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iBerkshires.com Columnist SectionSue Bush
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School District Springs Into the ArtsBy Susan Bush
12:00AM / Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Cheshire – The arts are in the air at the four Adams-Cheshire Regional School District schools, as the district’s Spring Arts Festival has scheduled eight different events beginning at month’s end and continuing until June 2.
Hoosac Valley High School students are slated to perform the musical “Footloose†at 8 p.m. on April 29 and 30 at the school auditorium. The performances are dedicated to 2004 high school graduate Thomas Oxton, a revered school athlete who was killed earlier this year in Readsboro, Vt..
The arts are considered integral to a well-rounded education, said high school Principal Henry Duval during an April 20 interview.
“The festival allows our students to showcase their talents,†Duval said. “And it brings the community together.â€
Over the past several years, HVHS high school musicals have drawn large, supportive crowds, Duval noted. Community members seem to make a genuine effort to attend the performances, he added. “We’ve filled the auditorium [with spectators],†Duval said. “The kids work so hard and people do seem to make an extra effort to attend. This really seems to bind the community.†A high school band spring concert is scheduled for May 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Route 116 school.
C.T. Plunkett elementary school students are scheduled to strut their artistic stuff on May 17. The school plans to host an art show from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and a third-grade musical titled “Kids Are Kids the Whole World Round†will kick off at 7 p.m. at the 14 Commercial St. school.
On May 19, the Cheshire School Theater Arts group plan to present a production of “updated nursery rhymes†at 7:30 at the 191 Church St. school. On May 26, Cheshire school students and members of the Berkshire Theater Festival are scheduled to perform at 7 p.m., and on June 2, the school will showcase student artwork during an exhibit set to begin at 6:30 p.m..
The Adams Memorial Middle School has scheduled an art show and middle school band concert at 6:30 p.m. on May 24. School Principal Kimberly Roberts-Morandi explained the value of student arts events. “I think it is so important to celebrate student achievement,†she said. “There’s something for everyone.â€
This year’s middle school art show is expected to include student-designed projects made throughout the school year, Roberts-Morandi said. “Parents, teachers, and the students get to see what has been done here,†she said. “We want the community to be able to see what our students have accomplished.â€
During the 2004 concert, the school auditorium was filled to capacity, and spectators gathered in the hallway to listen, Roberts-Morandi said, and emphasized how beneficial that level of public interest is for the students.
Middle school events will culminate on June 2 with a day-long visit from percussionist Tony Vacca. A musician, composer, and educator, Vacca has made 10 West African excursions, where he studied African drums and rhythms. Vacca is scheduled to perform with up to 40 students at the school that evening, and is expected to host an assembly with students during the afternoon. Three student workshops are also on the day’s agenda, Roberts-Morandi said.
“He’s a storyteller and he became a teacher,†she said of Vacca. “This should be a wonderful event.†She added that the June 2 date was the only open date on Vacca’s schedule.
For more information about individual events, contact the specific school.
Adams Memorial Middle School: 413-743-0554
C.T. Plunkett Elementary School: 413-743-0876
Cheshire Elementary School: 413-743-3032
Hoosac Valley High School: 413-743-5200 |
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