Dani finished her four years at Windermere Preparatory School on an incredible high note.
“Live long and prosper.” These immortal words were uttered on the famous show, Star Trek. For those of you unfamiliar with Star Trek – and I shamefully count myself in that number – it is a continuing television and movie project in which the ongoing saga of good versus evil is played out on a cosmic stage. But it is the drama of this student’s own extraterrestrial saga that far outweighs anything Gene Roddenberry could produce.
For you see, this student is fast at work on her own novel, with not quite 33 chapters complete, but enough ideas and imagination to fill a Chinese Wal-Mart. But like the Star Trek character Data encountering his own twin nemesis in episode 41242.4, this student has her own rival author in study hall, and she knows who she is.
This student’s creativity does not stop at the keyboard, however, as her incisive political questions in Public Speaking have sparked many a heated debate. Always game for intellectual discourse, her contributions in Latin have also been appreciated, and her insights bring a fresh perspective to Ecce Romani’s tired old story. What’s more, this student is on the yearbook staff, yet makes time to sing in the school’s musical productions. She pursues outside activities such as bronze casting, and will this summer be visiting the immortal land of Italy, where I am sure she will be retracing the footsteps of the Cornelius family in Ecce Romani.
Broad interests will most certainly guide her studies throughout high school. This student will find many doors open to her as she moves on, and she will most certainly travel to exotic and faraway lands. Perhaps…even…planet XR7-G! Ladies and gentleman, I present to you…Dani Alcorn.
— Kris Hartley, Latin and Speech Teacher, at the 8th Grade “Turning a Page” Graduation Dinner
Dani’s Farewell Note to Mrs. Davies
I want to thank you especially, not for any one thing, but for believing in me and encouraging me to test my limits. Most of the time I found the only limit I had was the sky. Looking back upon this year I would almost rip the page in half to keep from turning it. This year is like a good book: you have to keep reading to find out what happens, but that you want to stop because there is only one first time.
There is a Joni Mitchell song I’ve always liked, but I’ve never really understood it until today. One line goes, “you’ll drag your feet just to slow the circle down.” “Why would you want to slow down?” I asked my father one day. “You’ll see..” he said. Well, I finally understand the song but I wish I didn’t.
So with a heavy heart and slow hands I turn a page in the book of life. But I have one small comfort: that I have left a footprint in the sands of WPS.
— Dani Alcorn
More Farewell Notes to Teachers
Ms. Zurich: I want to thank you for the year of math, the year of fun, and the year of challenges you have given me. I think about leaving WPS with sadness, loss and one small, sad smile. I smile because I have left a footprint in the sands of WPS which I hope will grow into an avenue for each new 8th grade class. You challenged me to think, I only hope I did you proud.
Ms. Anderson: I have always liked science until these last two years; now I love it. What I loved most about your class is you let me ask questions, explore their answers and helped me find my own way of doing things. I hope to keep learning. And I hope you will remember, in some small way, the name Dani Alcorn, because I will always remember the name Ms. Anderson.
Mr. Hartley: “Live long, and prosper”. I will admit it isn’t exactly the way I had hoped to go down in WPS history, but looking back, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. You taught me Latin; you taught me about life. I will always remember that, and I thank you for this year. Now this isn’t a joke, this is from the heart: “Live long, and prosper.”
Mr. Kurlancheek: History was my best and worst subject until this year. It was my best because I was good at it, the worst because I dreaded it. This year I thought was going to be another stuffy boring class in things I already knew. How wrong I was. I found your class captivating. Most importantly it kept me asking, “Why?” the most important question in the world. I grumbled with the class about outlines, but secretly I loved every minute of it, turning every page to a new story. Thank you, for such a wonderful year. I will never forget.
The 2004 school year began with a new school—Trinity Prep—and three hurricanes!
Dani directed an original musical by Alex Ferguson for the 2008 Orlando Fringe Festival—her first paying directorial gig!
Orlando Sentinel Review by Matthew J. Palm:
This musical adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s children’s story can’t help but evoke happy memories of the beloved book or maybe the classic animated Disney adaptation. Alexander Thomas Ferguson, 16, has adapted the story and written several songs for the characters to sing. Wisely, Ferguson has retained all of the story’s key moments and moves briskly from one to the next. He also knows how to effectively use Carroll’s masterful prose and highlight the signature lines that are so well-known (“Move down!” “Off with her head!”).
The songs have a slightly off-kilter feel, which suits the madcap world of Wonderland. And the young cast finds the giddy essence of their characters: Jamie Pittle has the perfect enigmatic smile as a Cheshire Cat, Brooke Feldman is imperious to the nth degree as the Queen of Hearts, Daniel Burns is full of loopy languor as the Caterpillar and Riley Suter delights as an emotional Mock Turtle. Alice has to carry the show, of course, and Christine Pappas shines with a sweet singing voice and a wide-eyed curiosity.
Note: When Alex Ferguson became severely ill, James Everett filled in as the Mad Hatter—and Dani Alcorn stepped in to perform the final two scenes herself.
10 Million Words
I read to Dani almost every night from the time she was a baby until she left for college. Our reading material slowly evolved from picture books to Newbery winners to Booker prize winners. Here’s a list of the ones I can remember, probably less than half the total of ten million words or so.
But Not the Hippopotamus and hundreds of other picture books
Pony Pals (many)
RL Stein books (many)
The Cat in the Hat
The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins (many times)
To Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street
Yertle the Turtle
Horton Hears a Who
Horton Hatches the Egg
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
The Lorax
Madeleine (and its sequels)
Bunnicula
Howliday Inn
Redwall
Mossflower
Mattimeo
Alice in Wonderland
Tom Sawyer (twice)
Huckleberry Finn
The Hobbit
The Lord of the Rings
The Silent Storm
Walk Two Moons
The Cave
The Princess Bride
The Dragon In the Cliff
A Bone From a Dry Sea
Letters From Felix
The Princess and the Goblin
Where the Wild Things Are
The Wind In the Willows
The Willows In Winter
Peter Pan
Peter Pan in Scarlet
The Lion’s Paw
The Phantom Toll Booth
SOS Titanic
Night Tree
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (about ten times)
Wolf Story (many times)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Horse and His Boy
The Magician’s Nephew
The Last Battle
The Indian In the Cupboard
The Return of the Indian
The Secret of the Indian
The Mystery of the Cupboard
The Key to the Indian
The Westing Game
Chasing Redbird
Sarah Plain and Tall
Dealing with Dragons (and its sequels)
Rascal
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Island of the Blue Dolphins
A Cricket In Times Square (and its sequels)
The Wheel on the School
Mary Poppins (the original novel)
101 Dalmatians (the original novel)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (the original novel)
Misty of Chincoteague (and its sequels)
Hank, The Cowdog (and many sequels)
A Night to Remember
Back to Titanic
Back to Lincoln
Back to Paul Revere
Goodnight Moon
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The Wizard of Oz
Green Eggs and Ham
Stellaluna
The Polar Express
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
If You Give a Moose a Muffin
The Napping House
The Little Engine That Could
Curious George
Arthur series (many books)
Berenstain Bears series (many books)
Clifford series (many books)