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OAWB with the Washington Elementary Dance & Flag Team image

OAWB with the Washington Elementary Dance & Flag Team

S2 · On A Water Break
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104 Plays15 days ago

Trish welcomes the Staff from Washington Elementary School in Allentown, PA to talk about their creation of the Dance & Flag Team.  Help them get funds so they can get the equipment they need to make this program grow.

Check out their GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/3cef3166?

Guest Clinicians

Nanette DeRemer

Tanja Turchanik

Tristyn Piemontesi

Listen to the main episode to keep up on everything going on in the marching arts with our hosts:

Meet our Hosts

Jackie Brown - @spintronixguard

Stephen McCarrick - @stephenmccarick

Cindy Barry - @leandermomma

Nicole Younger - @o2bnpjs & @thecookoutcg

Trevor Bailey - @t_pain151

Trish O’Shea - @trishdish1002

Beth Beccone - @bether7189

Chris Rutt - @wildhornbrass1

Cynthia Bernard - @cynthiabern

Ashlee Amos - @famousamossss_

Theo Harrison - @harrisontheo07

Stephanie Click - @stephanieclick

Whitney Stone - @dancerwhit

Justin Surface - @J_dex07

Ashley Tran - @itsashleytran

Jack Goudreau - @goudreau_

Bill Woodward - @remoking100

Emily Nee - @tch.makes.art

Ricardo Robinson-Shinall - @ricardorrobinson

Austin Hall - @Austin_hall10

Jose Montes - @joeymontes57

Bobbey Biddle - @bobbeyboy107

Peyton Billhart - @peytonbrillhart

Music provided by leydamusic.com Follow him @josh.leyda

Avatars provided by @tch.makes.art

#marchingband #colorguard #dci #podcast #onawaterbreak #marchingband #colorguard #dci #podcast #onawaterbreak #wgi #drumline

Recommended
Transcript

Introduction & Guest Overview

00:00:00
Speaker
Hey, everyone, and welcome to On a Water Break, the podcast where we talk about everything you and your friends are talking about at rehearsal on a water break. This week, we go on a water break with the Washington Elementary Dance and Flag team.
00:00:17
Speaker
Eight off the Met and Go. Welcome to to On a Water
00:00:29
Speaker
Everyone, bring it in. It's time for a water break.

Importance of Early Color Guard

00:00:34
Speaker
Hey everyone, it's Trish and we have something extra special for you all today. We all love High School Marching Man and we all know that many instrumentalists get started their band career way back in elementary school. Well, our guests have decided that Color Guard is also something kids should start to learn in elementary school. There are many programs across the country in all levels of academia, but this one was created for an extra special reason.
00:00:59
Speaker
Please welcome to the sidelines the staff from Washington Elementary in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It's Nanette, Tanya and Tristan. Welcome everyone.

Personal Journeys into Color Guard

00:01:10
Speaker
We're so excited to have you guys here. Yes, thank you for having us. hi So hopefully you are all ready with your 32 count life story. This is where you get to tell your listeners everything about your entire life in 32 counts. We'll give you eight off the met and then we'll get ready to get started. So we're going to start with Nanette. Of course we are.
00:01:40
Speaker
I was born. I took a lot of dance classes. I joined Color Guard. And I never stopped doing Color Guard. I taught high school dance and Color Guard for a long time, including drum corps, quantum regiment, ready book and ears, a lot of other ones. um I'm a librarian turned dance teacher. And now I have an elementary school dance and Color Guard with over 100 kids in it in one school. The end.
00:02:10
Speaker
Yes. You made it. You did it. You made it. It's hard. It is hard. OK, speak now. Tanya, even though Dandetra said it's really hard, it's your turn. You ready? Eight off the mat.
00:02:23
Speaker
um Hi, I was born. I live in Allentown, Pennsylvania. I took a lot of dance classes when I was younger, then took some flute lessons, was in the band was and was in the color guard in high school with Nanette. We were captains together in high school. Then I went to Penn State, became an elementary teacher, then was a reading specialist, met Nanette again after about 20 years and saw each other at a dance studio and we decided to start an elementary color guard.
00:02:53
Speaker
program in our school. I love that. wo Okay, Tristan, you up for the task?

