Superstars 2008 - the history in the making

On Friday the 29th of February at the City Hall for the first time in the history of Ashton Secondary on such a scale the Superstars talent competition was held. This event is significant not only as a financial success, but even more in terms of the full-out support of the Ashton community where it exceeded all our expectations.



Professionalism is what makes this competition different from anything else. It was skillfully organised: from people involved to venue and equipment used, everything bears a stamp of thorough preparation.



The three judges, Michelle Jacobs (teacher, H. Venter Primary), Polinda Braaf (Ashton Municpal Offices) and I (a complicated Russian surname ;), are all in possession of extensive prior musical training. Quality was our motto in selecting the winners, not at all an easy task, since most of the 15 participants showed passion and determination amplified by enormous musical talent.



Marinda Beukes (teacher, H. Venter Primary) is another music professional without whom the evening would have been impossible. She volunteered to be the choir director for Ashton Secondary with their first performance to take place during Monday Assembly on the 3d of March. As the Master of Ceremony she was our star. Inspiring the audience with her singing, improvised rapping and lots of jokes up her sleeve, she would have won the competition herself if we had been able to break the rules ;)

All the guests and teachers who volunteered to contribute their time and equipment to the success of the Superstars competition did it out of love for the community and our children, having asked no fee whatsoever for their charitable services; and our live music band was no exception.



Mervin Plaatjies (SAPS Ashton) played 1st keyboard. Sacrificing his time, he kindly came through to the school for a couple of days before the competition for rehearsals to make sure everything ran smoothly. He has 10 years music experience, and his deep love for the Lord also made him part of the Ashton United Reformed Church (VGK) Worship team.



Samuel Daniël Jansen (wages assistant, Unipack) , or Dannie as everybody knows him, was in charge of the sound system and played the bass guitar. This specific talent runs in their family so much that he inherited it and learned music from his mother. "To play music is a gift from God," says Samuel. He also wants to encourage us, adding, "Serve the Lord with all you've got inside you."



Ady Thompson (fork-lifter driver, Langeberg Tigerbrands) was playing the drums for the Superstars. He has been a percussionist for a whopping 34 years! He is sure that his musical talent comes from God, saying, "I am glad about the gift I got from the Lord. We need God in Ashton. Look for Him. Stay with him, and you won't go wrong."

Felix Soldaat (production line, Langeberg Tigerbrands) was also part of the band. With no formal music training, he gained his experience by playing for the church. He says, "You must believe in yourself, no matter what other people say, in order to achieve something in life. If that's in place, you can rise above your circumstances. And that's what we've seen tonight."

Besides A. Thompson we have already mentioned, the parent component of the School Governing Body was represented by J. Andries and J. Buys, who helped a lot. Sharon de Koker, mother of Lauren Cupido (10A) made the presents for the judges. At the same time, Carol-Ann Lemmetjies, Vinonia van Rooi and Elrina Plaatjies were the learners that played a big role as event support staff.

Our special thanks goes out to the following teachers of Ashton Secondary and their families for support of the Superstars: Samuel Murtz (as voting operator), Desmond Buis (as photographer and equipment donor), J. Niemand (though absent from the event, as donor of a gift pack), Margaret Willemse (as main event organiser and prize sponsor - R300), Peter Buis (as coordinator and prize sponsor - R400).



A good deal of innovation marks this year's Superstars competition. We successfully pioneered the so-called "sms"-voting system designed by me that practically gives the power to the audience to vote for their favourites. This effectively means that the judges do not have a complete freedom to appoint winners, and the people just loved it! (More on this in the competition analysis article.)



As Samuel Murtz put it, "I did not even have time to enjoy the concert after everybody started voting. It felt like a was in the middle of a storm."



The funds raised amount to R2504,00 (gate), R963,70 (retail), R2470,80 (voting) - with a total of R5938,50.



Congratulations to all the participants as well as the winners Sebastian Pietersen & Ashwin Simpson (1st place), Jowayne Jaftha (2nd), Anneli Freeman (3d).

And, yeah, one more time, Ashton community, thanks for your support. We're looking forward to more events like this with you on our side.



You rock!!!


YK