I think the idea of getting kids who are actually interested in it out there is a good idea... if the cheerleaders or football players want to come, hey maybe they will get inspired
I wont comment on the awards side of things... thats for a separate topic
As for the 700 kids... we were there that year... and all I have to say, is there were an aweful lot of bored kids there who had no clue what was going on, they just knew they were missing school. I think the concept was good, maybe they would be inspired, but the implementation and lack of adults didnt help.
Long story short, get as many fans as you can, who ACTUALLY want to attend (ie if they are willing to pay or do it outside of school time, they WANT to attend). I think its a good thing. We send out messages at Harris, and put it on the school announcements, maybe in a few years if there is enough interest we could do a bus.