Saving Mother Earth: City School’s Cinderella to go on a world tour

Students and teachers put on musical show for the parents.

KARACHI: The age-old tale of Cinderalla tells the story of how a fairy godmother helps the protagonist in going to the royal ball, but The City School’s Cinderella on Thursday had a new idea. She asked her fairy godmother to take her on a global expedition on which she could meet different inhabitants and make a commitment to save the mother earth. But keeping in mind Cinderella’s love for balls, the fairy godmother ensured that each trip would include one.

This ‘musical expedition’ was arranged by The City School’s Junior B section, Gulshan-e-Iqbal at the ZVMG Rangoonwala Auditorium. Almost 300 students of grade I and II performed a multitude of characters in vivid costumes for hours. The auditorium was spruced up with music and disco lights to set the tone for the show.

The faculty wore pink and mauve outfits and mingled with the parents, mostly of the children performing in the show.

“After a month of arduous planning and preparation, it is time to show the parents that the school is putting in all efforts to groom the children in unique ways,” said Muniza Waseem, who has been with the school chain for 16 years. Waseem is the regional academic coordinator of The City Schools and headmistress of the Gulshan-e-Iqbal branch. Her efforts, which she credited to her colleagues at the branch, were evident in the confidence displayed by the students during the acts and the standing ovations by the parents from time to time.

“In these presentations, we have incorporated the thematic units of general knowledge, and life of animals and plants, which the children study at school,” said Waseem. “Such shows do not only entertain, but can also be a source of spreading knowledge and information.”

Of all the presentations, performances on the Las Ketchup’s The Ketchup Song and Shakira’s Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) received an overwhelming response from the audience.

Khurram Malik, father of a grade II student Raviha, was all praise for the faculty’s efforts. “Teachers have put in a lot of effort to make it exceedingly better than last year’s event and the teachers’ coordination with students appeared exemplary.”

It is great to have a place where your children have a family-like feeling at their school, said Shabnam Imtiaz, whose son Fawad was one of the participants who went to Africa with Cinderella.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16^th, 2012.