Vienna Grade School competed last week at the National Junior Beta Convention in Mobile, Alabama. Students from VGS competed in several arts and crafts categories, quiz bowl, living literature and group talent.
Vienna Grade School was awarded third place for Adrienne Bullock’s pen, pencil, and ink sketch. They also took third place in t-shirt design, also drawn by Adrienne Bullock.
For the second year in a row, the school was crowned national champion in the living literature category.
Living literature is a very difficult, highly competitive competition involving the creation of a scene from a work of literature in a 10×12 foot space.
After building and painting the scene for months, it is taken apart and packed into a trailer for transport to the competition. Students then have 30 minutes to “rebuild” the scene.
Students then pose in the scene like “wax museum” characters.
The scenery and costumes are judged, but the biggest challenge is the student’s pose.
They are judged on how difficult the pose and facial expressions are as well as how still they stay.
For the first time, VGS also took first in the group talent competition.
The students painted a breathtaking six-minute mural while soloists Hannah Loyd and Abby Montgomery sang a mash-up of “Colors of the Wind” and “True Colors.”
Some students were responsible for rolling on the base colors while others made sure to hold the boards still until it was time to move the four panels into place, creating a finished mural.
Eight girls – Remi Fisher, Lakin Reed, Adrienne Bullock, Tia McLaughlin, McKenzie Smith, Sydney Charles, soloists Hannah Loyd and Abby Montgomery painted the details of the mural.
Other students involved were Lily Greer, Jessica Wampler, Nolan Dahncke, John Bremer, Tim Conley, Rian Shaneyfelt, Sam Hirsch, Joseph Kossack, and Steven Eldridge.
Competing against much larger schools, some with over 100 students on stage, Vienna Grade School’s 17 students out-shined them all, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd of 5000 people. The attached photo is this last few seconds of the performance as the girls add the last few touches to the painting.