Anthony R., Incarnation Catholic School
Stage Fright Frenzy
The breeze was warm to my face on the scorching summer day. All my friends were nervous and excited. We waited in anticipation to know who we would mentor for the next week. After what felt like hours later the children finally arrived. One by one the children started piling in the room. We were all in expectancy for a great buddy. I caught my name being called. “Anthony, your buddy is William.” I had never met William before so I expected the best and went in with a great attitude.
William was a cheerful child who was full of energy and loved to smile. I revealed what we would be accomplishing that week and he seemed excited for the task ahead of him. During that day we learned songs concerning safety around fires and walking safely on the sidewalks. I also assisted him in memorizing his address. Throughout the next three days we rehearsed our songs for the graduation. William suffered from stage fright so I had him practice saying the songs in front of me.
After three days of practice William was ready. In the audience were fifty parents waiting for the performance. William dreaded going out there. I encouraged and reassured him that he would do great. Now it was time for William to go out with other children onto the stage. It was his time to shine! The first song’s music started playing and William was mesmerized by the crowd of adults. He started crying. This is what we had worked on for a week. I didn’t want all of our hard work wasted. I wanted to help but I didn’t know what to do. Then it hit me- whenever we practiced he always had me next to him singing the songs with him. I darted behind the stage and stood behind William. I comforted him and told him to sing with me. He did it! We finished the rest of the performance flawlessly. I was so proud of him. I helped William overcome stage fright and taught him many safety tips.
I came into this week just to get my service hours but I came out I changed person. I realized that helping William was more than just service hours. It was an opportunity to change a young child’s life. This also made me conclude that I can make a difference in this world. Even though I only helped one child, that is one more child then I helped before. When William would make me smile I would give my best effort to make it a great time for him.