Open House Preview: Great Gatsby Party

By: Staff Writer Sarina Chitre

English 11 classrooms have been transforming into speakeasies reminiscent of the 1920’s as part of a project that juniors are assigned concerning the novel, The Great Gatsby. The students must choose an influential figure from the 20’s, research and write a paper about them, and then attend the class embodying the person they have done their project on. The classes are filled with students donned in suits and fringed-flapper dresses, mingling around talking about their accomplishments and careers as they take on the personas of these prominent individuals. Students will be revisiting this assignment for MSJ’s Spring Expo, a new, interactive Open  House event. Junior Katherine Chen said, “I’m really excited to meet parents and students and show them what Josephine Baker and other actresses and dancers were like in the 1920’s.” The English Department is enthusiastic about the new approach this year’s Open House will take, and has many interesting exhibitions, in addition to the Great Gatsby assignment, to showcase for MSJ students and parents. English Teacher Katherine Mattingly said, “I am interested in people coming to Open  House just to see that we do more at MSJ than just book work.” Swing by MSJ’s very own “speakeasy” during the MSJ Spring Expo on May 21 from 6-8 PM in the main library.