Great Performances : Talent Shows Help Students Excel Onstage--and in Life

Foshay Junior High School office assistant Sheila Ferguson saw talent in her students. She also saw that most didn’t have money for singing or dancing lessons, or an outlet for their abilities. So she created a show.

“I saw a lot of kids who were talented, but they didn’t have anyone helping them or giving them direction,” Ferguson says. “Now, we’re using their talents to keep them in school, to tell them to stay away from gangs and drugs.”

Last year, her first show at the central Los Angeles school was such a hit that Ferguson, 54, began organizing weekend singing and dancing workshops in her back yard. She has the help of volunteer teachers and the connections of her son, who is in the music industry. The show also led to “Jamming for Kids’ Sake,” a music video written and directed by the students.

Participation in this year’s March 9 show was open to students across the city, and has kids practicing nights and weekends. “Jamming for Kids’ Sake” participants continue to meet each weekend, and their work will culminate in the talent show performance.

“Sometimes these kids need somebody who really takes time with them,” Ferguson says. “I tell them they have a chance--they idolize the rappers in videos, but I tell them they still have to have an education even if they become famous.”

Antonio Smith, a 15-year-old ninth-grader at Foshay, is one of the many students who enjoy rapping. “I rap about positive things,” he says. His latest is about candy:

Let me start off and tell you I’m a junk-food junkie.

But I’m too smooth and people think I’m a punk, see.

I never go around taking little kids’ candy,

When I’m craving some sweets, Mr. Goodbar comes in handy.

“I appreciate what Mrs. Ferguson does,” says Smith, who hopes to become a professional rapper. “She encourages me, helps me get good grades, helps me have a good attitude and tells me not to give up.”

Fourteen-year-old Jeremy Valenzuela also started rapping last year with Ferguson’s encouragement. He says his involvement in the talent show and “Jamming for Kids’ Sake” has motivated him to do better in school.

“It helps me to bring my grades up,” he says. “I come to school every day and do good so I can practice and be in the talent show.” (Students are required to maintain a C average to participate.)

James Noble, acting assistant principal at Foshay, says the teen-agers’ work in the talent show and in developing their skills has enhanced their self-esteem.

“It’s given kids a more positive self-image,” he says. “They are able to come to school with a feeling that they are a valued part of the community, that they have talents other than academic talents.”

Ferguson hopes to persuade celebrities to visit the “Jamming for Kids’ Sake” kids, to offer hope and to support those who dream of making a living in the performance industry.

But in the meantime, she offers her brand of hope and support.

“I’m on a crusade to save these talented kids and help them structure their lives,” she says. “They have no signed contract with me, just trust, day and night, and the comfort of me as a mother image to them. My sons are grown, and it helps me to know I’m part of these kids’ lives. I love them all.”

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Ferguson’s workshops are ongoing and open to children ages 12 to 18. For additional information, call (213) 735-1241, Ext. 248.

This column tells the stories of the unsung heroes of Southern California, people of all ages and vocations and avocations, whose dedication as volunteers or on the job makes life better for the people they encounter. The column is published every other Monday.