NOSTALGIC SPOTLIGHT OF SCHOOL ANNUAL FUNCTIONS !
Students running around backstage,waiting for their
performances; teachers rushing with usual, last-minute preparations; parents
sitting in the audience with enthusiasm and joy; Principal and supervisors
hoping for a peaceful, flawless show and days of practice looking forward to
meet their final outcome – the sight of
a typical school annual function! Be it a school in any town, any city, any
state or any country, this yearly dose of annual gathering is certainly one of
the most awaited events of the academic life.
As a platform to
showcase talents, feature skills, display novelty and demonstrate team spirit,
these annual functions are an excellent opportunity for every student. Solo and group dances or songs, plays, speeches, debates and novel acts find an eager
audience,as the stage welcomes performers year after year.
With shops
displaying ‘Back to school’ products for sale and schools reopening after
summer vacation in this end of the globe, I was tempted to walk down this
memory lane and remember interesting facets of my school life. Annual shows
undoubtedly played an important role in this colorful phase of school journey. Waiting
for annual function notices right from the start of the academic calendar and
hoping for interesting roles to participate became part of our schedule as
increasing level of classes offered exciting, unique opportunities.
As our annual
show was conducted at a location far away from school, the to and fro bus rides
were totally memorable. Confusion, noise, fun, laughter, talks dominated this
experience as teachers worked really hard to keep us under control ! Energetic
happy faces in the morning while totally tired ones in the evening marked the
entire day as there was so much to do during this much awaited event.
Though this function lasted for a single
day, its preparation, practice, arrangements and discussions demanded months
and months of time. As an excellent opportunity to be away from classroom and skip
loads of homework, memories of running away for practice, brighten up my face
even today! Hoping that the teachers select me and my friends for interesting songs
to dance on, wishing to bag exciting role in plays and praying to be away from
speeches were the flow of events almost every year. Memorizing long speeches
and playing around with words formed a compulsory activity for me as every
function caught me with talks and more talks!
Another
colorful memory of the annual function consisted of final dress rehearsals.
With different styles of costumes, accessories and proms; commenting,
complimenting and teasing each other brought in great fun and joy. Besides an
opportunity to develop ourselves in extra-curricular domain, these functions
helped us interact with students from different divisions and grades.
Making
new friends ,learning from their experiences and marching towards perfection taught us a lot during such activities as books and courses alone cannot fulfill every single requirement. Facing an audience, performing on stage, practicing with
determination, dedication and focusing with confidence were some of the lessons
that we learnt as we enjoyed the spotlight.
Though the
outcome of these functions meant an excellent show on stage, it could never
proceed without the hard work and motivation of teachers. Besides handling the
curriculum, when they spent time teaching, polishing and rehearsing us with
different acts, it meant innumerable efforts. Contribution of parents can never
be expressed in words, encouraging, inspiring and being with their kids, they would eagerly wait to be active spectators. Taking time off from office, when dad
attended my functions or apart from handling her schedule, when mom visited the
school with numerous extra tiffins for rehearsals ,their participation was
undoubtedly more than mine.
Prize
distribution session during an annual show was the other most awaited activity.
Though prize winners of different competitions were known beforehand, the
entire experience of walking proudly while receiving a certificate and posing for a photograph spelled out great fun.
Annual shows
truly resembled family functions as they involved each and every member of the
school. From students to teachers to administrative staff to house keeping
team, it made sure to keep everyone occupied. Though roles and responsibilities
varied, the end product offered same portions of happiness.
From eagerness of participation to tiredness due to endless rehearsals, from fun at the final day
to sadness at the final end, this schedule repeated in the same manner year
after year. Though the flow of activities or stage to perform remained same
throughout our school life, what changed were the increasing levels of
seniority. While as primary school students, we followed every act taught by
teachers, senior classes offered us the chance to plan, organize and set up
events by ourselves.
Truly a
learning experience by all means, these functions completed our all-round
development. As I look at our annual show photographs, the memories fall as refreshing rains. An important event in every academic life, this yearly spotlight
does make one famous, confident and happy.
So, what are your
memories of school annual functions? Were you a dancer, singer, orator, actor
or part of the audience to clap, smile and enjoy?
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