Village Gala Day Drama

[Bronniel]

I live in a small Scottish Village, every year there is a Gala Day, I imagine it is similar to a Village Fete in England, but basically It is a lot of local businesses, food vans, live music and some little rides for the kids in the local park, with a parade around the village and a fancy dress competition, it is fairly popular. Also a lot of other events in the village on the weekend surrounding it and competitions for the kids.
Every year there is a Gala Queen, plus some other big roles like crown bearer, maids etc. Basically the Queen gets crowned to kick the day off and prior to that leads the parade in a horse and carriage. It's all very much set in tradition but still popular and the kids enjoy it.
Traditionally the Gala Queen and the rest of the Gala party has been selected by the primary school in the village, and consists of P7s, the head teacher picks them and they are chosen based on behaviour/attainment etc. throughout the year. My own kids viewed it as quite a bit accolade to be chosen and it seems like a big deal to the kids. This method though has had its controversies as obviously not every child in the Village attends the village school with some going to other schools for various reasons and others going to say the catholic school or occasionally the odd who does the 30+ minute commute to a private school, it also excludes any kids who attend the schools for additional needs as these aren't in the village. However it has always been the primary schools pick.
I am on the Gala Committee and this year there is a push to change the allocation method, basically to some sort of system where any Primary 7 aged child who lives in the village or surrounding farms/one hamlet where all the kids also go to the local school, would be able to enter. The top ideas right now are some sort of essay writing competition or a competition where kids submit "evidence of excellence" be it a video of a dance they have learnt, art they have done, sports awards etc. The essay seems to be the popular choice but some fear that it will mean just the smartest kids get the chance to be part of it. It's said that either the committee would pick or we could get some locals to pick (so a panel of maybe the head teacher, the minister at the local church etc). The idea for the essay writing competition is they would write an essay on the history of the village or something similar.

However the issue is, this same year one of the most vocal members of the Gala Committee has a grandchild who is in Primary 7, but at a private school, so wouldn't be eligible under the historical system as despite living in the village, doesn't attend the local school. About half of the committee are against any changes as it is set in tradition and they feel the change is purely to benefit this members grandchild and future grandchildren. They also feel that it is unfair to ask the children of the local state school, many from lower income backgrounds to compete against private school kids on either the essay front or the hobby front. Others feel it is a necessary change as the days of all the kids going to the local school are over, and lots of the kids at the local school aren't from the village now.

It is creating quite the divide and a lot of upset so I'm looking to see what others think as we seem to be in a deadlock.

So
YABU - The traditional method should stay
YANBU - Time to update so all the kids in the village can be involved

(I know this seems trivial but it is the source of many a head ache for me right now and it is the height of village drama for our sleepy little place).

Your last sentence shows why pulling a name out of a hat type thing is far fairer.

Ours changed recently to a poster advertising the Gala. Its quite inclusive because kids who aren't great at drawing have produced some amazing colourful efforts.

If names out of a hat wouldn't work, then instead of dances or essays which could exclude or disadvantage some children, then something community minded or kind that has been done and the child is nominated for by someone else? Like maybe one child always goes on the litter pick when it's arranged, or have helped a neighbour with something or rescued a hedgehog sort of thing?
I don't know how workable it is, but anyone can be community minded/helpful/kind and it wouldn't favour more articulate children.

This is a great idea as the task has purpose and is accessible to all (unless you can't hold a pen at all) because no grammar rules or language skills are needed.

The committee are obviously people who invest and are invested in the village and you do need those people.
But maybe the posters could be voted for with the creator being kept anonymous to help avoid excluding certain children (though they will know their own of course).

Maybe a poster for one role and an act of kindness/community for another?

I would say that the gala queen is quite a public role though. Ok probably no public speaking but paraded about the village usually so if they aren’t comfortable in front of the committee they may not be great for the role anyway.

The essay is ok if it’s just for the village school. It’s not ok if it is comparing the village school kids to the private school.

I like the idea of having benefited the community some how. You could do a simple form with enough space for a few sentences to explain what they have done. They need to 'apply' to be chosen.

This prevents kids who aren't interested being picked (it's my worst nightmare).

