I was so grateful to hear such positive responses from so many of the senior citizens who attended our annual brunch and concert last week. I certainly concur with their praise of our cafeteria staff for the brunch; our National Honor Society students for their service as greeters, ushers and wait staff; for all of our musicians and their musical directors for the concert; and to Ursula Barth, a student intern with Mrs. Long, for her hard work prior to, and during, the event. It is certainly a great experience for everyone and shows that there are still many ways to make connections between the generations. It was clearly a wonderful opportunity for everyone involved and, given the comments from students and our visitors, a learning experience for all. The sight of the stage full of musicians, and the sound of the choirs and bands—joined by many of our visitors in the sing along finale—certainly did a great job of setting a positive mood for the upcoming holidays.
I’m also appreciative of all of the positive comments from our visitors that day about their children who had graduated from Gateway and done so well in their continued education, work, and community. I also enjoyed the comments from many regarding their grandchildren’s positive experiences in Gateway and the broad support for continuing the fifty plus years of educational excellence in the Gateway school system. There were also comments on how often school is cancelled these days due to the weather compared to the ‘good’ old days, or the difference in the cafeteria since the renovation project, but all agreed that the facilities—especially the Performing Arts Center—were a great improvement over plays and musical events formerly conducted in the old “cafetorium”, as happened in years past.
For those who missed this event, please remember that you can still hear our student musicians over the next two weeks leading up to the holiday break. The middle school and junior high school groups perform on Monday, December 14 at 7 p.m. (snow date: December 15); and the high school concert is Thursday, December 17 at 7 p.m. (snow date: December 21). It’s quite an opportunity to hear some great music and enjoy an evening out without the stress of worrying about parking, of driving to the city, or of paying a substantial amount for a concert, all the while supporting the musical programs in the district. We’re certainly blessed to have such an outstanding venue for hosting these events and displaying the talents of our staff and students who are involved in the performing arts.
