HSArts Community Newsletter – Mar 17

Featured Academic News of the Week     Mr. Lee Randazzo, History and Science Teacher, Licensed and Passionate Beekeeper

Dear Parents,

How are you?  I am happy to introduce the curriculum involving our honeybees this year.  You may or may not have known that the school purchased a hive and queen last April 2022.  The queen and her children have so far survived the turbulent winter rains. Their survival was helped by our students.  And our students have been learning about the honeybee life cycle in more detail this year in science class.  We cannot take everyone down to work with the honeybees because we have just the one hive and only two protective suits for students.  But I am very grateful to the students who were willing to give up a Sunday in order to travel with me to Los Gatos and help the bees.  

During the fall semester a small group of students came with me to treat the beehive against a nasty parasite called the Varroa Mite. We used formic acid strips to kill the mites and save the bees.  In my science classes students had a lab in which they made bee candy, a sugar paste flavored with spearmint and lemon grass.  This bee candy was an important food source during the wintertime, especially with all the wind & rain.  The bees form a huge “ball” with their bodies, huddling together in order to stay warm.  They need a lot of honey and sugar to feed themselves.  And just a few weeks ago another larger group of students came with me to the hive in order to feed the bees their candy.  

I am currently planning another trip on a Sunday in April or May in which students can have a longer turn with the bees.  There is a lot of work to be done.  We might treat for mites again.  We might even be able to have a honey harvest before school lets out.  We’ll have to see.  The kids love to work with the bees and love seeing them crawl around the hive and fly to & from the flowers.  It’s especially cool to see the queen going about her business laying eggs.  They learn so much biology and ecology with these trips.  I hope more students can participate.  Please let me know if your child is interested.      

Sincerely,

Lee Randazzo

Earth Science Teacher

Editor’s note: Bee-ware, a bee picture (for those squeemish like me)

Mr. Brian, with photographical help from Mr. Mike

Fans as Canvases
From water paintings of lotus blossoms to calligraphy, fans were the paper of the past. Back when the artistic fan was invented, around the 2nd century B.C., conventional painting canvases were yet to be discovered, and Chinese often used bamboo fans as objects of artistic expression. These nifty contraptions were totally trendy, portable, and doubly functional as regular fans.
Equally common was the poetic fan, which many poets, upon receiving sudden inspiration, would scribble their strokes of genius onto. These poets often carried many blank fans on their frequent imagination-probing journeys, seeking insights and revelations in foreign cities and distant mountains. When reciting a poem, a Chinese scholar could typically be seen swaying and waving his fan in admiration of lyrical pulchritude.

Fans as Weapons
Much like the ideal ancient Chinese man, both learned and proficient in martial arts (文武雙全), there existed kung fu fans (kung fans for short). At a time when swords, spears, and tigers were readily available, these kung fans were surprisingly the weapons of choice for many warriors, including the famed imperial guards of the Qing Dynasty (and dance teachers). Typically made of sturdy steel, the kung fan was firm and durable when closed and lethally sharp and deadly when open.
While kung fans were mostly used in close range hand-to-hand combat, smaller fans could also be used as projectiles, causing splash damage when opening before impact. They also provided a much-needed breeze in the heat of battle.
The kung fan was equally befitting the stealthier mercenary, its commonplace usage a convenient disguise. Already a great weapon in its own right, small knives or poison darts could also be hidden within the fan’s individual blades, supplying the aspiring assassin an array of deadly options.
This is ironically symbolic. In ancient times, fans were customarily given as parting gifts between friends or lovers and, apparently, between enemies as well.

Of course, fans had many other applications. They were used to indicate social status, swat insects, punish mischievous children, cut steak and meat, and as napping eye masks. But there’s one more significant use worth mentioning…

Fans as Props
The most glamorous of all fans are those that fulfill their function on stage: the prop fans. The fan is no stranger to show biz—many cultures have historically engaged in some form of fan-related performance. While other types of fans faded with the passage of time, prop fans have weathered super sedation to continue to enjoy their lavish thespian lives today.
In the world of theater, prop fans have maintained a steady level of usage, with our Chinese Dance programs being an avid client. Our prop fans come in many shapes, sizes, colors and designs. From the vibrant yellow pairs that unite to form flowers, to the practical fans of the dancing men to the flowing fans of the Calligraphers — our HSArts performances are the closest you’ll get to observing fans in their natural habitat. So if your DeLorean is out of gas, catch our year-end showcase at Herbst Theater on June 2 instead, and you just might find yourself a fan in no time.