Village Gala Day Drama

Someone who has made a significant contribution to the community? Charity, litter picking etc...

We have a massive Gala day in our village and it’s incredible what people find to complain about so firstly well done for being on the committee in the first place - it’s a thankless job! Ours is a random draw from all P7s who say they want to be considered for a big court role (there’s about 8 big roles) then all others are just in the parade / stage show. I have to say I find the idea of ‘merit’ a bit distasteful in this day and age given it’s essentially then a popularity contest but think your best bet would be open it up to everyone and go with the committee as suggested if random wouldn’t work where you are. Ours is all children in the village but it rare any of the ones not from the school take part.

Don't over complicate things. I work in committee governance and the standard position, where there cannot be agreement, is that the status quo prevails. So stick with what has always happened.

One branch of my family come from a little village where May Day was a huge thing, the big event of the year and people came from the whole area to see it.

In hunting down some photos of my great grandfather (he was on the May Day committee) I found lots of the event itself, from the 1890s/up to WW1. There was always a May Queen (primary aged child) with her attendants. It quickly became obvious that as she always had approx 30+ little girls in this role, all in their best white dresses with flower crowns and sashes, that every single girl of the right age in the village must have been an attendant.

This seemed to me a very lovely way of doing things.

ETA in this crowd of small girls, it is usually pretty much impossible to identify the actual Queen, too!

Haven't RTFT so apologies if others have already suggested but I would keep it as close to current as possible - so it's based on behaviour/attainment, but kids from other schools can also be entered for consideration by asking their teacher to write a short recommendation.

You could create a form for teachers to complete to make it as easy a task as possible for the teacher e.g. 1) a behaviour rating, 2) an attainment/effort rating, 3) something along the lines of: this honour is reserved for those who have shown themselves to be trustworthy, responsible and who work hard in school. On this basis would you recommend this child for consideration for this position? Y/N. 4) if you have anything you would like to add in support of this nomination please write it here.

The child has to give it to their teacher with an envelope (with a stamp) addressed to a member of the committee who will collate all the 'other school' nominations.

Then you have some kind of panel meeting where the village school headteacher presents their recommendations from their school and the committee member presents the 'other' nominations and a decision is made from them all.

Couldn’t think of anything worse than having to read 35 essays

Having sat on several committees in my life, I share your pain! It can often be frustrating and you wonder why you are bothering! Proposed changes are often met with suspicion and the lament, "But we've always done it that way!"

Unless every child who wants to take part in the Gala Day gets a role, it will never be fair and somebody is always going to be disappointed, no matter how the lucky few are selected. Since there is more than one role available, consider having one child chosen from the local school, one to be the winner of an art competition, one name pulled out of the hat and so on. The Gala Queen and other roles could be chosen via a secret vote of the committee and local dignitaries.

Just remember the saying, "You can please some of the people some of the time, but never all of the people all of the time!"

Missing the point completely but I’m intrigued. I live in a “small Scottish village” and in the south west, our primary school is so small it would need that the whole of P7 and probably 1/2 of P6 to make up a Gala Party”😀. We wouldn’t have enough in the population to even have a more than 1 committee with different member on it, this is a a huge event to organise for a “ small” village”. Secondly as far as I’m aware there are no private school in the whole region the only person who I know who send their DC to a private school travels to Carlisle.
Anyway coming back to the OP original post as I’m sure you’re probably becoming increasingly aware village politics are always complicated (particularly in a small village) and IME village committees are dominated by a a few vocal people who sit on every committee and take the view it’s their way or no way and whatever you or anyone else suggests is going to upset someone who’s view will be it’s “not fair” personally I’d just keep with the old system.

All I can say is the essay is batshit and bonkers and exclusive. Plus you can guarantee the essay will be written by a pushy, helicopter and not the child.

I also feel that it shouldn’t be based on excellence, especially not academic excellence or art or sport. What relevance do these things have really outwith what career they might end up with? They’ve nothing to do with the sort of person someone is. Someone who is kind or has shown courage or helped others would be better but I’m not sure how you’d choose. Maybe if a child wants to be put themselves forward they go it a central place, put their name in along with a testimony from someone close to them about something really kind/brave/helpful they’ve done?
I also agree it should be open to all children.