Creating New Extracurricular Opportunities

00:03:03
Speaker
I think I got it. You got this. Here we go. Eight off the Met.
00:03:07
Speaker
Alright, my name is Kristin. I'm actually the musician more of the group. I was born in Jersey, raised by parents who were also musicians. I was a musician all the way since I was five and started piano lessons. All the bands, marching band. I marched at Lehigh Valley Nights for two years in the early 2000s. Graduated, went to Northeastern University for a degree in music.
00:03:27
Speaker
came back, did some other stuff, became a teacher, marked Fusion 4 with the DCA for season, and now as a teacher at Washington have joined Tonya any night.
00:03:43
Speaker
oh Oh my gosh, how lucky is this school district to have you guys? Seriously. I mean, that's incredible. So I can't wait to hear how you why you guys came up with the idea because, to ah fun fact, I am also an elementary teacher. And last year at my school, the principal was like, you know, we need more. I work at a very small Catholic school and the principal was like, oh, you know, but we need more clubs. We need more. The parents are starting to say they're looking at other options because, you know, the kids, you know, other places offer so much. So.
00:04:19
Speaker
I took my two best things. I did one the first half of the year and one the second half of the year. I did a Zumba Club and a Color Guard Club. I did the Color Guard Club at the end of the school year last year, but this year we started with it because you know striking while the iron was hot. The kids were really excited about it. They performed for the school at the end of the year last year, so we we kept it going. and I'm trying to figure out a way now to not do Zumba and do Coegard again. So I can't wait to hear all of your great ideas. So why don't you come up with the idea?

Program Growth & Challenges

00:04:51
Speaker
Well, because my brain works in really mysterious ways. on I started teaching in Ellentown School District last year and saw that the students didn't necessarily have the opportunities that my daughter has.
00:05:12
Speaker
with going to dance classes or different performing arts. And um I was a librarian in Washington Elementary last year. And I thought it would be a really cool way to give the kids access to the performing arts. And it's something that I've always been really passionate about.
00:05:32
Speaker
um and And she came in a really ah wonderful time of our school district, which was after COVID, a lot of our programs across the district stopped. And this our superintendent, um now Dr. Birx,
00:05:51
Speaker
has been really pushing for more of our more of the arts programs, more music, um more dance programs. And then that kind of just fell into a really amazing time period where that was the push to bring back and more these kinds of programs. Yeah. So Tanya and my daughter danced together last year. So one night at the dance studio, I finally confessed to Tanya that I hadn't been able to sleep for several nights thinking of um maybe starting an elementary dance and flag team. And she miraculously said, yes, let's try it instead of talking me down, on which was great. So we proposed it to our principal at the time, and they seemed really on board for it, given what Tanya said about our district and our superintendent really pushing for performing arts programs.
00:06:50
Speaker
And we were like, okay, but we need more people to help us. So we're friends here with Tristan and while she didn't march in the color guard, she has a background with music and she jumped right on board and was like, yeah, I'm going to do this. This is great.
00:07:09
Speaker
And we hoped for 20 kids. That was our goal. Our goal last year was to get 20 students. And at the end of the first day when the kids had to bring the permission slips back, I think we had 60. Wow. Wowie. That was great. That was super. um So last year we ended up consistently with about 75 students.
00:07:36
Speaker
Oh my gosh. Which made us go back to the drawing board and had to decide. Oh, for sure. Do we have one team or do we need to make more teams? So that's when red team and blue team were formed. So I love that.
00:07:51
Speaker
It was our goal then to give access to as many students as we could. Absolutely. So it's stressful at times to have that. It's a lot of work. A lot of organizations behind the scenes, but we made it work in a very short amount of period time last year. So speaking of the stress level, which we all have, what do you guys find has been your biggest hurdle in making this a reality?
00:08:20
Speaker
I think time time is always hard. I wish we had more time with the students. We practice with them once a week after school. Hopefully that changes for next year with some things that we have in the works. But if we had it every day, I think they would... They would show up. They would show up. Yeah.
00:08:44
Speaker
You know, and you know, I'm sure we'll talk about this more later, but this year we were hoping just for a consistent number and we now have over 100 kids in the program. And that's amazing.
00:08:59
Speaker
Yes. What has been what has been the biggest reward that you guys have gotten out of this?

