PAC AWARDS & RELAY FOR LIFE!

Last Friday was an exciting night for me. The annual Performing Arts Company Awards were held at 7:00pm in the auditorium. It was a dress up occasion, attended by the members of PAC this year, their friends, and families. It was hosted by Mrs. Carolan, Mr. and Mrs. Addison, Mrs. Eger, and the 2008 Executive Board. Awards were given to members of the Fall Play and Spring Musical such as Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Featured Performance, Best Performance, Outstanding Chorus Member, Outstanding Ensemble Member, and Best New Member! It was very exciting. I got an Outstanding Ensemble Member award for my performance in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat! I was really happy. Also, the International Thespian Society Awards were given out. UCPAC is Thespian Troup #3673. Thespians are inducted into the society each year based on a point system. If you take dance, singing, or acting lessons…if you see professional shows…if you perform in shows…if you do forensics…if you do tech crew… all of these things come into play and can induct you into the society. Stars and Honor Bars are awarded based on how many hours of service you have done. 1 Star is equivalent to 20 points, or 200 hours. 2 Stars is 300 hours, 3 Stars is 400 hours, and 4 Stars is 500 hours. One Honor Bar is equivalent to 600+ hours. However, with the dedication of many of today’s young actors and actresses, more awards had to be given. On Friday I received a Double Honor Bar Award!! I received one Honor Bar freshman year, but I wasn’t yet eligible for another one because I hadn’t racked up enough points. Besides all of that excitement…PAC Awards is always the time when the shows for next year are announced!! For the fall play we will be doing Incorruptible and for the Spring Musical we will be doing Into the Woods. Mrs. Carolan informed us that everyone has to start working very hard because Into the Woods is the most difficult show that she has ever attempted!! “OH GREAT,” I said to myself! Haha!

After PAC Awards, me and a lot of the other kids headed over to Scotch Plains/Fanwood High School for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. Union Catholic SMAC helped students sign up for the event, and UC was one of the biggest groups there! Everyone who wanted to go had to raise $100. We all had matching T-shirts that said “UC Love” on them, and the name “Chris” with a heart around it. This was in remembrance of Chris O’Bara, a student of ours who died from cancer in the beginning of his junior year last year. I also drew hearts with the names of those close to me who have died from cancer. This was my first time attending the Relay, and I am so happy I did. In case you don’t know the whole point of the Relay for Life, there are a number of teams there, and someone from your team should be walking the entire time, from 7pm to 7am. It was really fun to spend time with kids from school and to meet other people, and it was also very emotional. At the luminaria ceremony, everyone who was there gathered in the gym. One of the women who was running it got up and said, “I want all those who have lost their children to cancer to please stand.” A few people stood up. Then she said, “those who have lost their mother or father….those who have lost their grandmother, or grandfather… a sister, or a brother….a dear friend.” More and more people stood up until the whole gym was standing. She then said, “Our goal is that one day, all of us can sit together.” Then, the presentation of the names of all of those who have survived cancer graced two big screens, and then the list of names of all of those who have died was shown. Songs like “Seasons of Love,” “Blackbird,” and “You’ll be in my Heart” played. I was crying hysterically… it was so sad. And yet, it was so powerful because everyone comforted one another. We were all there together for a purpose – to fight cancer and remember all those affected by it. Afterwards, everyone there took one lap around the school in silence together. I’ll never forget that night… and I hope that I will be able to go to it every year from now on.

My class’s academic awards are tonight, and I take my AP English Language & Composition Exam tomorrow. Wish me luck!! I’ll talk to you soon J