Friday, October 28, 2011

Middle Grade Highlight Might Be Rocky Horror

Everyone knows that middle school can be awful, right? I mean, when you look back at your own life, I bet most of us wouldn't rank that period after grade school but before high school as a highlight. Weren't we all trying to muddle through those confusing early teen years the best we could? And sometimes the results weren't pretty.

But other times, these new teens catch you by surprise and take your breath away with their still-exuberant love of life. We all know that when teenagers find something they like (i.e., video games, TV, text messaging) they tend to spend as much time as they can get away with doing it. Because despite what they say, they're still kids. Kids want to have fun and aren't afraid to demand it.

So when six of my Cadette Girl Scouts decided they wanted to create a seven-minute radically altered version of the Rocky Horror Picture Show to perform continuously at Lake Farmpark's beloved Haunted Hayride, I was skeptical. This project would be the service component for these girls to earn the Silver Award, the highest award girls at this rank can earn.

We need boys to pull this off, I told them. And we could use a few more girls too. We have to develop a G-rated story, choreograph it, make our sound track, build a set, design costumes, pull together props, and practice, practice, practice.

Sounds like fun, they said.

They recruited boys to help. Other girls followed. They came to practice after practice all summer long. I witnessed bursts of creative genius from all of them. Most astoundingly, they showed up for every performance.

Aren't you bored yet? I asked them after the 55th show.

Nope! they all said.



And it was obvious they weren't. They chattered and commiserated and discovered things about themselves and their audiences. They helped one another with make-up, gave kudos where kudos were due, consoled when mistakes happened. They joked and teased and flirted. We were the group kicked out of Kirtland, Ohio's Lake Farmpark every night because the kids dawdled over their end-of-the-evening pizza, wanting to hang out together just a few minutes longer.

I'm not going to sugar-coat the difficulty of keeping 13 middle-graders on task. I supervised everything and spent a huge chunk of time on this project.

Still...the kids surprised the hell out of me. They made a commitment and stuck to it. They created a memorable show that they never tired of performing. They worked together as a team.

And when they look back on their middle-grade years, they'll probably remember this show...fondly. It might even be a middle school highlight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwQcL6xNMLo

Kim Van Sickler

13 comments:

  1. How AWESOME are they (and this story)?!?!?! Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I enjoyed this article, and as a mother of one of the girl scouts can confirm how much fun they have had. Kudos to you for your time and talents that you have so graciously given!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Made me cry, I've observed what you've written so eloquently and it will no doubt be a "highlight" for alot of differen't ages!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Looks like you and the kids had a blast!

    ReplyDelete
  5. You're all right. The kids are awesome, they've had a blast, I've had a blast, and it has been a highlight for me too. Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Loved it! I have very fond memories of late nights at the Coventry theater watching the midnight show of Rocky Horror with my high school friends. It's so much fun to see another generation have fun with it and make it their own!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think tweens and teens get too easily judged and underestimated. I love this age, this post, and this blog. Love the Warm Fuzzies responses too. New follower :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. It is cool to see a tradition pass to the next generation. Sort of bonds us together. And yes, definitely tweens and teens get a bum rap sometimes. They have this ability nowadays to multitask that I don't think we used to have and I think it's due to today's media culture. But they can goof off, text, and learn a dance routine at the same time. Adults who don't work with them a lot would think they weren't paying attention. But out of the classroom I hardly ever see a kid anymore who pays attention without doing anything else. I think it drives some adults crazy.

    ReplyDelete
  9. How fun, and I think you're so right. They're still just kids, just wanting to have fun! Your blog look so fun! Thanks for stopping by mine! New follower here. :D

    ReplyDelete
  10. Awesome post, Kim! You can count me in as a follower :)

    Thanks for checking out my blog and best of luck with querying!

    ReplyDelete
  11. When I first started reading this post I was like, "Woah! Rocky Horror for tweens?"

    Wow a G-rated version... now that is interesting. I'm squinting at the photo and it doesn't seem like you kept the drag in?

    Thanks for coming by my blog for the Warm Fuzzies!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow! I am sure that will go down as an awesome memory! All the work aside, it looks like so much fun. I miss that carefree attitude of those years, but that's about it ;)
    Thanks for stopping by my site too!

    ReplyDelete
  13. So glad you fellow bloggers stopped by. I am just amazed at how many awesome blogs there are out there. You all inspire me.

    ReplyDelete