In Other Great News...
Watch out for the
Winter 2008 edition
of the district newsletter,
Great Expectations,
featuring more "great" stories from Bridgeport Public Schools.
Newsletters will be delivered to each school for distribution on
Thursday, February 29th
* Please be sure to send a copy of the newsletter home with each student.
Thank you in advance for your assistance in spreading this
"Great News" throughout
Bridgeport Public Schools and its supporting community!
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Black Rock Students Perform Classical Music
Black Rock students prepare to perform a classical piece on their recorders
at Staples High School in Wesport.
Black Rock School 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students recently performed the classical piece La Folio in A Minor on their recorders at a concert at Staples High School in Westport. The show was entitled Classical Music for Kids Presents Thrills & Chills. Mexican classical recorder player Horacio Franco, renowned recorder artist Nina Stern, and a string orchestra accompanied the Black Rock performers, who are all first year recorder players. The American Classical Orchestra sponsored this event.
Tania Kelley, a music teacher and Bridgeport’s Director of Performing Arts, directed the junior recorder players. Students were selected to participate based on their enthusiasm and dedication to learning and practicing composer Antonio Vivaldi’s classical piece.
“This was a rewarding experience for the students that will be remembered for a long time,” Kelley said. “This performance opened up a new style of music, which our students are not always exposed to. Out students need to know what additional opportunities are available to them and this has broadened their musical palate.”
Congratulations to the following Black Rock classical recorder performers: Kelly Aarons, Tylice Barrett, Dominique Guilford, Kim Huynh, Brianne Keith, Natalia Kenbaresm, Alexis Latorre, Jannette Latorre, Jaquan McKay, John Carl Oyola, Tyler Purcell, Ariela Rodriguez, Tori Rodriquez, Amanda Sinbandith, Gabrielle Stewart, Ashelle Thompson, Victoriann Wilson, Arly Zecena, Matthew Ames, Angela Chacon, Oscar Zacatzi, and Shoney Haviland.
“The parents in attendance were very proud of their children, as this was a major accomplishment for year-one recorder students,” Kelley added.
About Horacio Franco
Horacio Franco is one of today’s most successful Mexican classical musicians. He has performed with distinguished ensembles around the world, including American Composers Orchestra (Carnegie Hall debut, 1994), San Francisco’s Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Berliner Symphoniker, Hungary’s Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, and Tokyo Solisten. According to www.horaciofranco.com, “Horacio Franco has, to date, performed the world premieres of over 50 works, written specifically for him by composers from around the world.”
About Nina Stern
Nina Stern is one of North America’s leading performers of the recorder and classical clarinet. According to www.ninastern.com, “Ms. Stern performs regularly as soloist or principal player with prestigious ensembles such as New York City Opera, The New York Philharmonic, The New York Collegium, Concert Royal, Philharmonia Baroque, American Classical Orchestra and Boston Baroque, She has also appeared with Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, L’Orchestra della Scala (Milan), I Solisti Veneti, Hesperion XX and Tafelmusik.”
Aquaculture Seniors Show Off Their Skills at International Power Boat Show
Bridgeport Regional Vocational Aquaculture School’s senior members of the National Future Farmers of America Organization (FFA) attended the Atlantic International Power Boat Show from February 6-10 at the Atlantic City Convention Center. The FFA participating members, led by Chapter President Madison McMannus, were Manual Peppers, Davin Weidema, Tanisha Boyd, and Sydney Williams. Students traveled under the supervision of Elizabeth Kranyik, Aquaculture teacher and FFA advisor.
At the show, students displayed the “Invazer,” a 20-foot-long powerboat they designed and constructed in collaboration with the Mercury Marine Division of General Motors throughout the spring and fall of 2007.
“This project has given students invaluable, relevant, real world experiences in bringing an idea to market. Our students have been involved at every level, working in teams to develop design solutions, plan and implement construction, and present ideas to the market,” said Tom McGann, Computer Aided Design Instructor at Aquaculture. “It’s been the kind of major school collaborative project that makes both teaching and learning at the Aquaculture School so unique and rewarding.”
The student-designed boat met the requirements for what is known as an aquaculture utility vessel and utilized the Vazer 100, a unique motor that Mercury Marine designed and introduced to the market in 2007. “We were very excited to see how the students have been able to use their skills and talents to come up with such a creative design for our MerCruiser Vazer product,” said Al Alvarez, Marine and Industrial Marketing Manager for General Motors.
The “Invazer” has also been displayed at the National FFA Conference in Indianapolis in October 2007 and the Hartford Boat Show in January 2008.
To learn more about the Atlantic City International Power Boat Show, sponsored by the National Marine Manufacturers Association, please visit www.acboatshow.com. For more information about FFA, visit www.ffa.org.
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