Starstruck…Poster child for Public Education
When I first heard about Starstruck I was seriously impressed. 3000 public school children from across the region. A first class entertainment venue. An extravaganza of song and dance. Professional sound and lighting. Professional choreographers, musicians, stylists and performers. Amazing, right? What an opportunity? Yes and no.
On the surface, the thing is incredible. Such dedication from staff, students and the community. Such financial input from corporate giants by way of sponsorship. Such a coming together of kids from diverse backgrounds. It’s a public relations wet dream.
I have yet to witness the spectacle for myself. That pleasure awaits…..tomorrow night is the night. At the moment I am in cynic mode. For months, the kids have been rehearsing during their lunch breaks. On Tuesday, they left school at 7am to attend full day dress rehearsals. They returned at 4pm. Yesterday, they left school at 6am, rehearsed all day and performed a 3 hour show last night. They returned just after midnight. This morning, they had to be at school at 8am. They are having a rehearsal, a matinee performance and an evening performance, again returning around midnight. Mollie was absolutely shattered last night. Tomorrow, they have to be at school at 4pm, to perform at 7pm, again returning around midnight, then, blessed relief, it’s over!
To me, this all seems rather extreme. Mollie is 10 years old. There are younger children involved, as well as older ones. There was a group of parents waiting at the school last night for over an hour…and we are only one school of hundreds participating. Mollie was exhausted, depleted, too tired to speak, and if anyone knows Mollie, she is never lost for a word. The kid even talks in her sleep. I asked her if she would do it again next year, fully tongue in cheek, and she perked up and replied "Yeah! It’s amazing!" There’s your answer.