Community Impact & Support

00:09:07
Speaker
I think for me it has unlocked a creativity that I stopped many years ago. I started realizing that this little unlocking of dancing and learning choreography was something that I really missed and that I suppressed essentially for a very long time. So that part. I i enjoy seeing
00:09:31
Speaker
these kids get as excited for this activity as I am, like and that I remember being. So again, like I didn't march guard, i march I marched in the horn line, but like it's still all the same activity in my brain, like drunk car and marching band and just that lottery and having those opportunities to be part of something bigger and to put some sort of you know presentation of yourselves on a field, in a gym,
00:10:01
Speaker
you know something like that and i see these kids get as excited for it as i remember being and it's kind of like tiny said like it's unlocking it again in me and like bringing me back to like this part of me that's been kind of quiet for a handful of years since the last time i marched or participated in anything And I think it's really cool to see see them start to have this sense of pride of their school and the families that saw them at these performances. We're so proud of their kids and um just this energy has been brought back to our school. Yeah, it's it's been really cool to see um some of the kids who maybe struggled in a classroom.
00:10:48
Speaker
really come to life absolutely with this activity. And I think that's so important no matter where you teach, but especially for our kids.
00:11:00
Speaker
We're in like one of the largest urban school districts in our state. So the opportunities aren't always there. And these kids really just have grasped onto this um and ran with it. And you know we were lucky enough last year to kind of run a grassroots fundraiser where for me i think that was one of the coolest parts that all these groups from show and people from. I'm talking when i was in high school that like kids that weren't even in the marching band but knew that i did.
00:11:36
Speaker
you know Color Guard donated. We had someone who, instead of giving their husband a gift for that year, they decided that they would donate money for our kids. yeah like um He knew about it, to be fair.
00:11:54
Speaker
yeah that you know like just the the bringing together, and I'm talking from like all over the country. People flooded us with donations of flags, and you know I have color guards calling me like, hey, I have five foot flags, can you use them? Yeah, because I know you don't use them in your color guard anymore, but we're talking about first through you know third graders who are short. You can use five foot poles. We have four foot poles actually right now too. Oh my gosh.
00:12:28
Speaker
But it was just the, I think it was really cool to see that part of my life really come out in droves and come together for something that number one was unexpected. And number two, I think people understand the need for programs like this. And I think it was just amazing.
00:12:51
Speaker
the amount of people and, ah you know, people from all different walks of life decided to give back to a program like this. That's amazing. So I think that was really amazing. like And also, i I know for me, and I'm sure you guys as well, because you've done things outside of, you know, you've you've marched, you've taught other places as well, you know, as I have as well. But it's next level.
00:13:16
Speaker
See if you agree with me. It is next level. When you see the kid that you just had in last period, computer class, do a drop spin. It takes me to a whole... I even sent it on the podcast one time last year. I was when i think it was one of my gushing goals. I said, it is next level when you see your own kids that you have all the time. like we all I leave and I go teach another high school and I have an independent group and whatever. And those are obviously my kids as well. but And to see if you guys agree, it's next level when you see the kids that you have every day in school do think... its For me, that was like,
00:13:53
Speaker
You know what I mean? Like that's next level for me. I would agree and I would even add that I love seeing them if someone else has a skill that they got that they all of a sudden are helping their other teammates yeah learn that skill. like The patience that they have for each other, the perseverance i mean has been incredible to watch from outside the classroom and onto the year into the gym. Totally.

