On this Friday’s Report From the Field, Meg Healy from is back from the Johnson School of Excellence with the story of her team’s recent star-studded talent show put on for their students as part of City Year’s aim to foster a positive school climate.
From the moment the UWMC Impact Fund, A McCormick Foundation Fund Team arrived at Johnson this year, the students had one thing on their mind: a talent show. Our predecessors had clearly set the bar high for family engagement night, and not wanting to disappoint, we set to work creating Johnson’s third bi-annual talent show.
Starting in October, student performers began coming to our room an hour before school started every morning. All through the middle school floor on any given morning you could find rappers, singers and dancers practicing tirelessly and excitedly — they started arriving earlier than we did just to get a head start on practicing!
When the time came for the show on Wednesday, December 7, there was an air of excitement at school. Performers nervously rehearsed and changed into flashy outfits while they waited for their classmates and parents to arrive. Meanwhile, Panda Express was downstairs graciously setting up a huge feast for the school to enjoy.
While all was hectic as show time approached, as soon as it began it was clear that our months of hard work had paid off. The gym was packed and the middle schoolers proved to be a fabulous audience, cheering and clapping raucously for every act. City Year wowed the crowd with a Johnson version of the “Cat Daddy” (one of the students’ favorite songs) called “Wildcat Daddy.”
At the end of the show, the teachers surprised us all by getting on stage to dance to “The Wobble.” It was a moment that truly solidified Johnson’s strong school community — students, parents, teachers, staff and City Year all sharing in a fun and exciting experience. It was the best possible note to leave 2011 on, and we hope to hold on to that momentum in 2012!
Margaret Healy is a first-year corps member serving at the Johnson School of Excellence in the North Lawndale community on Chicago’s west side. Margaret is originally from Buffalo, NY and graduated from University of Rochester.
