Photo by T. Orman
Actress Mary Badham, who played "Scout" in "To Kill a Mockingbird," answers questions from the sophomores at the Adler Theater Oct. 19.EHS Sophomores Meet "Scout"
"To Kill a Mockingbird" star talks to students after screening of movie
by Tracee Orman
October 20, 2007
"If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it." --Atticus Finch in Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird
EHS sophomores had the rare opportunity Friday to get to know actress Mary Badham, who played "Scout" in the film adaptation of Harper Lee's Pultizer-Prize winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
"To be able to share this experience with this group of students is awesome," Mrs. Orman said, "This has been like a dream-come-true for me. Ever since I first read the book and saw the movie in high school I wanted to meet 'Scout.' Our students really appreciated the novel and hopefully will be able to cherish this memory for a long time."
Badham appeared at the Adler Theater Friday as part of the Quad City Arts "The Big Read" program. Students from the area were invited to attend the free screening of the movie "To Kill a Mockingbird" before listening to Badham speak and answer their questions. They were also given the opportunity to receive a free book, bookmark, reader's guide, and poster.
Students will also meet New York Times Best-Selling author Charles J. Shields when he visits Erie High School Monday. He is the only writer to tackle the difficult task of writing a biography about fellow author Harper Lee.
"It will be another amazing experience to have a best-selling author come to our school," Orman said. "Mr. Shields probably knows more about Harper Lee than anyone besides the author herself. Just having access to that knowledge will be rewarding."
These experiences were made possible by the Quad City Arts and administrator Ryan Collins, along with the Davenport Public Library, National Endowment for the Arts, Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Arts Midwest.
"Every single one of these opportunities has been provided for free to the public," Orman said. "I can't thank the Quad City Arts enough for doing this for our students and community."
Above, Deak Reynolds and Neil Baar stretch out in their front-row seats for the screening of "To Kill a Mockingbird."
Above, Mrs. Orman poses with Mary Badham in the lobby of the Adler Theater.
Special thanks to Mrs. Newton, Mrs. O'Brien, and Mrs. Orr for accompanying the students and taking this photograph, and to the students on the field trip for their excellent behavior and for patiently waiting while we took photos!
