Mr Monsoon Narrative

The snow had all but melted away and the smell of spring filled the air. Just a few months of school were left; it was my eighth grade year. Much preparation and months of work had been done to get ready for the last dance of the year. It was the last dance of our middle school career and the excitement was building.

The production process for “The Audition” was unlike any other show I’ve been a part of. The scenes were rehearsed and broken up into sections that were often blocked out of order, and other elements of the show like the dancing and singing, also started out as separate entities from the rest of the show. This came with multiple challenges, but many of them worked themselves out in the end. The dance and choreography was especially exciting for me, because it is something I enjoy and have a talent for. That being said, there were still challenges that came along with it. I had to learn how to teach dance to people who have never set foot inside a dance studio which is no easy task. Luckily, the more

I had to get that audition, if I did I was in. Honor band always had at least one kid from our band in each section. All I had to do was get past Mr. Higgens. I had been stressing that whole week and now it was time. This year the clarinets would go before the saxophones. After everyone had played was when the audition sheets would be handed out. The clarinets played and it was clear who would be given a sheet and who would not. Then it was time for the saxophones, first chair went first as always, that meant I had less time to freak out. Before I knew it, it was my turn. I was just as nervous as I was last year, yes, I had improved but I still had an immense amount of self doubt. I pushed everything out of my mind and began. I got through smoothly, but of course it was hard to determine if I had done well since I was hard on myself. The rest of the saxophones played through and we all waited as our conductor jotted down notes. He picked up the honor sheets and began to pass them out. Only a couple of the clarinets were handed a sheet, he then turned to the saxophone section. He passed one to first chair, then there was a second in between that I swear lasted for hours, my heart seemed to drop but also was under attack at the same time. My mind went to chaos. “This is silly, I'm in sixth grade and stressing out over this?” “ Life will go on if I don't get it.” “ But if I don't I'll always remember.” “This stupid piece of

I was the only one who was fearful for what was about to happen because the humiliation of being unprepared to perform in front of the whole school left me with a sense of angst. Color guard was just called up to perform and as the music started, cheers were ringing through the gym. Everyone seemed excited for the performance, yet I remember everything going in slow motion: students yelling, teachers clapping, and yet my girls looked clueless. This was the moment I was dreading since before the school year started.

The next day was my first rehearsal. I was so anxious about meeting the people who would be part of my court. I am not an extroverted person, so the thought that I had to socialize with people who I did not know made me really nervous. I was also really anxious because it was the day that I was going to give the announcement of what they were going be wearing. The girls would be wearing long silver dresses and the guys would be wearing tuxes with pink accents. When I gave them this information Moises said, “Silver?!” and let me say that it was not really encouraging.

Suddenly My mom started to finally understand how nervous I was about this it was like a light bulb was on top of her head and it had just turned on. Then she explained how it won’t be as scary because I would be practicing everything with my dance teacher Mrs.Dawnell. Also, she told me that I would get to practice with my friends, But she also told me that we would have to practice doing our interviews. I was even more scared of that even though it was just going to be practice. I can’t even imagine what i’m going to feel when i’m in interviews with the judges.

In sashays Miss America, her arms laden with golden roses, her tiara tilted ever so slightly in a cluster of diamonds. A luminous yellow gown was perfectly draped over her tall figure. Smooth and silky fabric fell perfectly into a puddle behind her on the floor except for the couple inches of fabric that appeared to be bunched together, out of place, and now tucked into the side of her nude coloured tights. She stood on the glossy wooden stage with a smile that was radiating happiness into the audience. Frowning contestants lined the back of the stage, each and every one having a look of envy in their eyes. As all the judges stand up to applaud Miss America a tall, handsome man in a tuxedo enters the stage also clapping, congratulating the

there was so many people out there seating in their seats clapping cheering it was amazing. When we start dancing there where so much enthusiasm going through my body I felt exuberant! The stage lights on was perfect with music and the people in their seats cheering, clapping, and really, enjoying themselves and I loved every minute of it. It made me feel special that I was part of something great. Finally, my dream came true to dance and to dance in front of a lot of people and I knew right there that this was not going be my last performance. After we were done, my group and I told each other how much we were proud of each other. Then later we all meet up with our parents and went home with smiles on are faces because it was the best moment of my

