Student Showcase At A Kansas City, Missouri School District Fundraiser And Awards Dinner: An Affair Of The Arts

Last night's "Affair of the Arts" showcase featuring Kansas City, Missouri School District (KCMSD) students at the Marriott, Muehlebach Tower seemed to be an overwhelming success.

I did my best to lurk through the crowd and noticed corporate sponsorship from just about every big name company in Kansas City.



The Muehlebach Ballroom was filled with some of the most important people in Kansas City. I did my best to hold my breath.



School Board Member Kyleen Carroll is seen here schmoozing with the crowd and I would be remiss if I didn't note the upbeat nature of the gathering.



The KCMSD students attending the event were the best of the best -- Like these ROTC students from across The District. School Board Prez Airick L. West calls these kids "scholars" and at this event the terminology seemed appropriate to describe all the young people in the audience.



School Board Member Joseph Jackson is seen here with School Board Prez West . . . And if you look closely they're trying really hard not to smile give away their overwhelming joy.

Why?

Because they had this crowd fooled.

It was impossible not to see the students and their work on display last night and not feel some measure of hope for the KCMSD. The performances were intelligent, thoughtful, original and even masterful at times.

But, tragically, these scholars aren't representative of what's going on in the District.

The KCMSD Event Was Simply An Exercise In Propaganda.

With the exception of a well deserved honor given to Rosa James . . . Last night's awards were nothing but political payback to powerful people.

Former Missouri State Senator Yvonne Wilson took home a prize because she stood in the way of a State Takeover.

West paid tribute to KC Chamber and banking bigwig Peter J. deSilva for his support.

I'm pretty sure it was KCP&L honcho Michael Chesser (or some facsimile thereof) at the event in between his attempts to raise power rates on fixed income grandmothers throughout the area.

Basically . . .

SCHOOL BOARD PREZ AIRICK WEST TOUTED KCMSD "RIGHTSIZING" WITHOUT EVEN A WHISPER OF THE VIOLENCE AND ARSON AT SOUTHWEST THAT HAS BEEN A RESULT OF THE DECISION!!!

A very nice lady offered me a free meal but I didn't want to eat with lawyers and other Kansas City business and political pukes who live to pat themselves on the back while this town's greatest school system FAIL continues to circle the toilet bowl of history.

It was sort of a melancholy evening because the "scholars" working as entertainment and/or props obviously have more talent and potential than I ever did. Meanwhile, the Kansas City power brokers obviously felt even taller and more self-confident as they stood on the shoulders of these students in order to power their own sense of self-satisfaction . . . And I'm pretty sure most of them don't live in The District and don't have kids attending the KCMSD.

Still, at the very least . . . The music was nice. Check a few short clips I've compiled featuring the very best the KCMSD has to offer; they really are impressive:



The last performance in the clip was by The Lincoln College Preparatory Academy Wind Ensemble. In two days these talented KCMSD scholars will be traveling to China to perform. It's certainly a once in a lifetime experience that will take them far away from Kansas City and the rest of the KCMSD that remains mired in violence, arson, low test scores and teacher-union-busting despite just a few bright spots on display for Kansas City's upper-class last night.