Student Experiences & Program Expansion

00:14:24
Speaker
I think that's especially true like with our the fourth graders that we have this year and that were our third graders last year and to see
00:14:33
Speaker
Them takes such pride in like showing the ropes to the new kids like it's because they know what it's about yeah yeah So my next question was going to be, and maybe you maybe this is you know what you're going to answer, you know what we talked about earlier. My next question was going to be, what was the most shock what has been the most shocking moment for you so far? But see to it sounds like to me it was that you didn't expect to have as many kids sign up as you did. yeah yeah
00:15:07
Speaker
Tell me, why do you think that is? Why do you think that you that so many kids who didn't know any really know anything about it signed up for it? Well, I think to start at least, and I think there's a different reason why they keep coming back, but to start, we showed, we went to each classroom, Nanette and I went to each classroom and demonstrated, had some live demonstration as well as showed them videos of a competition, an indoor competition, what it could look like. So I think really just, they got inspired I think to, because it was,
00:15:46
Speaker
right there for them to see, and they wanted to learn these different skills. So I think that's how it started. Now, i don't how they keep coming back? i think I think some of it has to do with like that inclusion aspect. like I think a lot of them kind of absolutely being part of a team, even if they don't know that that's what it is they're creating. And I think they just like having almost like that exclusive club feeling like they know that they're part of this and it's, you know, not everyone is a part of it. And I think they take pride in that knowing that they're part of something bigger. Yeah. yeah And last year we got to, this is more the why they keep coming back, but
00:16:28
Speaker
last year we got to perform a couple places within the school district we performed at something called the you are the light ceremony um which our district honors students and teachers who are you know catalysts and things like that for the district doing really cool programs and you know, teaching. Um, so the students got to perform for that. And I think that was like an eye opener that they got on a stage in front of people and people clapped for them. And a lot of them have never had that experience before. on And I think simply, no, and and we were like, Oh my goodness, we didn't have uniforms yet. We just didn't t-shirts and you know, I think
00:17:13
Speaker
just for a student. And I mean, these kids are six, some of them are six years old, you know, just to get up in front of an audience is huge. and But then they got up in front of an audience that are there like parents and peers and these things and the superintendent and everybody. And it was a big deal to them. And then we got to perform at a school board meeting with the superintendent and the whole school board on all done up in costume.
00:17:38
Speaker
Glitter hair, the whole nine yards. And I mean, those kids thought they were rock stars. And wow that was the whole point of it. They don't get to feel like that a whole lot. So that was amazing for them. And for us too, I mean, there were many like times where I looked over at Tanya and like I was a little teary eyed. I was like, I can't believe this is happening for them. And it's just, it it was really cool. And our superintendent,
00:18:08
Speaker
and So support so supportive of everything in fact we know this year ah that she would like to learn how to spin a flag so it's been tasked i love that here's some type of so hopefully she can have a side so so i think it's going to be great.
00:18:27
Speaker
And looking forward and a you know ahead, i our middle school does not have a program. both of our high school are All of our middle schools don't really have a color guard program per se. And our high schools either have nobody in the color guard currently or just a couple kids. So we've been in talks with the high school band directors on how we are going to start building that program up literally from first grade and what thats wrong know you know moving forward in the next few years. So so it's so is it it's a total inclusion program. Yes, you don't you you take everybody who signs up
00:19:14
Speaker
Pretty much, yes. The only people that wouldn't be able to participate would be if they can't get home safely afterward. Oh, okay. Okay. So, I mean, do you see a point where you you will have to exclude people, it's going to get too big, or you're really trying to stay away from that? Well, for this year, we, we I mean, ah and full transparency, we had over 100 people want to be a part of our activity. And the gym will definitely not allow why people right flags and everything like that of safety person. right So we capped it at about
00:19:57
Speaker
44 per team. part team so also um And then we have a very long wait list. Yes. So in our school district, sometimes aye kids do move from different schools. So if a kid does move from the school that was participating, and then we'll pull right from our wait list and pull a kid in. So we try to include everyone. Everyone as much as possible. That's great. That's awesome.
00:20:27
Speaker
So you kind of touched on where you know where the program is going to go from here. so you're going to So you've been in contact, just to reiterate, you've been in contact with the middle schools and the high schools. Now, is that something that you guys will have to take on? Or will you be hiring more staff to do that? or As of right now, as of for you um um Tristan and I have agreed to do some programs in the middle school this year. Oh, awesome. To hopefully garner some interest there.
00:21:01
Speaker
and bridge our fifth grade yeah into. So that's the only way to go. Yeah, because our fifth grade is the only grade so far that isn't a part of our flag and dance team, just simply because we spoke with grades one through three last year, added our fourth grade, and then next year the goal is to add the fifth grade on. Oh, awesome. So, yeah, so this year we'll be going into the middle school.
00:21:25
Speaker
a little bit to you know hopefully get a couple kids from there. The one high school band director is interested and our goal is to march in a St. Patrick's Day parade with some of our Washington kids plus some middle school kids plus hopefully a handful of high school kids.
00:21:48
Speaker
so They'll go from having no pillow guard and a hall to something. um Yeah, but it's going to take some time, yeah but we're trying to build it. Yeah. Do they do they go to DCI East? Did they go to DCI East to watch what was happening there? So it's actually DCI East. J. Bernie Crum Stadium is actually our kid's home stadium.
00:22:13
Speaker
And we would love for them to see the drum horse. It is cost prohibitive at this point. Right. I get it. Yeah. on to to we get all of those students tickets. So if anybody who is listening that has ties that can get a bunch of really worthwhile students ah in to see DCI East in their home stadium, ah we are all about it and we would love to take them. So that's been in talks, but we would love to do that.
00:22:44
Speaker
That sounds great. I mean, that would be really awesome to see them there and experiencing, I mean, just that big event in their hometown.

