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The Disneyland Report > Disney News > Two Miami High students get the chance of a lifetime Disney NewsTwo Miami High students get the chance of a lifetimeA Miami High teacher goes to Los Angeles to get a major national award -- and he takes two of his students along for the ride and for the record.By Melanie Klesse It would have been easy for Miami High students Alain Lores and Evelyn Lopez to panic when they were picked to help create a spiffy new Disney-produced film. After all, it isn't often that teens are plopped into the center of a Disney project. But Alain and Evelyn weren't sweating it. They already had a ton of production experience and a very good reason for getting involved with the movie -- their film teacher, Joe Underwood, would be one of the people the film would spotlight. So the two teens and their teacher spent a glittering few days in Los Angeles this summer, as Underwood was honored as one of a select group of DisneyHand Teachers of the Year, and Alain and Evelyn caught all that -- and more, actually much more -- on video. The students say they were treated like royalty by Disney. Meeting them at the airport was a chauffeured oversized SUV, complete with tinted windows, and it took them to the Grand Californian where they were given $270 Disney dollars, in addition to having all of their meals taken care of. They attended parties -- including one where Clay Aiken sung -- a gala, and one of those invitation-only, after-party things that most people only get to read about. Later, they videotaped as the teachers were presented as ''the best teachers in the world'' by Mickey Mouse at a ceremony at Disneyland Park and appeared in a parade down Main Street. When Evelyn, now a senior, found out that she would be going on the trip, she was mildly thrilled. ''I almost started yelling. I was really excited. It was the opportunity of a lifetime,'' she said, still breathless. ``We got a lot of experience that you just don't get being in a classroom.'' Evelyn said one of the highlights was watching Clay Aiken -- and not just because of his singing voice. ''It was funny to see all those middle-aged teachers get excited over a pop star,'' she said. When Underwood got word of the award, he was also asked to bring two of his students to be part of the video project. Deciding which two students to take on this once-in-a-lifetime trip was no easy feat for a man who truly believes that all his kids bring something unique to the program. So . . . he called his wife. ''This is Disney. You must take the best,'' she advised. Evelyn's featured selection of Underwood's teaching and preparations for the ceremonies has already made its debut on the live television report the students present to the rest of the school every morning. She and Alain are now hard at work editing footage which will be sent to producers in Los Angeles for inclusion in the 2004 DisneyHand Teacher of the Year package. The group will be meeting in October in Orlando with a professional development team to showcase the DVDs displaying all the work they have compiled. To read the rest of this article, click here.Return to Disney News. |
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