Jewells of Thought

Today is the first time in too many years since I watched my niece in a School Program. It’s been at least 3 years. Work was the excuse last year, but lack of coordination and communication around the supposed parents is to blame otherwise. I am trying to be nice about it too.

This was another first for me this afternoon. I have been on the Shakamak Campus twice during my career as a student, but that’s been at least 20 years ago. Still our bodies rejected the 45 minutes of sitting on school bleachers though.

Wow the gymnasium was nice and big with an awesome platform space for concerts like this in there. However, I did find out pretty early that taking photos from our distance would be useless for getting good images. The first song felt a little off for the season, but apparently that was on purpose. It was the 6th graders playing instruments to a tune with the lyrics using the word Halloween. Finally after the song ended one of the teachers said Sixth Graders, I’m paraphrasing you got the wrong memo that’s the wrong season.

The older grades didn’t sing as much. For a different look and feel they played instruments and danced more. My niece, Selena’s class, which was in the 4th grade, actually did their song in the dark on the risers. They had flashlights with certain colored lights somehow. It sounded and looked really awesome, but we couldn’t even see her and they kept the lights out as they paraded through the gym back to their waiting place.

In fact I couldn’t even identify Tora either. She had lights on for her class, but they were too far away to see faces with my camera. I know those 3 faces, but it would have been nice to see them at least as they were leaving the stage right in front of us and out of the gym. The only girl I could successfully identify was Summer, because she actually had a speaking part at the microphone. That is until Selena finally came back onstage with a recorder she held but didn’t actually play. I will have a conversation with her very soon about that.

Our girl is the sparkly one in the 3rd set of kids with the 3rd music stand. She is also the only one not playing. I have had a conversation about that with her already.

So I guess Tora was really the only girl we couldn’t see to identify. Last year I heard Selena cried and wouldn’t even perform so seeing her up there was a positive. I still remember the little girl who would sing with me in choir and be as loud and on pitch as me singing on Sunday mornings.

One of the highlights from the program was the 12 Days of Christmas Teacher Style, so it was 12 Things Students Tell Teachers. The last teacher was the actual Principal. It was cute and the 5 rings were I have to pee. Please tie my shoelaces, what time is lunch and things that you could see students telling the teacher. This really cracked up the audience.

I was so glad I was able to be there for my nieces especially Selena considering last year. Plus in the time I have attempting to write this my brother was able pick her up and bring her back with him. So she literally just texted me and allowed us to tell her the three of them did a good job this afternoon. We are about to take her out for a celebration supper.

Okay so after having a conversation with Selena I am now fairly certain she was the only girl we ID’d. I forget that the girls usually are all dressed the same so my niece was really the only one we knew we saw. Yet we did see all three of them today.