Schools
Five High School Students to Perform in Philadelphia's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Watch the parade starting at 8:30 a.m. Thursday to see the Ocean City students perform.
On Thursday morning, while most high school students are enjoying the day off in their pajamas or getting ready to attend the Thanksgiving Day football game, Jason Shirk, Hadly Patterson, Morgan Perry, Rachel Heist and Shannon Wallace will be performing on the streets of Philadelphia.
The five students will join 115 other students from more than 25 schools to perform a three-minute "Salute to Broadway" during the Philadelphia 6 ABC/Dunkin Donuts Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Michael Hartman of the coordinated and choreographed the group called Center Stage, in which students will sing, dance and act.
Find out what's happening in Ocean Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Center Stage features students from schools across the Delaware Valley. Hartman returns to the parade for the third year, but this is his first time overseeing a whole segment. The act will feature songs from Kiss Me Kate, A Chorus Line and 42nd Street.
“It's crazy seeing all the kids from all over the area come together and make a huge number like this work in such little time. That's probably the coolest part. The number is very dependent on timing and cohesiveness, and it's really cool when it all comes together,” said Jason Shirk, a junior at Ocean City High School.
Find out what's happening in Ocean Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Last Saturday, the high school ended its performances of You Can’t Take It With You on Saturday, followed by a cast party in the evening. Shirk, Perry and Heist committed to waking up on Sunday morning for one of the two rehearsals that the parade would have. The experience will help them not only on their resume, but in future opportunities.
“I hope the students create a lifelong memory. This is something they will always look back on and think, 'Wow, I performed in that parade.' I could see in future years the students sitting around the Thanksgiving table saying, ‘Remember the time I performed in that parade?’ ” Hartman said.
For all of the students, this is the first time they have been in a big parade. Most of the students agree that not many people have the chance to perform at something like the parade and it is a priceless opportunity.
“Mike is a great guy, we love working with him and helping him out. It's certainly never boring. This is the first time I've ever done something like this, and I am so excited. How many chances will you get to be on TV?” Perry asked.
The Philadelphia 6 ABC/Dunkin Donuts Thanksgiving Day Parade airs on ABC at 8:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning.
