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Rockville Centre students perform at all‑district band concert; local groups award five scholarships
Summary
Students from fifth grade through high school performed at the Rockville Centre all‑district band concert, marking the 40th anniversary of Music in Our Schools Month. Rockville Centre Sponsors of the Arts and the Caitlin Rose McDonald Memorial fund presented five scholarships to middle‑ and high‑school students.
The Rockville Centre Union Free School District held an all‑district band concert featuring fifth‑ and sixth‑grade ensembles through the high school wind ensemble, and two local organizations presented five student scholarships during the program.
The concert, presented as part of Music in Our Schools Month, celebrated the month’s 40th anniversary and included a high school wind ensemble performance, a Coldplay medley, Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations, and a combined middle‑ and high‑school finale that incorporated a quote from Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. Superintendent Matt Gavin and Board President Kelly Berry attended the event, which also included faculty advisors Rob Lichter and Mark Ponteri and conductor Keith Chiam.
The Rockville Centre Sponsors of the Arts awarded three scholarships during the evening. Debbie Cuevas, identified in the program as the group’s president, read excerpts from winning essays and announced the three recipients as Eric Junker, Malachi Burns Sharoff and Rory Zuckerman. Cuevas told the audience the group is selling all‑district gear online and that a link is available through students’ Google Classroom pages.
Joanna McDonald presented two Caitlin Rose McDonald Memorial Scholarships in memory of her daughter, a 2018 Southside High School graduate who played trumpet and continued her music studies at Loyola University Maryland. McDonald described Caitlin as “kind and very community minded” and said the awards help keep her daughter’s memory alive. The memorial scholarships went to Gia de Francisca (middle school) and Ryan Boruso (high school); McDonald said music educators selected the recipients.
Organizers noted the high school TV and video club filmed the performance for archival purposes; student crew members named in the program included Finn McAtier, Chris Francois, Hugo Vanderveer, Nancy Lavera and Robert Pottinger. The concert’s finale credited Mr. Lebron and Ms. Tomek for preparing the combined ensembles.
The awards were presented from the stage during the concert program; no formal board motion or vote was recorded in the program text. Sponsors of the Arts’ scholarship presentation included reading passages from the students’ submitted essays; Joanna McDonald provided background on the memorial scholarships and the life of Caitlin Rose McDonald.
The event underscored community support for school music programs and the district’s annual observance of Music in Our Schools Month. Organizers encouraged families to support the Rockville Centre Sponsors of the Arts and noted opportunities for students to audition for county and state ensembles.
Additional program details announced during the concert included a livestream/recording effort by the high school media club and an invitation to purchase all‑district apparel via Google Classroom links. No formal policy actions or funding decisions were made at the concert itself.
