LEWISTON – Katie Tedoldi emerged from the white limousine with an armful of flowers and a smile so bright that cameras immediately picked her out of the crowd.
Nothing in Katie’s six years had quite prepared her for the onslaught of media (Geiger employees in costume) or the eager fans (other kids) who hounded her for autographs. But she grinned at all the attention and pushed past the crowd with graciousness and a giggle.
For the night, she was a star.
“It was really fun,” said Katie of the limo ride. “I’m excited that I’m famous.”
For a few hours Wednesday evening, the 17th annual Night of the Stars gave Katie and 89 other Montello Elementary School students a taste of celebrity as a reward for their good writing. Sponsored by Geiger and Montello, the evening imitates the Oscars, complete with limos, paparazzi, speeches and awards. Geiger is the school’s corporate partner.
“There are kids that I know, this is the highlight of their year, maybe their academic career,” said Peter Geiger, who helps plan the event every year.
Stretch limos picked the kids up at a St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center parking lot and drove them to the Lewiston Middle School. There, Geiger employees and Lewiston staff mobbed them with cameras and tape recorders. Inside, they were given carnation corsages and seats next to their parents in the auditorium, as spotlights played over the crowd.
The 90 stars beat more than 700 other students in kindergarten through sixth grade to win their places at the ceremony. Each classroom submitted five pieces of writing to the contest. Geiger employees and other judges selected two per classroom, with winning entries ranging from a kindergartner’s two-line poem to a sixth-grader’s full-page story.
About 60 percent of Wednesday’s stars were attending the celebration for the first time.
“I felt I was never going to make it!” said 12-year-old Alex Carver, a sixth-grader whose story “The Book” earned him a place in the spotlight this year, his last eligible year. “I called my mom from the limo.”
A few minutes after 6 p.m., lights dimmed. Spotlights focused on the stage. Principal Gus LeBlanc and Geiger, both in tuxedos, introduced the night’s dignitaries: Maine’s first lady Karen Baldacci, state Sens. Beth Edmonds and Peggy Rotundo, Rep. Margaret Craven and Education Commissioner Susan Gendron.
“These 90 recipients are going to be true leaders in our state,” Gendron said.
Then, in their princess dresses or suits and ties, the young stars approached the stage one at a time. Some nearly ran. Others were led by teachers.
A few addressed the crowd.
“I would like to thank you all for coming,” said second-grader Cameron Deshaine with a grin. “This is a very wonderful moment for me, and I’m sure it is for you, too.”
For nearly two hours, students strode to the stage for their medals and prizes, an insulated alpine bag that fit the evening’s mountain-climbing theme and motto “Writers achieve one step at a time.” As they stepped off the stage, each signed copies of the 2005 Night of the Stars anthology.
When it was her turn, Katie climbed the stage for “Slush,” her four-sentence story about walking in the winter. Then, as cameras flashed and all attention focused on her, she gave the speech she’d carefully memorized just for her night.
“I wanna thank my mom for making me so smart,” Katie said. “Thank you for putting my story in your book. I like writing because it makes me happy.”
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