November 07, 2022
Last November 04, 2022 we celebrated the Municipal Children's Festival at our Municipality gymnasium.
In the back of my mind, I dont like to attend, I don't want to participate because what will I do in there? Anyway, my son is not one among those children who will join the mass dance competition.
On the other hand, my other self is saying:
Go and attend, let your son experience this activity that will just pass once in his life.
Yes, we will participate as this activity will pass just once in my son's life because it will never happen again. I decided to join the Municipal Children's Festival.
I woke up early and woke my son early too to prepare because assemble time is 6:45am as announced and mass parade will start at 7am.
We're a little bit late because we leave home at 07:50am and we will travel about 15minutes going to the location. Fortunately, the parade didn't start yet when we arrived. I looked for our group but I can hardly found them. I looked by the colors of the shirt because we are having a color coding and ours is orange or any shirt with a shade of orange. Gladly one of the parent waved his hand and I found them.
I asked where are the others? They just smile and said we don't know. We looked for our banner only to found out that we don't have banner. Oh no! most of the day care centers were holding their banner. We don't have enough time to call or chat their teacher because the parade already started.
We just follow where we supposed to but it is awkward walking without our banner. Most day care center paused for a picture taking with the official photographer with their banner. We? we just passed and walked like we are in the team in front of us.
There were 25 students in Kinder II but only six joined the parade, how sad. As we were walking, we parents are asking why others didn't participate? Why they don't let their children experienced this kind of activity, or at least have some essence of unity and participation? or at least a sort of respect to the teacher. We have nothing to do but to go on.
Children's experiences
At the start of the parade, children were so energetic and yes they are having fun. They are a little bit curius about what we are doing. As time passed by, his classmate said: Mama, I am tired. Other one said: Why we are walking so long, where are we going? My son said: Mama, this is what a parade mean? We parents are answering our children's questions in the way they can understand. I told my son, yes this is what a parade is. People are walking from a starting point going to the destination which in our case is a gymnasium.
Some do the shortcut and didn't continue the parade but our team of six go on. There were some pause because some enforcer will let the vehicle pass for a while and yes we can rest for a while too and have this picture of the six students who participated with their supportive parents.
When we reached the gymnasium, we shouted we survived! and congratulated our children for doing so. We did it!
State of the Children's address
Part 1 of the program is a so called state of the childrens address. Some of the Municipal Counsilors, our vice mayor and lastly our Municipal Mayor gave their messages.
Unfortunately, we didn't understand it. We can hardly hear it. The gymnasium is full and the noise is unstoppable. Some of the kids were crying, the parents were talking plus the sound system is not that good. There were times it is loud and there were times the sound seems stopped because we can't hear it clearly. We are in the highest or top part of the gymn near the stage, I don't know if those who are in front will hear and understand what they said clearly.
Parents were murmuring because their speech is so long and they wanted the competition will start as soon as possible because kids have a very short attention span. Some were sleepy, some were hungry, some wanted to go to CR and many problems with kids.
Me personally, really don't understand what those officials talked about.
Some of the teachers gave an intermission number and wow! teachers were so energetic and they are good in dancing too.
In contrary, these teens also gave an intermission number but oh! where is their energy? I think they don't have their breakfast yet and it seems they don't have a practice because their actions didn't work together. Parents were asking, what happened to them.
Some are just laughing behind, some already make their hands up and others down. It is very obvious that they don't have enough practice or they're just shy?
Mass dance competition
There were 23 barangay in our Municipality but some of the Barangay were so big so some of them were divided into clusters. So, instead we have 23 participants in the mass dance competition we had more of it, about 25-27 I think.
I have taken a picture in every group participants. Look at them.
Can you spot a child who chose to sit instead to dance? Kids is kids and will do what he want.
Can you spot a child who went to an opposite direction might be because his poom-poom or props fall?
These groups really have a great number of participants. The center of the gymn is almost full.
Oh! I love their costumes or their props. They look so unique among many others. But look at that one child, he/she chose to watch his team mates dancing.
Oh this children looks so cute in their attire. I love their costumes too and I like the color combination.
These groups for sure their teacher or parents don't want to spend more money on their costume as they are just wearing their PE attire. This is a budget friendly costume.
I love the courage of the parents and teacher of these children. I love how they convinced them to dance even they were so few. This is a good attitude because the teacher didn't think to win but at least to participate. I saw their teacher how they encourage these children to dance well.
Announcement of winners
During announcement of winners only few parents were there waiting for the result except all teachers are still there.
I chose to stay and waited for the result and waiting is worth it as our team is the champion.
These children got the second place. They came from our Barangay too and they were the champion during the Barangay level competition. Most parents in our team can't accept the result. They said we won in two judges but the other judge is a friend of the trainor of the team who won. They really rant because they can't accept the result as they were expecting we are the champion.
Parents said that we will see them again during the Municipal competition. We were shock as they were called to be the second placer.
I am not sure if this team got the first place as I can't memorize where they came from but we think they won because they have a good performance too and look at their costume, they were so sexy. We call them little darna.
This is our team who is the champion. As the host announced our cluster is the champion, we were so happy and parents were dancing because of happiness. They said that yes this is it and indeed we are the champion.
Sometimes we can't accept that we loss because of many reason but sometimes truth will prevail and we will be satisfied with the result.