecraft teacher, Peter Haughwout.

He designed many of Syosset High’s sets and outlandish costumes such as last year’s dragon in the production of “Shrek the Musical.” The dragon required three actors to manipulate the elaborate puppet-like apparatus.

“It was so cool,” said Jenna, “that the dragon’s on tour now with a local troupe.”