Students showcase talents

A group of children enrolled in the TARGET day care program conducted through New Generation day care and Preschool perform the Get Funky line dance for a small audience during the TARGET Talent Show on Friday morning. -Rayman Silvers/Herald-Tribune

A group of talented children in Fort Scott took to the stage on Friday.

The parents of school-aged children who are enrolled in New Generation's Totally Awesome Radically Groovy Elementary Team day care program attended a special TARGET Talent show Friday morning.

According to TARGET director Angie Simon, the talent show was "child created, child produced and child directed."

Simon said she usually allows the children to help plan the activities TARGET does throughout the summer. This year, when the children suggested having a talent show, Simon thought it would be a nice activity for the youth to do for each other. However, the children had bigger ideas.

"We let the children help plan the summer," she said. "When they said they wanted to have a talent show, I thought it would be just for us. They took it and ran with it. They wanted to invite their parents and families ... I drew the line at selling tickets and concessions."

The children planned and practiced for the talent show for several weeks, Simon said and were excited to conduct the show for their parents.

The TARGET group also invited the children from another day care in Fort Scott to attend the performance.

New Generation day care and Preschool Director Amy Boyd said she really enjoyed watching the program.

"I'm so proud of these kids for getting up in front of people in public," she said. "It was fun. I really enjoyed it."

According to Simon, the TARGET program was created specifically with children in mind.

"TARGET was founded on the principle of keeping kids active during the summer, and keeping their brains and bodies engaged, so they're ready to go back to school when it starts," Simon said.

"It is designed more like a summer camp than a day care program."

According to printed information, the children in TARGET have been able to spend time doing various activities this summer such as swimming, going to the library, watching movies, making arts and crafts, attending the 4-H One Day camp, going to vacation Bible school, playing at the park, cooking and learning about nutrition.

Also at the talent show, Simon presented each child with a special certificate for his or her performance.

The certificates, Simon told parents, are titled "The First Annual TARGET Talent Show" because the children had such a good time preparing for their performances that the program will conduct the talent show again next year.