Annual Spring Invasion

It's nearly spring and it's the time of year when trees are budding and bulbs are peeking up through the dirt and the sounds of 8th graders fill the streets of Ashland.  Wait?  What?  Yes, that's right, you heard me read me right, it's the annual spring invasion of middle school students, brought in by the busload.   

OSF has a strong outreach educational program. The visit to OSF offers the students an opportunity to participate in theater workshops, take a backstage tour and attend a live performance of classic literature.  Okay, that sounded good, right?  Let's face it, a lot of these students are here for a few days of fun and adventure away from home, but I'd like to believe many of the students actually do enjoy the theater experience. Seriously though, I know first hand the OSF field trip experience does have an impact on young lives. Recently, a friend of ours brought his daughter, who is currently a high school junior in the Bay Area, CA, to Ashland for the purpose of touring Southern Oregon University College of Arts and Sciences.  She first came to Ashland as an 8th grader and she's been waiting to come back to visit and hopefully attend the university.  I think that speaks volumes about the Ashland OSF experience!

Here we come, walking down the street, we get the funniest looks from, everyone we meet! Hey! Hey! We're the Monkees, people say we Monkee around!  Oh, no, wait... wrong song.

I must be getting old because I know these are 8th graders, but some of them look as if they should be in college!

 

See the bald guy?  Up front and on the left?  The one who is  not paying attention chaperoning? At least 10 of these kids ducked in to the store and Mr. Chaperon never saw a thing cuz he never looked back.  Do you love the classic hair twirl?

He never did look back to see if his ducks were following... just keep moving forward!