Everyone needs to feel like a rock star once in a while.

For me, the moments come several times between August and May and the entire fan base is always under the age of 10.

Tuesday, all I had to do was walk through the elementary school cafeteria at Trinity Episcopal Day School where several kids who know me from church were munching.

Arms shoot up in the air, mouths hang open and name squealing soon follows.

It&8217;s just plain special for children to see someone from the outside world in their school.

The public schools beg for community and parental involvement; the private schools simply ask and usually receive. But the kids at both schools are the same &8212; they love attention.

I&8217;ve demoted myself from fourth-grade at McLaurin Elementary last year to kindergarten at Trinity and first-grade at Vidalia Lower this year.

The math lessons are easier and the hugs are more forthcoming.

And as recess with Nancy Harveston&8217;s class Tuesday showed me &8212; everything is more active.

While the fourth-grade teachers over at McLaurin were surely sitting under the shade tree keeping a watchful eye, Mrs. Harveston spent her recess pushing a merry-go-round loaded with nearly 20 5- and 6-year-olds.

I got a workout at the swing set, pushing two at a time, &8220;higher and higher.&8221;

And the playground lessons are truly the fundamentals of life. It&8217;s not funny when a friend trips. It&8217;s not OK to push someone down. The definition of sharing isn&8217;t snatching what you want when you want it.

They are so young, so precious and such a blank slate. What mom and dad have started at home, Mrs. Harveston will polish at school. Lessons learned at home don&8217;t necessarily take until tested by classmates in the real world of kindergarten.

Kindergarten seems happier. By this time last year, the fourth-graders had clicks, friends and enemies. But the whole crew at Trinity was ready to hop on a merry-go-round and sit shoulder-to-shoulder in a heartbeat Tuesday. I&8217;m sure they pick fights with each other, but grudges are forgotten much more quickly.

Trinity has two kindergarten classes of 12 each. The teachers don&8217;t have classroom assistants, but they do work closely with each other. Their rooms connect and lunch, recess and water breaks are all done together.

I got there in time for lunch and recess &8212; the best part of any day &8212; Tuesday. They were already hyped up from attending the junior high pep rally, where cheerleaders threw out mini-footballs (courtesy of The Natchez Democrat, mind you).

Five minutes on the playground and you can pick out the future quarterback (the best arm was one of a girl) and the future head cheerleader (yes, another girl).

Trinity has had a neat program in place for several years that assigns a big brother or big sister from the high school to the new kindergartners. The students spend time with their &8220;older sibling&8221; throughout the year and get a glimpse at what life will be like in the coming years.

The students said they spent time with their high school counterparts Tuesday morning, and were still treasuring the memories by late afternoon.

Much like seeing a visitor from the outside, the special attention of a high school student can be enough to make a kindergartner&8217;s day.

So, if you ever want your rock star moment in the lights, head on over to a local school, build a few relationships and see what happens. It&8217;s well worth your time.

And there&8217;s no better stress reliever than pushing a half dozen kids &8220;higher and higher&8221; in the playground swings.

Julie Finley

is the managing editor of The Natchez Democrat. She can be reached at

julie.finley@natchezdemocrat.com

or 601-445-3551.