17-year tradition continues February 5 and 6
(ROCKWALL/HEATH, TX – Jan. 28, 2016) The Amy Parks-Heath Elementary School Starlight Singers will honor U.S. veterans and active duty servicemen and women at their 17th Annual USO Show on February 5 and 6.
This year’s show will feature music from the World War II era, which has been a focus of study for the 6th grade students who comprise the Starlight Singers. Current and past members of all five branches of the U.S. military will be represented and honored at the show, including Alice Crosby, who served with the Women’s Army Corps and is scheduled to receive a service dog from the next graduating class of Patriot PAWS. Speakers will include Army veterans Aaron Mixell, who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Serbia, and Jay Springstead, who served in Vietnam.
The February 5 show begins at 7 p.m. and includes dessert from Nothing Bundt Cakes of Rockwall. Tickets are $15 each.
Tickets for the February 6 show include dinner catered by Chiloso Mexican Bistro and are priced at $20 each. Both shows will take place at Cain Middle School, 6620 Farm to Market Road 3097 in Rockwall.
Due to the popularity of the show, advance ticket purchases are recommended. The shows typically draw a crowd of up to 400 guests each night. Tickets can be ordered from Dawn Sanders by e-mail at dawnsanders15@yahoo.com or by phone at 469-583-3774.
The USO Show is the brainchild of Amy Parks-Heath Music Director Jan Stonestreet, who has served the school throughout its 20-year history. Stonestreet has always incorporated patriotism, world awareness, and history in her teaching, and in 1999 she decided to give students an opportunity to put their knowledge and talent to use in a musical production that honors men and women of the U.S. military. In addition to singing and dancing at the shows, students serve food and wait on tables. The classroom experience provides context for the students as they interact with the veterans. This year, each student is required to develop a presentation on a historical figure from World War II and to interview someone who lived during the war. This ensures that a request Stonestreet has heard from many veterans–to tell their stories after they’re gone–is honored.
Stonestreet said that both she and her students come away from each show with a deeper appreciation of what veterans have done to ensure our freedom. In the weeks preceding the event, current military service members and veterans stop by the school to share their stories with the students. “The kids learn more from the veterans than I could ever teach them,” she said.
Submitted by Dawn Whitney, Publicity Co-Chair.
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