Young carers, fundraising for charity, helping at church, litter picking, rescuing hedgehogs, visiting grandma every day. Anything that is going out of their way to help os counted.

The roles are 'royal' so should be focussed on compassion, generosity and service.

I'd stick to the old way. It's not about excluding kids but about the village school as part of the community so kids who attend that school represent their school at the Gala day (regardless of whether they live in the village)

In the same way perhaps that the village pub or the village shop are represented and just because Clive who is on the committee chooses to drink at the next Village pub or Matt (and 90% of the village) shops at Tesco instead of the village shop doesn't mean the committee need to include six other local pubs in nearby villages or ask Tesco if they fancy a stall.

There could of course be other roles in the day which kids who live in the village but don't attend the school could participate in. For example you could have competitions/talent contests/ fancy dress etc.

Hi ladies and gents here’s a solution:
Ive spoken to the head and she’s given me the names of the 10 village children who deserve the accolade this year.
We’ve also asked for any parents to fill out a slip with their school name on so I can approach the school and check, (with a time limit on the slips say 10 days to return them - give them out at the next “village meeting” I am almost certain you have one)
Ive confirmed with these other 5 schools that 3 people are also in the draw.
pop them in a hat and let’s ask the vicar to pull the name.
Essays are wildly inappropriate, “videos of excellence” are beyond inappropriate. These are not test of attainment whatsoever, these are simply tests of who has the most money.

Personally - I would keep it and exclude the private kids, they have opted out of local schooling and already have more advantages.
NOT an essay - again that would exclude too many children if that age, plus half of them will have their parents doing it for them…

The phrase "too much time on their hands" leaps to mind in respect of the organisers. Essay competitions and X-factor style selection for the children? Give over! It's a village fete, not a Royal Gala Performance.

All the children who want to be part of it submit their names and the successful entrants get pulled out of a hat - done.

Our gala, you have to live in the village. Doesn't matter what school you go to. ( in effect everybody is at thr sane school, we are remote)

So children in the school are from the next village but they don't qualify.

Names are drawn out of a hat of eligible P7s.

I think if you drop the idea that it would be bad optics to take away the role from a village school child because a committee member had a child at a private school they might take a look at themselves.

Any p7 age child with random selection.
In the village I grew up in they alternated the catholic/non-denomational p7 class year to year, a queen and 2 attendants- in our school it was pupil votes (was probably the same in the other). It was always the popular girls who got chosen, though sometimes popular didn't mean kind, sadly. The private school kids didn't seem to object to not being included.

Absolutely this. The luck of the draw then!

Why can't you just alternate and pick all 5 from a different school each year on rotation?

@Bronniel but the committee is made mainly of older women In the village who definitely wouldn't like it at all

I think this is the real problem, to be honest (and I am older too btw)

Then do nominations and then names in a hat. Make the nominations simple so a nominations from a non related adult with a paragraph explaining why so and so deserves it. Doesn't need to be academic can be because they are a kind person.
Then committee can review nominations and make sure everything is in order. And then draw names after that ie everyone is worthy

If not names out of a hat, then keep it the same as now.

Well if you are determined to keep out children with additional needs, why bother at all?

Why not do check what other areas do? We have 4 schools on the area and each year it alternates between schools. So one year the queen and her court will be picked from x school. All names go into a drum and then get picked out. They then give an option for each school in the area to have a float and children from that school can walk in the parade ( usually dressed to a theme) if they wish. That way kids from other schools are still involved.

If that wouldn't work why not use a community space, give parents a week to put names forward from the village and pick from there. In our town the Queen does various activities throughout the year, there is lots of fundraising , everyone puts their best clothes on to watch the parades.

My child was a gala Queen, picked out of a hat. She isn't a public speaker or fond of the limelight, but was perfectly able to walk about the village in a frock and a crown.

At least it’s not done on looks these days - I used to hate the fact that all the prettiest girls, invariably blond, got chosen for Carnival Queen etc.I was a brunette tomboy & never got picked for anything like that.

My village has an annual carnival and the Queen and other royalty are chosen by all the names going into a hat and chosen randomly. I am on the committee and there has never been any controversy with this method.