Scene & Heard - Feeling Great: Children's School gala goes to the heart

What you are about to read is a Scene & Heard column in the truest sense of two words: "seen" and "heard." On Thursday night, after four days in bed with a variety of unsavory symptoms, I revived. I drove across town to the campus of UNC School of the Arts to celebrate, from a safe distance, with The Special Children's School.

From the back row, I saw and heard the performance of The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Afterward, I walked down the hill to the reception in the Eisenberg Social Hall and saw and heard from some of the folks who took part in the night.

When I arrived, Bill Donohue, the executive director of the children's school, tried to greet me. I warned him off. From about 10 feet away, I was introduced to Cameron Gregg, Nick Stauffer and Maria Oglesby, and UNCSA high-school drama students who served as "parking directors." I didn't see any parking going on, but they did a great job as greeters, welcoming about 300 guests to the show. And when the students hit the stage with the rest of the cast, they all became the "stars" that Donohue billed them as.

In March, when Donohue first approached me about attending the celebration to honor the school's volunteers and donors, he promised it would be a "feel-good event." He certainly delivered on that promise. I've felt better ever since.

Students from children's school, UNCSA and the Easton Elementary School's West African Drumming Ensemble -- led by Colin Tribby, the music director -- performed the story of a tree's unconditional love for a little boy. It was the perfect choice to illustrate the giving that sustains the school.

"The performance is to celebrate and honor our volunteers and the metaphor of unconditional love is written all over the place," Donohue said. "The reception is our chance to extend the gratitude to so many who help us serve children with special needs."

In 1973, 11 churches joined to form a ministry that would serve children with moderate, severe and profound disabilities. The Northwest Ministry Developmental Day Services became The Special Children's School, which now serves 124 children from birth to 5 years old. The school, on Shattalon Drive, also serves 40 typically developing children.

Before the show, Kelly Maxner, the director of the high-school drama department at UNCSA, welcomed the students, volunteers, donors and guests to campus. "Tonight is a gift to you for giving to us," he said. He thanked the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation for the grant that financed the project and the estate of Shel Silverstein for allowing the use of the copyright work.

The performance started with "Waitin' For the Light to Shine" from Big River by Roger Miller, performed by the UNCSA High School Drama Ensemble, directed by Greg Walter. Students also read poems of celebration.

Before the main drama, Toni Reed, the school's volunteer coordinator, thanked the audience, calling the school "an unbelievable place." She said that during any given week 100 volunteers work at the school. She made special mention of HOPE, a group of volunteers from Wake Forest University.

In his welcoming remarks, Donohue thanked Don Martin, the superintendent of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools; Sam Dempsey, the school system's division director for exceptional children programs; Toni Bigham, an assistant superintendent in the school system; and Susan Frye, the principal of the children's school.

Donohue recognized the United Way; Betty Taylor, the chief executive of CenterPoint Human Services; and Terry Clark, the chairman of the children's school's board. He also thanked Mrs. Pumpkins Bakery and Delicatessen and the Piedmont Down Syndrome Support Network for sponsoring the reception.

And then the show started with the line, "Once there was a tree, and she loved a little boy."

For me, the highlight was the point when the forest animals erupted from the front rows of the audience to join the Giving Tree on stage. Rabbits, butterflies, dragonflies and other costumed critters were played by Daisy French, Madison Holman, Finn Hutchins, Meredith Warren, Jaden McCrimmon, Lindsey Reitz and Chanyce Hildebrandt.

Clearly, the apples stole the show. The youngest students at the school, dressed in red caps and capes and carried on stage by the Giving Tree actors, included Rachel Warren, Malcolm Egan, Brodie Douglass, Jaida Burnette and Leighton McDaniel.

Unfortunately, I think most of the apples went home to bed after the show. I didn't see any at the reception.

Keeping a safe distance, I did overhear several conversations.

Ralph Pedersen, the president-elect of the board, said he has been associated with the school since 2002. When he was looking for a way to give back to the community, he said, he chose the school because of his own personal experience. He has a granddaughter with special needs. "This has been an incredible education for me," he said. "Having the typical and the special-needs children together is a wonderful opportunity for everybody."

Pia Haizlip, the mother of little dragonfly Chanyce Hildebrandt, said that her typically developing 3-year-old daughter has been a student at the school since she was born. Haizlip has worked at the school for more than seven years and is a teacher's assistant in the Explorer's Class. I heard her call the school "a blessing" and say that Chanyce is learning to be "friends with everybody."

It was hard not to get close to the adorable bunny rabbit, Isabel Garcia, 3. She enjoyed the reception with her parents, Cara and Eddie Garcia. They said she had been a little timid during rehearsals, even leaving the stage during one or two. But she did well Thursday night. They called the school "awesome."

Fola Afolayan, an UNCSA student, said she had lots of fun working with the children. "You didn't know what to expect," she said. "Their energy really beat our energy," Cameron Gregg said.

And all that combined energy proved to be a great tonic for what ailed me.

■ Have a social or charity activity that you would like Scene & Heard to share with Journal readers? E-mail features@wsjournal.com and type "Scene" in the subject line or call 727-7339. You may contact Leigh Somerville McMillan directly by e-mail at leigh@studiomcmillan.com.