Spotlighter Invitational sits right around the corner, but choir teacher Jason Damron is not worrying. He was comforted recently when all his students came to help set up for the big night. ¨There are just so many things that have to be done, and when I first started doing it, it would take so much longer, but now I can hand out jobs and it's much more efficient,¨ Damron said.
Damron divides the jobs evenly among his students. This helped speed up the process of setting up. ¨Communication and involvement is important in something like this because we want the students to feel ownership for their innvitational and their school when they set it up and do all the work,¨ Damron said.
Junior Jalen Lents helps tape down the tarps that prevent the gym floor from being scuffed by the chairs and stage being set. Others helped this process by holding the tarps in place to avoid wrinkles. ¨At first I wasn't happy about having such a simple job, but the more I thought about it it really felt like I was setting a foundation for the night,¨ Lents said.
The floor is set, and students, including sophomore Alayna Croley, begin to transfer in the stage braces that hold the stage in place, making it a more stable platform. The braces were put in piles divided by size, and sat to wait for the construction of the stage. ¨I think helping with the stage was the greatest thing. I just know how it feels to perform and I love being able to help her get that incredible feeling.¨
After a long night of setting up, a group of girls gather and say goodbye and wish each other luck for the next day. Toward the end of the night, the relaxed environment encouraged laughter and excitement. ¨I thought setting up wouldn't be fun, but at the end of the night I was excited to be there and to be involved. Helping set up made us feel like more of a group,¨ sophomore Maddie Sussman said.
