ST. PETERSBURG - Last week's disturbances and residual tension have had far reaching effects, not the least of which have been the cancellation or postponement of much anticipated year-end events at Midtown-area schools.
At John Hopkins Middle School, members of the graduating class had reserved limousines and rented tuxedos for the traditional eighth grade dance.
A play at James B. Sanderlin Elementary set for Saturday has been rescheduled for Monday at 1 p.m. And at Perkins Elementary, 11-year-old Tim Reymann is disappointed because his grandfather and uncle, who planned to fly in from Germany on a business trip scheduled to coincide with the school's end-of-year arts performance, may not get to see it.
Tim's mother, Nicole, said her husband Mathias' father and brother, who were traveling from their hometown of Hockenheim, Germany, made flight arrangements to Orlando just so they could get to the previously scheduled 7 p.m. Friday show. Though the performance has been rescheduled to Monday and Wednesday at 7 p.m., there is no guarantee that Tim's grandfather, Wolfgang, and uncle, Andreas, will be able to return from their business meeting in South Carolina on time, Mrs. Reymann said.
The performance, said assistant principal Pat Archibald, is Perkins' big year-end program featuring the school's performing arts students. About 140 students were to perform Thursday and Friday, she said.
"We sold about 400 tickets for each night," Mrs. Archibald said. "The children were heartbroken. They were disappointed. It's been hard."
All but four of the students will be able to make the Wednesday performance, which will take place a day after school closes for the summer, she said.
At John Hopkins, the eighth grade dance has tentatively been rescheduled for Wednesday and parents will be notified Monday of the exact plans, principal Kevin Gordon said.
"Our kids are feeling the impact right now," he said.
"A lot of them have made arrangements for tuxedos and limos. We've got kids who will be going to high school as far as Tarpon Springs. The dance is the last hurrah for them at John Hopkins. The main thing we want is the last day of John Hopkins to be a memorable day."
