A Concert In Springtime March 25
January 27, 2011 Sound of music BHS, GMC fine art students collaborate Vaishali Patel The Union-Recorder The Union-Recorder Thu Jan 27, 2011, 08:00 AM EST MILLEDGEVILLE 鈥� Jazz band and choir member from Baldwin High School and Georgia Military College Prep School are collaborating for the first time to present 鈥淎 Concert In Springtime鈥� to support the mission of Communities In Schools of Milledgeville-Baldwin County (CISMBC).
GMC President Maj. Gen. Peter Boylan and Baldwin County School Superintendent Geneva Braziel were among 10 teachers, administrators and CISMBC representatives who teamed up to create the idea to promote dropout rate prevention throughout the community using the sound of music.
鈥淭he whole purpose is to raise money for the Communities In Schools project. This seemed to be a good way to … promote cooperation between [BHS and GMC] as well as raising funds for what I think is an important initiative in our community, which is raise education levels,鈥� Boylan said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited about this, and I鈥檓 particularly excited because it鈥檚 a great opportunity to show the cooperation that can occur among the educational institutions in our community for what I deem an important community project.鈥�
BHS Band Director Clint Raburn said his 30 jazz band students have been practicing since November but will continue refining their performance twice a week as musical selections and program layout become finalized.
鈥淲e have a 30- to 40-minute set but will narrow down to a 15- to 20-minute set for the concert. This will be the largest concert for the jazz band,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his concert really shows the cohesiveness between both schools because a lot of times schools have rivalries … and this shows that we are working for a benefit together.鈥�
The grand performance will be held in the Baldwin Fine Arts Center at 7 p.m. Friday, March 25, for $10 per admission ticket. Through required reservations, a full-service dinner catered by Linda Cummings will be served in the Fine Arts Center lobby for $30, which also include reserved seating for the show. BHS and GMC literary groups will perform for dinner guests from 5:30 to 7 p.m. All tickets are available for purchase at BHS and GMC front offices.
鈥淲e hope to raise between $8,000 and $10,000. The money raised will go toward the support efforts of building the adult education programs. I am overwhelmed by the effort of [BHS] and GMC to work toward something that is for the community, adult education in particular, and showing true community spirit through that, and that should be commended,鈥� CISMBC Executive Director Sandy Baxter said. 鈥淭his [concert] shows that the community understands that education is a priority and we need to have an educated workforce. I love to see the community getting behind that to allow opportunities for adults to grow in their education.鈥�
CIS is the nation鈥檚 largest dropout prevention organization, which has helped youth successfully learn, stay in school and prepare for life for more than 30 years.
鈥淲hen you look at education and the children in Milledgeville-Baldwin County, it doesn鈥檛 matter what school they attend, they make up our community,鈥� Braziel said. 鈥淏ringing our kids together is so important. The students are working together for one common purpose: decrease the drop out rate in Baldwin County.鈥�
For more information about CISMBC or to help its mission, call Baxter at (478) 452-3408 or visit www.cismilledgeville.org.
