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Extravaganza Plus at the Althea Scatliffe Primary School aka THE MIGHTY, MIGHTY SCATLIFFE

Donald E. de Castro. Photo:supplied
By Donald E. de Castro

I read all the time of performances of various groups and individuals in this country, Tortola, British Virgin Islands (BVI). Fortunately or on fortunately I do not go out as when I was younger. Mostly to church and since my daughter started school here I have gone to all the activities of the Enid Scatliffe Pre-Primary and the Althea Scatliffe Primary School which she now attends.

And I want to say what great respect I have for the Principals and the vast majority of the staff of those two schools.

Last year the Althea Scatliffe Primary School had their Christmas Concert at the Briercliff Cultural Center and I thought that it was such a disaster. I made my feelings known to the listening audience of my radio show “Night Talk.” This year they went back to the drawing board and they outdid themselves. The difference was like chalk and cheese.

While the Principal and Staff did not set a good example by starting late, once started the concert moved along without a glitch. After the invocation, the concert began with the opening song “Jingle Bell Rock.” This song was sung by the Master of Ceremony (MC) Ramirez, one of the class four teachers. While the music played children of class four started dancing on the stage, then left the stage and continued dancing down one side of the of the audience and up the other side from where they returned to the stage and ended the opening act that turned out to be an extraordinary evening for all in attendance and to the delight and satisfaction of the Principal and staff.

The program continued with a Welcome remark by a Class one (1) student followed by a Tiny Prayer also by a student from Class 1. The Recorder Ensemble did a fantastic flute rendition of, “O Come All Ye Faithful.” This was followed by a number of Class 1 students that held up and showed the letters of ‘Christmas Day’ and the meaning of each letter. This could only have been appreciated by being there to see the presentation of those children and the feelings they expressed while performing works of art. Many of you may have heard the Boys Choir perform and you know how well they do sing, however, their rendition of “What a Wonderful Child” was just another exceptional performance. This was followed by Choral Speech by students of Class 3 and a Steel Band selection with Miss Gordon on the Steel Pan and Mr. Blackett on drums.

Following was the senior Choir with a very beautiful edition of Christmas melody. Next was a dance by children of Class two (2) which was followed by Class four (4) students telling us to ‘Do Not Forget.’ Apparently feeling like they were being left out, members of the staff came on stage and danced to some Fungi Music which was greeted with loud applause by the audience. Continuing, Class 4 students did a dance that was superb. This was followed by Ms. Nicole Donovan doing her rendition. Coming to the climax of the concert, Class five (5) did a short play depicting the coming of Jesus called, “A Super Hero Christmas.” This was followed by the Junior Choir with a Christmas Melody and not to be outdone, came the Drum Corp with Christmas Drum cadences. Then was the Spanish Club with their rendition of “Feliz Navidad” which they sang in both Spanish and English. At this time a Class 1 student gave a word of thanks to the audience, immediately following was a Christmas Melody by the Fungi Band, once again another Class 1 student made a short remark about being last but not least. To end the concert was a song by the Principal and Staff. The applause after every act was overwhelming throughout the entire program.

Every parent of the children should have been proud of their performances, I know I was. We should all be proud and happy to see how this school is molding our children.

One major concern that I had was the lack of respect by so many parents for the children performing in the concert. I refer to the fact of the loud talking and continuous conversation during the performances that at time made it difficult and at time impossible to hear clearly the young ones doing their best to entertain their parents and other members of the audience. We must all try to remember and understand that the children of today are extremely smart and while they try to obey their parents, teachers and others they pay keen attention to our action. We all are aware of the saying; “Action speaks louder than words.”
While there were a few glitches, the major problem was the fact that with such a large staff at the school the music director had no assistance which would have made for a yet better presentation. I am sure that after this years’ experiences we look forward to more great concerts as the years go by.

A SOUR NOTE.
Unfortunately, some people arriving for the concert by vehicles felt it necessary to enter through the exit gate. I spoke to some of them and they were not pleased, and these are parents setting a great example for their children! The one that took the cake was a female that arrived on a motor cycle, not only through the exit gate but not wearing head gear. After doing some investigation I learned that she was a teacher at the same school. I do hope that the principal find out who this teacher is and give her a good lecture. Here is a list of those vehicles that I recorded before I went inside. If you know any of them please talk to them as they are putting your child in danger. Some have threatened me but I am too old to be intimidated.
MC0732, PJ96, PV19672, PX28, PV14942, PV17264.

Let me finish with congratulating all the students that participated and to the principal and staff. However, special congratulations must go to those that were directly responsible from its inception, the producer, the music director, those who created the scenes, the writers and of course the MC who did a great job also.

 

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