Havin' Fun in 2010....

was the catchy song for the finale of the 2010 Countdown Party the girls were a part of at the the Richmond Oval. We did have lots of fun on Thursday, despite the fact that after all the hype, the footage of the event didn't really show our kids singing! There was always so much going on at any given time that the cameras were all over. We also found out at the event that all the networks were there and filming but it was up to them which parts to air. Due to another shooting in the area, I'm sure much of the news hour was pre-empted for that. The producer told us she would send a DVD to the school, so hopefully we can get a copy.

It was a great day. We rode in luxury on a coach style bus. It was a classy way to go and not at all like a typical field trip. The music teacher and I were laughing about how nice it would be to always hand pick 35 kids for a field trip! Everybody just chatted quietly or read....ahhhhh relaxing! The excitement and noise did mount when we entered the parking lot of the Oval. It's a beautiful building. It was Olympics security mode, so as the kids entered, they were brought into an area and we were all given security passes. They loved that part! After settling into our "green room", it was run through time. They had sectioned off a part of the Oval with beautiful big curtains and the lighting was just fabulous. The cameras were on big booms because this was primarily an event for TV. The live audience was actually quite small. The stage managers and producer positioned the kids and gave them instructions. The kids were all very professional. The production manager commented on how easy they were to work with. Of course, us teachers and moms were proud! They ran through the O Canada section and then the finale. We hadn't really known that we were part of the finale, but it was basically just a countdown from 10 and then lots of waving of flags, jumping up and down and general excitement. That kind of comes naturally for most kids!

After lunch, it was crazy french braiding time. A couple of us who could french braid now had the job of getting all the girls' hair done in a pretty short period of time. I felt bad because I'm sure I pulled some hair in the process. I forewarned them all and told them they could pinch me later! It was fun and I'm a much faster french braider than I was before!

The dress rehearsal was even more exciting. It was so neat to see it all come together. The mascots were part of the show, which was exciting to the kids (and the moms)


The next part was the hardest as we tried to get the kids to eat some dinner (most were too excited) and got last minute costume checks ready. They were really excited now and there was nothing to do but wait until it was time. Unfortunately, due to security, we parents couldn't watch the show from the front. It was a good thing we watched the dress rehearsal. Anyhow, we kind of watched from the side and shared in the excitement that way. The kids all high fived Gordon Campbell at the end and had a chance to maul....I mean hug the mascots.

After we got back into our green room, a Korean camera man and interviewer came in and wanted some footage of the kids. They were so excited to gather around, smile and wave. One of the moms who could speak Korean translated.

We were exhausted and after a bus ride home, were glad to get into bed. When Chelsea woke up the next morning, she asked me if I've ever wanted to "relive" a day. Yes, I said, I knew what she meant. "If I could relive a day", she said, "it would be yesterday."