The second thing I get to cross off my list before I graduate is producing an assembly for the school. I’ve been planning and working on this assembly since September at least. It’s a process that I don’t think anyone would be interested in, but there is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into the final product the rest of Fossil Ridge High School sees.
A big reason I wanted to produce an assembly before I graduated was that producing is something I want to possibly follow as a career path. Last year, watching Colby Ripsam produce the Opening Assembly and Rafael Souza produce homecoming inspired me. They put their hearts into the work they did, and seeing that love and dedication pushed me to want to do something similar. With it being my senior year, and there not being an opening assembly, I had to fight a little bit for the position. Homecoming assembly is usually the biggest, most flashy assembly that we put on in the year. That knowledge made me excited at the prospect of being able to put on a show for the school.
To put in layman’s terms what a producer does, I typically oversee organizing people, times and setup scheduling. Honestly, it is a pretty fun experience, but it is also very tiring and stressful. People are not always predictable, and that becomes even more true when you are working with students just learning what the expectations for assembly participation are.
Thursday, October 20, during fifth period and the start of lunch, students involved in Student Council and Ridge TV began setting up for the assembly. One of the first things we did was place staging, while a staffer for Sound of the Rockies, a company we hire to rent equipment and DJ the dance, used the lift to hang drapery. Everyone involved in setting up for the assembly was on a time crunch- a full run through was scheduled for 7:00 PM that evening.
Most people don’t realize the amount of time that it takes to set up the gear and test it then fix any issues we may have. A big factor in making this year a little more difficult was that about five students, two of which were leadership, were on a field trip to Denver and didn’t get to Fossil until 3:30 PM.
Around 10:00 PM most production assistants and ge
neral crew members were sent home to get sleep, I set crew call- when the crew needs to show up for the next day- for 5:30. Leadership, anyone who played a major role setting up equipment or during the assembly, stayed behind to problem solve technical issues and finalize setup.
Everyone was sent home about midnight by Brendan Gallagher, the Ridge TV teacher. A few people, myself included stayed until about 12:30 AM to make sure everyone else had rides, and that the gym was in shape for final touches before the real rush began.
Four hours later, I was back at the school. At approximately 4:40, I met with Mr. Gallagher at the doors to the big gym. Shortly after getting back into the school, other leadership students began to arrive for their 5:00 AM call time. From 5:00 to 5:30 leaders started to get cameras started up, and gave me lists of anything else that needed to be done before we could be ready for the assembly.
During the assembly, my job is significantly easier, in the sense that I just listen on radios for any problems that may arise. If there is a situation where I’m needed, one of my associate producers or my ninja (a person shadowing to learn more about a position) will usually take care of it.
This was probably the last assembly that I will work on. Seniors aren’t allowed to be on crew for the People’s Choice Assembly at the end of the year. There is no way I can deny that there were tears for me watching everything come together, seeing the crowd respond so positively to every performance was something I won’t forget soon.