Funding & Support Initiatives

00:22:54
Speaker
I would like them to perform. We perform. Listen, let's get them to perform. If not in the stadium, at least in the park, you know? I think that would be amazing. I think that would be awesome. Yep, we can do a little episode. Are you listening? Yep, GCI. Are you listening? We'd love to do it.
00:23:12
Speaker
Okay, we are going to take a quick great break. So get out onto the field. So we'll be right back with what are we doing and gush and go.
00:23:30
Speaker
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00:24:15
Speaker
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00:24:42
Speaker
Welcome back everyone. So before we move ahead with the rest of our show, we kind of wanted to, we would talk a little bit on the break. Do you guys have any funny stories about you know that you've encountered so far that you want to share with us? The one that we're all kind of giggling about.
00:25:00
Speaker
um When we took our our so select student group to our school board meeting, now mind you, this was at the end of the year. We had practiced a whole lot, rehearsed where everybody stood, what they were supposed to do. They knew their routine really, really well. And we had one student who decided in the moment to just give himself a solo. He has yeah he had all the feelings, all the emotions. Solo for the whole performance.
00:25:29
Speaker
And he was wonderful. I couldn't even complain. He choreographed a great photo. So the whole time and people still ask about him. If he's still doing it. If he's still doing it and how he's doing it.
00:25:46
Speaker
wrote it just like that for him to shine. And luckily we had placed him in the middle. So it looked like it was on purpose. And luckily nobody followed him. They just did their routine. But he lived in that moment and it was hilarious. That's awesome.
00:26:07
Speaker
I think that was one of our funniest moments. Yes. yeah So we also do a little thing with our new people that we call, what part of the marching arts are you?
00:26:20
Speaker
So what would you consider yourself to be? like Some people will say, oh, I'm the ballad, I'm super mellow, or you know I'm the power closer, i'm like or I'm the brass section, or I'm the guard, or you however you want to take it. So Nanette, what part of the marching band are you? I think I am forever and always the saber line. Me too.
00:26:48
Speaker
wants a saber, always a saber, and, you know, very, very hard to see, but very, you know, intricate and delicate when it needs to be. I love that. Tanya? I feel like I have two personalities.
00:27:08
Speaker
I would say that I am definitely like more of the flag line, although I do like a good rifle. But then I would also say that I almost like the, I like to be like just the supervisor and watching how it all unfolds and kind of seeing how things connect and how you can add things on. So I feel like I'm cheating, but I think it's two things. All good. Now it's all good. Tristan. All right. So I would have to say that if I think of myself
00:27:41
Speaker
I would say that I'm like that power closer, like horn line going all out, power chord at the end, mostly because you have to like build up to it. Like all the other parts come together for like that one final moment. And I feel like I'm kind of a laugh that way. I take a whole bunch of words and I hold myself and then it's like that exclamation point at the end. I love that. That's awesome.
00:28:11
Speaker
Okay, I think it's time for us to move into what are we doing? What are we doing? um What are we doing? I guess I can start. I usually have a good what are we doing? What are we doing not having enough what we need for these elementary guards. i mean When you guys were telling your stories before, I was like, yep, I've done that. Yup, I've had a status outlook for five and a half foot poles. Yup, I've done that. and it's like It's just so hard. you know it's I guess a lot of people just moved on and threw a lot of their stuff out, but you know what are we doing? and We need help. We need we need people to come you know to donate what they don't want to us because we'll take it.
