Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2009
No school today...due to the MLK, Jr. holiday. We are in Indianapolis, IN tonight...and will be back on the road tomorrow, in McCordsville and Fortville IN.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Prarie Central Upper Elementary School, Forrest IL
After a restful night (and relaxed morning, which you can have when you don't have to be at the school until 11:30am for a 1pm show...) at the Super 8 in Chenoa, IL...we moved on down the road a bit (OK, more like 14 miles, but who's counting?) to Forrest, IL (pop. 1200)
to the Prarie Central Upper Elementary School. This school is home to the 5th and 6th grade Prarie Central Hawks.
to the Prarie Central Upper Elementary School. This school is home to the 5th and 6th grade Prarie Central Hawks.You gotta love the gyms with the old-time, REAL wood floors- they have character that you just don't find in a lot of the new ones these days (this school was once the Junior HS). , but they were hoping to have it refinshed soon. We were greeted by Principal Paula Crane and
a member of their Janitorial staff, who along with my student Road Crew, helped me unload and setup in quck fashion.
a member of their Janitorial staff, who along with my student Road Crew, helped me unload and setup in quck fashion.Our show today was "Count On Me", which talks about responsibility. The kids seemed to enjoy it, and I think it also impacted them. Afterwards, I had another group of kids help with takedown...and once I had a signature for Principal Crane, moved up North on Rt 47 towards Dixon and the "Charac
ter College" being held at Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon, IL. On the way, we did stop for a little early dinner at Pete's Restaurant, in Dwight, IL. I had their 1/2 lb. "Wisconsin Burger"...yikes! Homemade burgers with lots of Cheddar cheese. Good food, and good coffee!
ter College" being held at Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon, IL. On the way, we did stop for a little early dinner at Pete's Restaurant, in Dwight, IL. I had their 1/2 lb. "Wisconsin Burger"...yikes! Homemade burgers with lots of Cheddar cheese. Good food, and good coffee!Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Avery Coonley School, Downers Grove IL
You know, even though it's fun and exciting on the road...sometimes it's great to be home. That's what I was thinking as I left home this morning for the Avery Coonley School in Downers Grove IL. Now the construction on I-88 and I-355 is done, getting there was a breeze- in spite of the snow shower that hit while I was making my way down Maple Av. (no pictures of that- BOTH hands were FIRMLY on the steering wheel)...but I digress. :-)
The Avery Coonley School is a private, co-educational school for gifted children in grades K-8. It's secluded setting provides a unique learning experience for for everyone who calls Avery Coonley home. And, the buildings that the school calls home are also on the National Register of Historic Places!
So this was where I found myself on this suddenly snowy morning, offloading through the stage door. Yep, had to deal with a few steps here...but when I got inside, wow was it worth it- what a space! We were showing in the Theatre, which because of it's size would only allow us to do a 2-screen show. This is not normal for us, but we do it when we have to as we don't want to deny anyone the opportunity to experience the impact of our sh
ows. I had 2 great members of the school's Janitorial staff helping me with setup- which we accomplished in under an hour! If I do say so myself, I don't think I have done a better 2-screen setup yet- it looked stunning. And the important thing...our customer agreed. :-)We did 2 shows...Attitude of Gratitude for the K-4, and Fearless for 5-8. This was the first time I have shown Fearless to 5th graders- we did have considerable discussion about this, and in the end the school staff felt that the kids could handle it...and I think they did.
When I learned about what type of school Avery Coonley was, I was a little unsure about what the kids would be like, and what it would like to be around them. You know what? They're just like any other kids...they just have a higher appitite for learning, that's all. This show was a bit of a challenge- it was a unique setup ,and while I was a little fearful at first...when it came off well it was worth every moment. Of course, things like the little girl who came up to me after the first show and simply said "Thank you, I really enjoyed it!" didn't hurt either. :-) And I had a GREAT takedown crew- a good bunch of guys to work with.
After all was said (and shown) we loaded back up, and I headed for Panera Bread on Butterfield Rd to meet my friend Dan for lunch- nothing like a good bread bowl of Chicken Noodle soup to warm the heart on a cold day. :-)
Next stop...Forrest IL!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Happy New Year!
Well, it's time to start a new year...and with that, a new resolution- to blog, blog, blog! So let's get started...with the first school of the new year...
Today took me to Crown Point, IN- home of Jerry Ross Elementary School. This was a school originally scheduled for earlier in the fall but got moved
to...today! The school is named after Col. Jerry Ross, who is a NASA astronaut and a member of a fairly recent Shuttle mission (and I believe a Space Station stay). It is a relatively new school, with a great gymnasium.I arrived in the area (actually Merrillville) about 10:30am, and with a little time to kill, proceeded to one of my favorite places- Panera Bread on US 30, to get a snack while making a few calls and getting some email out. I headed over to the school about 11:40am, arriving there shortly after 12 noon. I was greeted by principal Jennifer Johannson, who in turn introduced me to my "Road Crew" for the afternoon, which were the 4 members of the Janitorial/Maintenance staff. Wow! Wit
h their help, we were set up in about 45 minutes!The shows went great- as usual, I had the privilege of talking to some great students, and they really enjoyed "Count On Me". We did 2 showings- one for the 2nd and 3rd graders, and one for the 4th and 5th graders. It was really a great way to start the new year!
The drive home was fairly uneventful, except for the fact that I noticed just in time that my gas gauge was a bit south of the last red mark...uh oh! Good thing that there was a trusty Speedway on the way home. :-)
Tomorrow...the Avery Coonley school in Downers Grove- stay tuned...
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