Warner's VIP Tour and Norwalk High School Visit

April 1, 2014

Today began with a really early start to take the bus to Warner Studios in Burbank.  This proved to be a fabulous tour, as we are all on an extended golf cart with personal guides who drove ober the extensive lot and showed us sets and properties that the students were familiar with from their own television watching.  We walked through the sound stage for the Fosters, an HBO show, saw many properties from Pretty Little Liars, and explored Warner’s museum which had an entire floor dedicated to Harry Potter, complete with the original sorting hat and the stool from the movie.  Lots of us got ‘sorted’. 

Leanne gets sorted.

Potter mail

Pretty Little Liars house



Small group golf carts took us around the studios.

It was a short visit because our bus driver was late picking up and got confused finding the venue entrance… the Bus company, CTS, did not impress me.  By 10:30 we were back on the road to go to Norwalk High School.

 Norwalk High School Cheer Team is coached by Liz and by Chip.  Liz was one of our three coaches that visited us this summer and provided a workshop for four days.  Their team won Nationals in their division.  The High School has over 2600 students, and is the smallest high school in the city of Norwalk!  We were surprised by the layout… there are no corridors or inside hallways; everything is outside.  Classrooms are in blocks facing a huge courtyard which serves as a meeting space and also the cheer practice space.  Mats are pulled out and laid on tarps every practice in this courtyard, so the athletes practice in the outdoors. 

Over lunch hour the students shared in an informal pep rally.  It was a great event!  We presented Norwalk with a Canadian flag as a symbol of our friendship at this International pep rally.  The principal was there as were hundreds of students who clearly were enjoying the event. I chatted with several and they were thrilled to have the visit.  The school does pep rallys at lunch on a regular basis to build school spirit.

After the rally, we walked to In and Out Burger with the three team captains and the coaches and had a delicious burger lunch (remember ‘animal style’?)

The highlight of the day, and for me the entire trip, was the shared practice after lunch.  Back at Norwalk, we had an informal practice were ties were made with the athletes.  By the end of practice, stunting had become mixed groups… some Victoria athletes, some Norwalk.  Presentation of t-shirts were made to each other and Canada pins given to all their team members as well as Canada tattoos.  Our team has Norwalk t-shirts.  Parting was difficult for some as there was a pretty quick and strong bond made that day.

Liz demonstrating techniques

Final group chant

 Back at the hotel, I took a taxi to an Olive Garden for pick up to serve the students as they packed up to fly out early the next day.