00:29:08
Speaker
hey yeah anybody Anybody else have a good, what are we doing? What are we doing not having elementary school color guards in every elementary school? That too.
00:29:21
Speaker
Because really, it just it just makes so much sense, right? I mean, the kids are going on to, you know, so in some cases, middle school, but like you said earlier, by high school programs that, you know, and I've used this analogy so many times, too. I mean, a kid will, you know, they've probably played their instrument, started with the recorder and worked their way up and they played something. When we get them in high school sometimes, they've never done this.
00:29:48
Speaker
So, you know, I agree with you. We need more elementary school programs. I totally agree with you. then And i I mean, just to add on to that, I mean, I my daughter, she dances, but she also plays soccer. And, you know, we're taking her to clinics, we're taking her to tournaments, we're taking her I mean, we're we're doing soccer all the time. She's eight years old. So right having these opportunities for dance, I mean, most even you just take dance classes, but unless your family is going to keep adding on to that, it's a very select few compared to the athletic side of things.
00:30:25
Speaker
Definitely. I was going to say, like just in general, what are we doing not starting all these kids in all of these programs? Young. like Why do we wait until Facebook to have a marching band? Vanguard, online, anything. Why do we wait until the end of their schooling to teach them these things? I agree. I agree a thousand percent. I mean, I've taught elementary my whole entire teaching career and I totally agree with you guys. so We got to work together. We got to unite. We got to keep it happening. So on that positive note, let's go into our gushing goes. Great job, everyone. Set your equipment down. Gush and go.
00:31:11
Speaker
Who wants to start? Let's see. Tanya, do you have anything you want to gush and go about? It's layered. I think I'm proud of us as a starting point that we have this idea and we made it a reality. I think I'm proud of our school community and our teachers here who have supported this idea.
00:31:34
Speaker
I think I'm proud of our administration who have continues to support us on with time in the gym, with scheduling, with financing. And then I'm proud of our school district and our families and our community for their continuous support and giving us opportunities across the district to perform. I love that. That's awesome.
00:31:57
Speaker
Nanette, what do you want to gush you go about? I want to gush about the kids. I think that we were but we threw them into a situation that they had only seen two videos before of what this looked like.
00:32:13
Speaker
And they are ready for more. And I can't wait to be able to do that with them. We're hoping that either this year or next year that we will be able to take some of them and do a competitive program. ah that's That's one of the things that we're very excited about. Our big breach, our big goal. And I'm just gushing about them because I think they will be so excited to have that happen. That's amazing.
00:32:42
Speaker
Tristan, what do you want to gushing go about? All the things that they said. They took them all. But also the kids. ah it's I just still can't get over just how awesome they are.
00:33:02
Speaker
like talent wise, even, you know, like, yes, they're, you know, part of a team and they're coming every week and they're doing all these things. But I just couldn't believe I, I recorded our practice that we had on Wednesday. And it was that group's first actual practice of the year. And I yeah was recording and like started to tear up because I'm like, Oh my gosh, like, um you're all doing a 20 count yeah combination in like 20 was it like half an hour yeah yeah it was incredible and there were very few mistakes and they were all focused focused and doing what they had to do like they're really on the ball and it was just so cool i love that
