at Pleasant Acre Day School discover ‘whole new world’

By

Kerry Whipple

The Natchez Democrat

Dressed in colorful costumes from many different counties, students at Pleasant Acre Day School are discovering a &uot;whole new world.&uot;

But they discover a whole new world every year, when they visit the Gulf Coast for the annual Mississippi Arts Fair, at which they perform a musical program.

This year each student represents a different country, dressed in costumes that include a Mexican sombrero, Japanese kimono and even the Queen of England’s crown.

The students will perform the program three times at the Arts Fair, which attracts hundreds of physically and mentally challenged students every year.

During a practice performance Thursday, students wait patiently for teacher Mary Ann Foggo-Eidt to give them their cues. As the music plays, her gestures help them remember what to do throughout the program.

Foggo-Eidt has been teaching at Pleasant Acre for more than 40 years, since many of the students were just children. They have grown together, though the students have grown at a slower pace, still caught in their childlike ways.

Still, year after year, Foggo-Eidt has seen her students change, particularly as they learn life skills on their annual trip to the coast.

&uot;The first year they went (in 1990) a lot of them had never been away from home before,&uot; Foggo-Eidt said. &uot;They had to deal with homesickness. They’ve conquered that.&uot;

In addition to simply being away from home, the students learn how to interact with the public.

&uot;We eat out three times a day,&uot; she said. &uot;They learn to handle themselves in a restaurant. These are all learning skills they have acquired.&uot;

And they learn to share with each other.

&uot;It’s a give and take thing,&uot; Foggo-Eidt said. &uot;They’re together for five days; they eat together, sleep together, perform together. They learn to give and take. At home they are the center &045;&045; (on the trip) they learn to be part of a group.&uot;

Performing itself has also helped the &uot;boys and girls,&uot; as Foggo-Eidt calls them.

&uot;They really have learned a lot of self-poise and stage presence,&uot; Foggo-Eidt said.

The students have been performing for many years, even before they began attending the Arts Fair. The first musical performance was for Grace Methodist Church, where the children &045;&045; then still chronologically children &045;&045; said their ABCs and 123s. To this day, they save their first performance for Grace Methodist.

The students have been practicing since January this year. Foggo-Eidt designed the program to match the theme of this year’s Arts Fair, &uot;A Whole New World.&uot;

Their music, recorded for them by radio DJ Rosco &045;&045; a favorite the students all listen to every day &045;&045; includes &uot;Coming to America&uot; and &uot;God Bless the USA&uot; as well as &uot;A Whole New World.&uot;

To attend the Arts Fair, however, the students need funding from the community to pay for the trip.