Spring means many different aspects to many different people. But to me, one of the highlights of spring is that it is the season for high school drama and musical productions.

The last two weekends have been spent being totally entertained by attending four different musicals. I started many years ago, when I served as the 4-H program leader for Wayne County and many of the 4-H youth that I knew were involved in their school plays and would invite me to attend. Even though I retired several years ago, I still attend these productions.

As I came home from watching the Lyons Jr. Sr. High School's version of “My Fair Lady,” it occurred to me that many of us are just like Professor Henry Higgins. If you are not familiar with “My Fair Lady,” let me briefly share a summary of the story line. Higgins is a professor of linguistics and he accepts the challenge of taking Eliza Doolittle, a lowly flower woman who's English or actually lack of English will forbid her from climbing up the social class, and believes that he can pass her off as royalty at the King's Ball. After several days and weeks of grueling lessons both on English and in the social skills, he succeeds. When he and Colonel Pickering return from the ball, they spend much time bragging about their accomplishments and applauding one another but never once acknowledge or even address the efforts of Eliza herself.

You might wonder how I equate us to Higgins. We as community members and secondly as taxpayers, challenge and expect our schools and teachers to provide a variety of experiences for our young people. Yet many do not acknowledge the results. There was not one auditorium that had a sold-out seating among the four high school productions that I attended. And if you are not there to see the fruits of their efforts, you certainly can not express “congratulations” and “Bravo's” for jobs well done.

And when you hear an adult wonder about the coming generations, I wonder how much effort they have provided to those very same youth. Every one of us lives within a school district and the ticket price is similar to that of a movie theater or less, so the excuse of money or travel time is not totally acceptable. Being there for our young people is a role that you cannot pass off onto someone else. You are needed to fulfill that role so our youth see the value of spending grueling hours learning their parts or practicing their instruments or learning a sport for that matter. True there are lessons that are gained just from being a part of these experiences, but how much more can be accomplished when the community is there to support them.

I say all of this just to bring to your attention that the Clyde-Savannah Junior Senior High School is sponsoring a variety show at 7 p.m. Friday, April 4. Tickets need to be purchased ahead of time, since they will not be available at the door.

And on Sunday afternoon, May 5, the Clyde-Savannah High School Drama Club is putting on the production, “30 Reasons Not To Be in a Play.” On May 2, the Clyde-Savannah Central School will be offering a luncheon special for senior citizens to view the play at 10:30 a.m. followed by a luncheon, all for $2 a plate. If you are interested in attending this senior citizen luncheon, you need to make reservations by calling 902-3050 by Friday, April 4.

As long as you are a member of any community, your role is to support and applaud all the efforts of our young people so they will continue to work at their learning experiences and improve their skills and like Eliza Doolittle make a difference in their life. What school events are taking place in your school district? Will you be there?

Carol Spellman proudly lives and writes from her home in Savannah. You can reach her at spellmanjc@tds.net