All the volunteers and staff members were just being themselves. That is exactly what you must do at something like this, just let yourself go. Absolutely no one there will judge you for your poor dance moves unlike any typical prom. Just have fun! Throughout the prom, I began to get to know some of the kids and had absolutely the best time. It was through a physical form of communication, dancing, that we could best understand these kids. Verbal communication isn’t always the solution and that is what the staff taught us. One instance that made me proud to be volunteering with Young Life was when one of the high schoolers got upset that his girlfriend danced with someone else. I began to see signs of him being upset and watched as he talked on the phone and sprinted out of the room. I was the only person who saw so I had to run after him. When I ran outside I luckily saw multiple staff members and I alerted them that I needed help. They were so well equipped to handle situations like that and kept something bad from happening. I had a similar situation happen through another volunteer program, where an upset kid ran out on me and escaped from the building where no one was around. I could not get him under control and frantically looked for help as he continued to try and run away. I had to bear hug him to keep from running into the street, something that was very scary for me given he was a full-grown man. It was

I remember not being very confident at all, because I did not know what to expect. We went and bought a dress, shoes, and then got my hair and makeup done. I had practiced walking for weeks before this beauty walk, and so when I got on stage, I wasn’t nervous. I smiled, walked as slowly as possible, and made sure I kept eye contact with the judges. When we were called back out on stage for top 10, which is when I became extremely nervous, I did not think my name would be called, but it was! I had to go on stage and walk again, and this time my nerves took over. I finally got off stage and went backstage to relax for a minute. When we were called back out, it was time to announce the top 5, and the winner. While I stood there waiting, they starting calling 4th. 3rd, 2nd, and 1st runner up and I never heard my name, so I had lost all hope. I will never forget what happened next, the announcer said and the Miss Duncanville for this year is… Kalee Jones! I was shocked I did not move from where I was standing for a

My heart was pounding in my ears and a part of my mind wondered if everyone else could hear it in the dead silence of the ballroom. I stood in the middle of the stage with every light beaming down and every eye in the room was on me as I stood in the top two on the Miss Teen USA stage. I was sure the cameras were catching everything. All of my hard work and dedication were paying off in this moment. I stood there clutching Miss California Teen’s hand as she tightly clutched mine. I had dreamed about this moment, like so many little girls but I never expected it to really happen. Strangely, I had more sense of peace than nervousness or fear. I knew my life was about to change. My heart dropped as the emcees screamed my name as the winner. The beautiful crown was placed on my head, warm tears ran

At the end of the night, ask the audience vote on a student winner, a teacher winner. Give the winner a trophy to keep until the following year’s show, and recognize the school where the winner attends. Everyone will leave brainstorming about what their next performance should be and how they can win that coveted trophy.

The practice for this special night happened during school and to be honest I was very worried about going up and walking in front of hundreds of people. Im grateful that we practiced beforehand because it made it harder for me to get nervous so I could enjoy the night. When we would go line up for us to walk in I got paired with one of my friends so

Something just felt wrong. I was so nervous, but I didn’t have much time to think, because my name was suddenly being called up on stage. I took a bow, and then I was off. I started off well and settled into the music, until I played a wrong note. And then another. I panicked, and just stopped. I tried to remember where I was in the song, but I couldn’t, so I went back to the beginning, and messed up again. The moment when I got up from my bench, I was unbelievably embarrassed. I didn’t want to look at anyone. I didn’t want to see my piano teacher or anyone else in the audience. I just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.

My heart was pounding, the ballroom was silent and there I was standing in the top two on the Miss Teen USA stage. All of my hard work and dedication had paid off in that moment. As I was standing there hand in hand with Miss California Teen, I felt like I had been there before. I had dreamed about this moment but never expected it to really happen. Strangely, I had a sense of peace – I knew something big was about to happen, and that my life was about to change. The crown was placed on my head, tears ran down my face, and I took my first walk as Miss Teen USA.