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| Community puts pride on display |
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| News | |||
| Written by Aaron Cedeño | |||
| Wednesday, 18 November 2009 08:00 | |||
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It may not have been infamous crime boss Vito Corleone on the other end, but when Dave Tappan’s cell phone rang on Wednesday morning, he was still presented with an offer that he couldn’t refuse. It was Kansas City’s KMBC Channel 9 News, and they were wondering if Tappan would be at all interested in organizing a live morning broadcast prior to Friday night’s football playoff contest with Bishop Miege High School.  Now, for many schools the prospect of luring a raucous crowd to their school’s gym at 6:00 a.m. would no doubt be a daunting one, particularly when given less than 48 hours to bring it all together. But Tappan? Well, he knows the caliber of Louisburg schools and the Louisburg community. So when KMBC’s Lisa Teachman showed up in the wee hours of Friday morning — decked out in purple, of course — she was greeted by more than 600 enthusiastic Wildcat supporters of all ages. “We just make it happen,” Tappan said. “But it’s because of a lot of hard work behind the scenes by a lot of dedicated people we’re able to make it happen.” The live Friday morning broadcasts are a fall tradition at KMBC. The station selects one highly anticipated match-up each week, and heads to the participating schools to give them a chance to display their spirit throughout the Kansas City area. Immediately upon hanging up the phone, Tappan set the wheels in motion. There were too many people involved in the process to name them all, he said. The Louisburg High School Booster Club agreed to foot the bill for Chris Cakes, ensuring that everyone in attendance got a hot breakfast, and the LHS band, dance team and cheer squads brought their “A-Game,” despite the early hour. After eight years in the district, Tappan said, he’s no longer surprised by how quickly the community can be called upon for support. “We’ve just got good people that know what to do,” he said. “And if they’re asked to do something, they step up and take care of business.” KMBC broadcasts to a significant portion of eastern Kansas and western Missouri, so the live drop-ins and interviews that aired live on Friday’s morning show were a chance for Louisburg to show the rest of the Kansas City metro region how well it supports its schools. It’s a phenomenon that goes beyond simple school spirit, Tappan explained, and into the realm of community pride. Jarrod Worthington, LHS math teacher, acted as the event’s master of ceremonies, and was interviewed by Teachman during the broadcast. In speaking with her prior to the pep rally, Worthington was surprised to find that not every school jumps at the chance to host one of the live events when asked. “I just couldn’t believe it,” he said. “It’s a real good chance to show off our pride in the community. Not that we need to prove ourselves to anyone else, but it is kind of nice to do so.” From Tappan’s perspective, it’s events like these that help make high school a truly memorable experience. “I just think it’s a great thing for community and school pride,” he explained. “These are the things that you come to high school for, day in and day out. If you come to school only for reading and math every day, that can make for a long four years.”
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