Top Students Get Musical Reward

After every seven-week grading period, top students at Lawrence Middle School are rewarded with an invitation to a performance in the school’s auditorium.

Students have been entertained with talent shows and laser demonstrations as well as dance performances.

But never a concert with professional singers--until Wednesday, that is.

As part of an organization called Earth Jam that promotes environmental awareness among youth, three young singers performed for about 800 Lawrence students Wednesday morning.

The show opened with an interactive game show covering ecological issues.

Then the house rocked. Students danced, clapped and sang along. They also cheered loudly between songs.

First on stage was Angela Via, 18, whose single “Catch Me If You Can” was featured in “Pokemon: The First Movie.”

After a brief break, a female duo from Norway, M2M, took the stage. The girls, 15-year-old Marion Rayven and 16-year-old Marit Larsen, opened with their top 10 single “Don’t Say You Love Me,” also featured on the Pokemon soundtrack.

“I’ve been to all the performances this year and this is one of the best,” said eighth-grader Angela Quater, 13. “This is really good music.”

Assistant Principal Brenda Winter said the performances, part of the school’s recognition program, inspire students to continue doing well.

“Only the kids with no unsatisfactory remarks on their report cards attend,” she said. “They all have outstanding and satisfactory remarks, and we want to keep it that way. They think it’s great.”