00:33:43
Speaker
So my gushy go is actually elementary school guard related as well, but it's a funny story. Ashley Amos and the baton world don't hate me because you know I was on the baton episode. I loved everything about it. But I keep the color guard equipment down. so My kindergarten classroom is downstairs in the basement. So I keep all the color guard equipment in the space in the spare room across the hall. So I've had the kids come and help me bring in down you know bring it up to the gym and then back down.
00:34:09
Speaker
and I can't remember if it was last week or the week before we were bringing this stuff down and I was ahead of them. and One girl said, they're both fifth graders, the one girl said, my mom did this. you know My mom did this in high school. and The one girl said, oh, really? She goes, yeah, she she was a baton. and The other girl goes, that's not color guard.
00:34:28
Speaker
I was like, yes. Yes. I love it. I love it. I'm not being shady, but I was like, yes, they get it. So that's a really cool moment. Little known fact. Little known fact. Nanette started as a baton twirler. That is known. Hey. Listen, we did a whole episode about baton twirly. That is no joke. That is no joke. It's not. So it's really cool.
00:34:55
Speaker
But you guys had something that you wanted to mention as well, um that you have a little way that you're asking you know the community for some help, maybe? Yeah. Now that our program has grown larger than we had anticipated,
00:35:13
Speaker
we are going to start a GoFundMe to purchase more fabulous uniforms for our kids, more equipment, and hopefully prepare them to have a competition team either this year pending district approval or next year. Of course we will We'll hopefully get some funding through the school district. But again, we are a Title I school in one of the largest but you know urban communities in our state. So every little bit helps even to buy the kids undergarments to go under the uniforms, dance shoes, gloves, things like that. on Uniforms of various sizes. Yes.
00:35:56
Speaker
So every little bit helps. So we'll include the link to our GoFundMe. And if anybody feels, you know, the ah urge to help us, we would really, really appreciate it. And the kids really, really would appreciate it also directly to them.
00:36:14
Speaker
yeah Hey, it's called gushing go not gushing stay. Let's go All right, everybody. Thanks for a great rehearsal this week Thank you to nenette and the rest of the staff for joining us I think we're talking to the next palm desert charter middle school or tarpon springs in the next 10 years never know So nenette, where can they find you guys? Because we were all not what I only want them to find you but we really want them to be able to find that go fund me for you i'll include the link, um with the podcast Okay. Where can they find you on social media? ah Our team does not have a social media account due to district regulations, but um you can follow our school. It's Washington Elementary School on Facebook, or you're welcome to contact me directly, Nanette Derima on Facebook.
00:37:05
Speaker
Awesome. Okay. One more thing. Don't forget, we have our YouTube channel now that many has many of our interviews coming out as full video editions.

Conclusion & Podcast Details

00:37:14
Speaker
Go and subscribe so you don't miss those. So before you close out of your podcast listening app, go subscribe, write us a review, and share this with a friend. Follow us on social media at On A Water Break, and we'll see you at the next rehearsal on A Water Break.
00:37:32
Speaker
The On A Water Break podcast was produced by Jeremy Williams and The intro and outro music was produced by Josh Lida. To learn more, visit ridamusic.com. And until next time, thanks for tuning in.