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We’ll never stop believing that one of the best gifts a community can offer its children is the chance to fulfill dreams, whether those dreams are lofty, playful or in between.
Clearly, supporters came through for the Riddle High School Band, which returned home April 1 from its trip to New York City and performance on the Carnegie Hall stage.
No one could doubt those students were coming back from what one of them described as “a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
Now another group of Douglas County students is seeking a hand from area residents — about 1,000, actually, and each ready for some serious marble action.
More about that momentarily.
The Carnegie Hall dream began for Riddle students late last spring, when band Director Marty Follose was asked to send an audition CD to the company that’s been arranging concerts at the renowned concert hall since 1983. On June 4, Follose received a letter announcing Riddle’s inclusion in the Spring 2009 Carnegie Hall Ensemble Debut series.
That was just the beginning. Families already feeling the clamp of recession had to figure out a way to raise at least part of the estimated $1,800 per child to send young musicians to the nation’s cultural capital. Groups, friends and neighbors all pitched in, and fundraising efforts brought in $108,000, reducing each family’s share to $600 per student. The total sum was enough to pay for a six-day trip for the 41-member band, which performed at Carnegie with eight Riddle alumni musicians and a local eighth-grade tuba player.
It’s hard to say how many of these kids will ever return to New York. But it’s worth keeping in mind that it was a school arts program that helped deliver them to the Manhattan skyline. Make that a school arts program headed by Follose, a dedicated teacher who once told The News-Review, “There are goals out there that are beyond Riddle, and that’s what I want to dangle in front of (students).” And let’s not forget to give credit to the students’ own excellence.
Among the donations fueling the Carnegie caravan was $1,165.18 from Melrose Elementary School students. The gift was obligation-free, but now might be a good time for Riddle folk to express appreciation.
Because on May 16 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, Melrose students hope to earn Guinness World Record certification for the planet’s largest marble tournament. To win this distinction, organizers must gather more than 677 marble players ready to send the tiny orbs forth to do battle. They hope for 1,000 players.
Find out how to help by visiting melrosemarblemadness.com.
Meanwhile, let’s hear it for student dreams of all shapes and sizes.
Clearly, supporters came through for the Riddle High School Band, which returned home April 1 from its trip to New York City and performance on the Carnegie Hall stage.
No one could doubt those students were coming back from what one of them described as “a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
Now another group of Douglas County students is seeking a hand from area residents — about 1,000, actually, and each ready for some serious marble action.
More about that momentarily.
The Carnegie Hall dream began for Riddle students late last spring, when band Director Marty Follose was asked to send an audition CD to the company that’s been arranging concerts at the renowned concert hall since 1983. On June 4, Follose received a letter announcing Riddle’s inclusion in the Spring 2009 Carnegie Hall Ensemble Debut series.
That was just the beginning. Families already feeling the clamp of recession had to figure out a way to raise at least part of the estimated $1,800 per child to send young musicians to the nation’s cultural capital. Groups, friends and neighbors all pitched in, and fundraising efforts brought in $108,000, reducing each family’s share to $600 per student. The total sum was enough to pay for a six-day trip for the 41-member band, which performed at Carnegie with eight Riddle alumni musicians and a local eighth-grade tuba player.
It’s hard to say how many of these kids will ever return to New York. But it’s worth keeping in mind that it was a school arts program that helped deliver them to the Manhattan skyline. Make that a school arts program headed by Follose, a dedicated teacher who once told The News-Review, “There are goals out there that are beyond Riddle, and that’s what I want to dangle in front of (students).” And let’s not forget to give credit to the students’ own excellence.
Among the donations fueling the Carnegie caravan was $1,165.18 from Melrose Elementary School students. The gift was obligation-free, but now might be a good time for Riddle folk to express appreciation.
Because on May 16 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, Melrose students hope to earn Guinness World Record certification for the planet’s largest marble tournament. To win this distinction, organizers must gather more than 677 marble players ready to send the tiny orbs forth to do battle. They hope for 1,000 players.
Find out how to help by visiting melrosemarblemadness.com.
Meanwhile, let’s hear it for student dreams of all shapes and sizes.
