A three-hour long concert with 33 acts on Feb. 11 raised $7,000 towards this year’s graduation festivities.
Several teachers and alumni with musical chops reprised their appearances from prior years.
The elementary schools’ honors chorus added a humorous twist, entering the stage with powdered white hair, stooped shoulders and carrying canes, accompanying guitarist-math teacher Gary Shapiro in a memorable rendition of the Beatles’ “When I’m 64.”
The first half ended with an energetic performance by Caroline Holte backed up by Kenzie MacMillan with their rendition of “Black Horse and a Cherry Tree,” which was infused with energy.
Musical theater students such as Sarah Busic, Élan Kramer, Jackson Tupy and Karina Parker performed as themselves rather than in character or costume. Especially notable was Chandler Davis’ ballad of another Beatles’ tune, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” and Makenna ZurSchmiede’s rendition of “Killing Me Softly.”
In the second half, Principal Joanne Culverhouse played guitar, accompanying Nick Leighton, Elliot Glass and alumnus Al Salehi. Other standouts included Dylon Del Pizzo-Howell and Elliot Glass, Lola Cowie, Gabrielle Crivello and Carly Manfrini, and Sara Busic.
In addition to rehearsing every number, Shapiro accompanied each performance. It’s a task he’s taken on annually since 1979, when students asked him to perform to help them raise money for graduation activities.
