The first class to return to Ames, the alma mater of Grammy Award winner Brian Setzer, Berner eighth graders were treated to a surprise performance by the former Stray Cat who is now known as the leader of the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

Two days before his world tour, the two-time Grammy artist returned to Massapequa as a special favor to the teacher to whom he attributes much of his success, Karen Landau, who has taught English in the district for 32 years.

Setzer stated, "She was the best teacher I could ever have...I had her for two years, seventh and eighth grades, and I think she turned me around." He added, "English was the only good course I had, that I did well in, English and music, so I think she having patience with me helped me write the lyrics that I can." Setzer agreed to perform at Berner because of the influence that Landau had on him.

Growing up in Massapequa also affected who he has become, according to Setzer. "I think, growing up in Massapequa, it was very close to New York so we had access to Manhattan, yet we had the security of coming back to Massapequa. It's two very different places so we got to experience both of them."

Everything seemed smaller to Setzer when he returned to Massapequa, he said, but at the same time it was exciting for him to be back. "I am actually very excited. To come back to your home town, the hardest thing is to play in front of your family and friends, that's the hardest thing. When you are playing for a lot of people it's just a mass of people but family and friends are the hardest crowd to play in front of," said Setzer prior to his performance. Although he no longer has any family living in Massapequa, his brother lives in Amityville and his uncle in Farmingdale so he still has ties to Long Island, where he and his band The Stray Cats, gained fame.

It was the Stray Cats who first brought Brian Setzer to the attention of music lovers in the eighties. The group's songs, such as The Stray Cat Strut and Rock This Town, made them famous years before Jump, Jive an' Wail made the Brian Setzer Orchestra famous with a whole new generation. The Orchestra has brought swing back in style and bridged a generation gap.

Following the Berner performance, Lynn McGovern, who has been a teacher for 27 years, said, "I love swing. I think he's great. My son is 18 and Brian Setzer is the only CD we have in common."

The teachers, such as McGovern, who served as chaperones for the dance were just as surprised as the eighth graders when Landau introduced Setzer. The excitement of the students was palpable as they rushed to get a good spot on the dance floor for Setzer's performance.

After being introduced by Landau, Setzer asked the crowd if they wanted to hear some songs, a question to which the children responded enthusiastically.

Setzer performed both new and old hits including, Jump, Jive, an' Wail, This Cat's on a Hot Tin Roof, Stray Cat Strut, and Rock This Town. In introducing Stray Cat Strut, Setzer asked the students how old they were, and upon hearing the response "14" proclaimed that he was only 15 when he wrote that particular song right in Massapequa. He also thrilled the students by including Berner Junior High when he sang the lyrics to Rock This Town. Students, both male and female, and teachers all jockeyed to get the best position to take pictures and to view the local legend.

Setzer, during Rock This Town, pulled up one of the eighth graders, Amanda Esposito, to dance with him during the song. Following the performance, Esposito, who was still visibly affected by her moment in the spotlight said, "I was very shocked. I didn't know he would pick me out of all those gorgeous girls out there." She said it was both an exciting and scary experience for her, concluding, "It's unbelievable."

After he was finished performing, Landau, saying "Brian, there isn't enough money, there isn't enough anything to thank you for what you've done for us tonight," presented Setzer with a plaque which said, "Brian Setzer Welcome Home, with much pride, appreciation, and gratitude from Karen Landau and the Class of 2003, Berner Junior High School."

Landau, who has kept in touch with Setzer throughout the years, saw him at a concert on New Year's Eve a year and a half ago, where he told her how to contact him if she ever needed anything. It was through that contact that Landau was able to reach him and invite him to perform at the Berner eighth grade dance. Landau noted that Setzer refused to take any money for the performance. She stated, "He did it out of the goodness of his heart. He's really a decent human being." She added that she feels a great deal of pride for Setzer and all he has accomplished.

The Berner eighth grade dance was a special event because this class will be the first students to return to Ames, which has been closed for years and will be reopened this fall as a ninth grade building.

The excitement of the students, when Setzer was announced, was overwhelming and continued throughout the performance and after Setzer left the cafeteria where the dance was being held. Chaperones had their work cut out for them as students waited outside the cafeteria doors and tried to sneak down the hallway in hopes of getting an autograph or even just a last glimpse of the superstar. The artist signed a few copies of his CD which were distributed to the students as door prizes.

Whether they received autographs and CDs or not the students who attended the dance will remember the evening for years to come. Cindy Scott, an eighth grader who says she is a longtime fan of Setzer's said, "It was really exciting. I was flipping." Landau summed it up with the statement, "I think they had the best time they've had in a very long time."