Tell that to.yhw children that can never win. To the dyslexic kids who won't ever win your essay writing contest, for a start.
Tough luck kid, we don't care about you, it's just life. You're not allowed a level playing field.

You said it much better!

it might already have been said, but I do agree that if a substantial number of children do not go to the village school then there should be a means of eligibility. Essay writing or projects is just bollocks though and will exclude too many.

what about a separate route linked to benefitting the village - what volunteering activities could be arranged? Eg village clean up/ joining a village choir to sing at the local old people’s home, whatever it is that can be linked to the village, and not take too much time out of a busy family’s schedule. Then those participants can also be eligible.

That's discriminatory.

I would organise an activity morning for all the children interested in being chosen. Obviously they need a village postcode.
If they don’t turn up for the activity morning then they’re not considered.
At the end of the morning the organisers will have formed an opinion of the children regarding how they interact with each other, if they’re more suited to a supporting role, if they can sit still when necessary or are they too easily distracted or chatterboxes.
Then the organisers have a discussion afterwards and notify the parents of who is chosen.

Great idea to open it up.

I would leave it open to a submission of any kind from any child in the village. It could be a video, essay, short story, anything! That way each submission can be reviewed based in its own merit and a choice made of who’s most ‘excelled’. That way, a child from the special needs school could be considered on an entirely different basis than a child from a private school.

The trouble with this committees is that the only ones that volunteer are often these "older women". Everyone else likes to complain but not actually do the work.

Jokes aside... sometimes you do need to chose between a bit of nepotism and the event actually happening. I know our "Village Show" committee work all year round for what for most of the village is a 1 day event if they have nothing else on that day.

Just keep it the way it is now. It’s a village event and ‘rewards’ those who attend the village school. If it’s so important to some parents that their child is chosen, or has a chance of being chosen, then they should be supporting the local school. Some things just need to stay traditional.

Consult.

this will take time but u will b glad u did it.

for now, stick with the same process as you have in place.

then let parents know that there’s going to be a consultation asking for thoughts on the best way forward - that way you can reduce the amount of grumbling that goes on when the system changes.

When in doubt, ALWAYS rely on data to make a decision. I have been on a PTA of a school with a v large, opinionated parent community - consulting is the way forward 😀

Ha definitely leave it as is. It’s like the Royal Family - once you examine it or try to change it it makes zero sense and is extremely unfair. You can’t shoehorn 2025 values on Victorian events or it all falls apart. Look at all the different suggestions. You either go with it as it is or bin it altogether.

This is so archaic.

I have read the whole thread and to be honest at your next AGM, you need to be voting on new committee members as your current bunch appear to be too set in their ways, small minded and sanctimonious.
I get that this is a tradition, however, it’s 2025 , changes need to be made to reflect modern times.

As for not rewarding wee Lilah the troublemaker in the village who can’t read, write or run a 4 minute mile, just remember behaviour is communication and maybe, just maybe, being chosen to be the queen might have a positive impact on wee Lilah.

What if one of those toe rags wrote a good essay/excellent video of dance/spray painting skills? Essay doesn't work.

How do you know if the private school kids are not little bullying shits at their private school, that info just doesn't get back to the village?

How do you know if the kids that isn't out and about vandalising isn't sitting in their bedroom on the internet bullying random strangers in chat rooms.

Random draw. Otherwise it just gets too complicated for it to be done fairly.

Contribution to village life in some way ie by volunteering, being a role model in the local school/community should be a criteria. You can put it to the committee that it will enhance cohesiveness and get kids involved in stuff that the village wants or needs volunteers for. Effort as much as achievement at that age. And then stick names who committee/headteacher thinks as eligible into a hat.

I would leave it as the local school decides, with an automatic role for any child at the special needs school who wants a role to get one. Kids going to private schools have other advantages in life.

Ask for nominations from teachers, parents, scout leaders etc. Review and remove names of ‘unworthy’ kids, that may have sneaked in. Put what’s left in a hat.