By: Renee Hammond

March 17, 2025

Shelby High School is preparing to take the stage with a fresh and humorous take on the legend of King Arthur in their upcoming musical: King Artie & The Knights of the Rad Table. English teachers, Kristi Calvery and Riley Quick, are co-directing the play. This year’s production promises to bring a fun and modern twist to the classic tale, blending action, humor, and a touch of fantasy. 

What sets King Artie & The Knights of the Rad Table apart from past productions is its wide appeal, with a diverse and versatile cast of characters. Calvery said this year 35 students signed up to participate in the school play, so finding a script to include as many students as possible was extremely important. She also noted that there are more male students who signed up this year than in previous years.  Luckily, she and some of the senior drama students read through script samples until they found the perfect play: humor, music, and  forty-four roles of various sizes.

“Last year’s murder mystery dinner theater play was really well received,” Calvery said. “It had humor, music, and a lot of fun moments. This play will have all that and more — action, historical characters, and a good dose of silliness. It’s appropriate for all ages, so whether you bring your grandma or a third grader, everyone will have a good time.”

Ms. Calvery is directing the play for the second year at Shelby High, and she explained why this particular play was chosen: “In the past few years, we had a murder mystery and several fairy tales, so we wanted to try something different,” Calvery said. “We had a lot of requests for fantasy elements. Some wanted pirates, others wanted dragons or fairies, so this play seemed like a perfect fit. It also allows for versatile roles, which makes it easier to cast both male and female actors.”

Calvery also noted the musical aspect of the play as a major draw. “We have a lot of talented music students this year, and many of them have been requesting a musical. Even though I’ve never directed a musical before, this seemed like a good year to try it.”

Rehearsals for the play began in the middle of March, and the cast and crew will have about six weeks to prepare before the opening performance on Monday, April 28th at 7:00 p.m. for the public, and another performance on Thursday, May 1st at 1:15 p.m. for the school and public.

Calvery shared her approach to both coaching and casting. “With a play, we need everyone there, every time,” she said. “We look at students’ grades and consistency to make sure they can commit to the schedule.” She also said that she had a group of students who wanted to help behind the scenes creating the sets for several different acts, and working on costumes, props, and lights and sounds. 

Paolo Manda, one of the students auditioning for the role of Lancelot, shared a bit about the storyline. “Artie is a cool guy with a cool girlfriend- well, maybe not that cool,” Manda joked. “But Lancelot, yeah, he’s cool. The story follows Artie and his friends, as they go on a quest, fight a dragon, and save the day. It’s a fun twist on the King Arthur legend.”  

Manda landed the role of Lancelot, and  he has begun preparing by studying the script and trying to understand the character’s motivations. “He’s cool- and I like to think I’m cool too,” Manda said with a laugh.

With a blend of humor, action, and a touch of fantasy, Artie & The Knights of the Rad Table is shaping up to be one of Shelby High’s most memorable productions. Be sure to mark your calendars for this exhilarating and entertaining show!  

The Shelby Speech & Drama team has gained three new members and a few of them have even changed their categories from the year prior. However, Aiyana Franco, a Junior, and Paxtyn Stratton, a Sophomore, have not changed their categories and are still participating in Dramatic Solo this season.

According to Jadis Scarborough, a current Junior, “This year, Calista, Donnie and I are doing a humorous trio together.” This will be the first theater trio the Shelby Speech & Drama team has seen in years. Senior, Donnie Tronson won first place at the state speech and drama meet in humorous solo and Jadis Scarborough and Calista Calvery took 5th in humorous duo. 

Humorous Theater is a large event especially at the state level. The three decided to combine forces to be more competitive, and they also decided to write their own piece based on a full length play titled: “Cinderella and the Birkenstocks.” 

Junior, Calista Calvery said the three decided to compete together because “We all work well together, and we wanted to challenge ourselves to a new experience.

The team also expressed  excitement to have gained two old members back! The team is also actively recruiting new members. Scarborough also highly recommends joining the team, as she put it; “It’s a great growing opportunity. And it’s a really good learning experience.” And while she struggles with nerves right before an event, she has worked tirelessly to get into a routine that makes her anxiety go away.

Scarborough said they do have a new member they are welcoming to the team, Sophomore Allison Flores. Flores hasn’t competed in a Speech and Drama meet yet, but she seems excited to try it out. Her desire to excel in public speaking mixed with the amazing atmosphere created by the rest of the team will surely result in growth and a fun year for her!

Both girls believe memorization is going to be the hardest part of their pieces this year, but the rest of the team has ways to help them with it. One way Scarborough gets her pieces memorized is reading the piece aloud and doing motions to help her connect the parts in her mind, while Flores is still figuring out what works best.

So far, the students seem extremely confident in the year ahead. Scarborough said, “Last year we had a lot of State Finalists and Placers. And I think this year isn’t going to be any different and I hope we all place at State.” Hopefully her excitement will rub off on the rest of the team!

The Shelby Speech and Drama team compete in their first meet in Havre on  November 2, and the team is working hard to show their talents. Good luck Coyotes!

by Donald Tronson 

He’s a mean one…. Mr. Grinch! But, for those who know the man under the mask— he’s not actually mean. During the Shelby Christmas Stroll many children were surprised, excited, and maybe a little scared at the sight of the Grinch walking the streets with Santa. 

The man under the mask is none other than Shelby Elementary's own staff member, David Wagner. Wagner has been an active member in the community of Shelby for 20 years, and he has a noteworthy history of serving both his country and community.

Wagner grew up and spent his childhood in Puyallup, Washington. His childhood was full of family events and fun adventures with his dad. Wagner said, “I spent a lot of time outside fishing and camping with my dad.”  Wagner had a lot of ups and downs during his childhood, but he said one of the major highlights was when he and his dad built his childhood home. Building the house taught him most of the carpentry skills he knows and uses today. 

After high school, Wagner didn’t know what to do, so he enlisted in the US Navy and served 4 years. He said he joined the Navy over the other branches because his grandfather had served in the Army and Navy. His deployment allowed him to travel the world and visit a lot of countries he wouldn’t have traveled to otherwise. The Navy also blessed Wagner with his wife of more than 20 years, Dawn Wagner. 

Wagner and his family moved to Shelby in August of 2003. Wagner said his favorite part of living in Shelby has been the people of the town. While living in Shelby, he has been active in the community the entire time. Wagner said the Chamber of Commerce Haunted House has been his favorite project to be a part of. He said he also coaches baseball and helps out around Youth Dynamics when he can. 

Elementary Principal, Toni Miller, said, "he enjoys dressing up for all of the holidays... because the kids love it. " While some of the kids might be scared of him as the Grinch, they love him as their janitor.