This week’s featured dog is Torry, a one-two-year-old female terrier mix who has gorgeous markings and is quite the cuddler. She’s a regular Velcro dog: as soon as you take a seat, she’ll lean right up against you and stay attached for as long as you’ll pet her. This gorgeous young lady is friendly and social with dogs of all shapes, sizes, and colors and seems to like cats, too.

Torry loves to be outside and walks and jogs well on a leash. She loves to explore, but the whole time she checks back with you every few minutes to make sure you’re still right there with her. She knows “sit” and “stay” and absolutely loves treats, so training her should be a breeze.

This poor girl came into the shelter as a skinny little stray, and she’s still quite thin; could you be the one to bring this wonderful addition into your family so that she can get back to a healthy weight?

Currently Torry is being fostered and living with cats and kids! Check out this video of Torry. If you would like to meet her please email Erin at: erin.e.mcgowan [at] gmail.com.

According to the announcement on the Curio Theatre Facebook page, tonight’s performance of Lord of the Flies in Clark Park has been canceled due to rainy weather and soggy ground conditions. Tomorrow’s and Friday performances are still on (scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.).

High school students ages 14-21 are invited to participate in the auditions for the high school version of the popular musical RENT to be staged in West Philly. The auditions will take place at The Rotunda (4014 Walnut St.) on Saturday, Sept. 10 and Sunday, Sept. 11, from 8 a.m. to noon, and Saturday, Sept. 17, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (call backs are from 1:30 to 5 p.m.).

The audition requires two songs of approximately three minutes in length, preferably from the RENT soundtrack. Musical accompaniment can be provided. To make arrangements in advance email: projecttheaterproject [at] gmail.com.

Prior theater experience is not necessary, but parental permission is required. Students that are cast for roles in RENT will be required to attend sixteen three-hour rehearsals in September, October, and November. The shows are scheduled for December.

Local community theater group PROJECT THEATER PROJECT is working on this production. For more information on the production, auditions and rehearsals go here.

Students returned today to a brand new West Philadelphia High School, which many people hope will serve as a symbol of a new era.

Junior Sydney Dickerson told hundreds of students, alumni and dignitaries, who ranged from Mayor Michael Nutter and State Senator Vincent Hughes to the Philadelphia Eagles mascot “Swoop,” that she hopes the new school building at 49th and Chestnut will help break through stereotypes.

“For some it means a new experience, a new beginning,” she said of the school. “For others it means a chance to prove that they’re smart. For me the new West means a chance to fight the stereotype about us West kids. About how us West kids are stupid. About how we’re bad. Well, that’s not true and I’m standing here to tell people that that’s not true. This new school provides us with the ability to fight that stereotype.”

The student body as well as dozens of alumni, many of whom wore the school’s colors of orange and blue, applauded Dickerson.

Approximately 900 students attend the school. The 170,000-square-foot school has a three-story, state-of-the art design with computer labs, science classrooms, two gyms and an auditorium. It replaces the Gothic-style building that has stood along Walnut Street between 47th and 48th streets since it opened in 1912 and was one of the longest continually operated school facilities in the state.

The new building, along with the designation of West as a “promise academy,” meaning among other things that the school will have extended days and enrichment programs, is an effort to help improve a school with chronically low test scores.

“It’s a brand new day,” State Senator Vincent Hughes told students gathered in the school’s gymnasium, which sits along Market Street. “This is about your future. Don’t let anybody snatch that future from you. It’s yours. Take it.”

The school will benefit the community as well. Its gyms, libraries and auditorium will be open to the public and have separate entrances in an effort to make it a true neighborhood high school.

The school was designed with West’s “academies” in mind. These include special programs in urban leadership, creative and performing arts and business technology.

Nutter reminded students that a new building will only get them so far.

“Great buildings are wonderful, but education is more than a great building,” he said. “Great students are even better.”

No decision has been made about the fate of the old West Philadelphia High School building, which stands in an area that could see much development in coming years.
 

Iris Marie Bloom, a well-known West Philly activist and director of the environmental group Protecting Our Waters, is one of the organizers of an anti-fracking protest which will take place tomorrow, Sept. 7, from noon to 2 p.m. in Center City. The protest will include a rally in front of the Pennsylvania Convention Center and march which will follow until 3 p.m.

Another West Philly resident, Beth Nixon of Spiral Q Puppet Theater Ramshackle Enterprises, will also join the action as one of the performers at the rally.

One of the speakers at the tomorrow’s rally is Josh Fox, director of Oscar-nominated documentary Gasland.

For more information on the protest visit this page.

The school year has begun and many parents are looking for afterschool and weekend activities for their children. We have come across a couple of flyers – one is an afterschool art program (we gave them a ring and learned that it’s a new program run by artist Rachel Louis) and the other is a weekend music program by Intercultural Family Services, Inc. We’ll be adding more such information as it comes. If you know of more afterschool programs for kids in the area email us at: editor [at] westphillylocal.com or leave a comment.