Some of us enjoyed a delightful three day weekend with the MLK holiday yesterday. Now we are back to business as usual – especially since the Davidson College students are returning from a long and restful holiday break.
Today Around Davidson takes a moment to focus on children and youth in our community with news of Sylvie Stanback’s earning oboe honors, Woodlawn first graders collecting funds for a special cause, preschoolers enjoying story time and Girl Scouts taking “a plunge.” There is also a note about upcoming music program this week.
Sylvie Stanback is a talented musician
OBOE HONORS
Congratulations to Sylvie Stanback, 15-year-old daughter of Mark Stanback and Nancy Popkin of Davidson, who made 2nd chair oboe for the South Central District Bandmasters Association High School Honors Band (9th and 10th graders) earlier this month. Sylvie is a 10 grader at Hough High School and receives oboe instruction twice a month from Elizabeth Dockery in south Charlotte. For this competition, Sylvie performed an assigned solo, numerous scales and music for sight reading in oboe.
Sylvie was the only Hough student to make the Honors Band although others were selected for alternate chairs. Her next stop will be attending a two-day All-District Clinic at Lenoir Rhyne University on Jan. 27-28 which culminates in an afternoon concert on the 28th. Sylvie then auditions for the All State Honors Bands.
This busy young lady also plays the clarinet in Hough’s marching band and the tenor saxophone in the school’s jazz ensemble. When not involved in music, Sylvie’s love is art – another area in which she excels. She recently entered three works into The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards (http://www.artandwriting.org/) competition: a pair of metalwork steam punk-style earrings, a clay sculpted dragon, and a 3 foot tall paper mache teapot-inspired sculpture. In her free time, Sylvie spends a lot of time drawing, painting and working in polymer clay. Sylvie sells jewelry and functional art under the business name ColorStudy, https://www.facebook.com/ColorStudy.
And time for studying? You bet and at the moment, chemistry is her favorite. Congratulations again to Sylvie on her many accomplishments and we wish her the best of luck in the upcoming oboe band clinic and state competition.
Waiting for their deposit slip, the first grade students students gathered to show off their pet bandanas while adults stood at the back (Adults - l-r: Gary Rhinesmith, Tracy Hoskins, Marcus Rafiee, Courtney Weaver and Catherine Packard with Ian Robb still counting the money!)
SHOW ME THE MONEY
What a special treat for 12 first graders from Woodlawn School to visit Wells Fargo Bank on Main Street in Davidson last week and learn about the money trail from deposit in an account to writing a check on that same account and sending to another.
It turns out that first graders at Woodlawn School, just north of Davidson, have an “animal service theme” as part of their classroom study. This year the students learned about many animals including pets, service animals, and rescue clubs. Teacher Tracy Hoskins has a good friend from Huntersville, Gary Rhinesmith, who volunteers regularly to read to the students and they affectionately call him Grandpa Gary. Since Gary is also an active member of the Golden Retriever Rescue Club of Charlotte (www.GRRCC.com), he was able to tell the students of his work with the club. Needing a service project, the students quickly decided to help Gary and the GRRCC with a fund raiser selling “Bandanas for your Favorite Pet” which were supplied by the GRRCC. School posters were made and advertising sent to family and friends. These colorful cloth “neck pieces” were sold for $3 each and proved a great Christmas stocking idea. The fund raiser ended early in January and plans were made for a field trip to carry the shoe box with collected funds to Wells Fargo bank where Woodlawn has a school account.
Ian Robb shows the students what a deposit slip looks like while Marcus Rafiee and Catherine Packard look on
With bills and coins sorted, the box was presented to Teller Ian Robb who carefully counted the contents and presented the class with a deposit slip for $415.95 – 50 cents more than they anticipated which brought smiles to all who gathered for the event. Then the students, accompanied by Tracy, Gary, Assistant first grade teacher, Catherine Packard, and Woodlawn Financial Manager, Marcus Rafiee, left the bank’s lobby with Well Fargo Service Manager, Courtney Weaver, to tour the vault and surrounding area.
Quite a field trip for these first graders who now will witness Marcus Rafiee writing a check from the school’s account to GRRCC to help the rescue organization with its many expenses. Never too young to learn about banking or to lend a helping hand to pets. Thanks, Woodlawn, for a delightful news item!
Erin Micklow entertains every 2nd and 4th Thursday at Main Street Books.
STORY TIME
We all think that reading to children is important. Often there are reading programs at our libraries but what fun to drop in on Story Hour at Main Street Books last week. Every second and fourth Thursday at 10 a.m. children (five and under) gather on the rug at the back of the book store for stories, music, games and a chance to meet new friends. Erin Micklow leads the half hour program with lots of energy and a good dose of patience. Erin has over 100 names she emails about each program but the attending group is much smaller. Want to know more? Stop by Main Street Books and ask owners Betty or Barbara to add your name to Erin’s list. For parents and children alike, the “Eensy, Weensy Spider” never gets old!
"Taking the plunge" to learn scuba are Troop 363 girl scouts Rebecca Fesperman, Sarah Piephoff, Rachel Neal, Halynna Snyder, Nell Alexander, Laura Maples, Lindy Heyl, Ronan O'Donaghue. Wesley Neal, who also took the class, is pictured on the back row with Lake Norman Scuba instructors Larry and Andrew.
COOKIES AND SCUBA WITH THE GIRL SCOUTS
Ah, yes, Girl Scout cookies! Just saying those three words out loud can add an inch to the waistline! A box of Samoas can be devoured in one sitting – and nothing tastes better on a hot summer day than a frozen Thin Mint. If you are salivating already, remember that Girl Scouts are taking orders right now for cookies. Lots of varieties from which to choose: In addition to Thin Mints and Samoas, you can try Tagalongs, Trefoils, Do-Si-Dos, Dulce De Leches, Thank U Berry Muches, or Savannah Smiles (the new lemon cookie that commemorates the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouts’ beginning in Savannah GA). Order them by this Thursday, January 19, for delivery to your door mid-February. Contact local Girl Scout leader Karen Fesperman at karen@fesperman.net if you need help connecting to a scout selling these delicious confections!
If you miss ordering through a scout, however, troops usually order extra boxes which they offer for sale at cookie booths outside stores and post offices beginning later in February. We may eat the cookies a bit slower this year since they are priced at $4/box but since the sales benefit the scouts, why not?
And putting the cookies aside for a minute, Girl Scout Troop 363 is involved in many troop activities. Recently they took a break from selling cookies for a scuba diving workshop conducted by the Lake Norman Scuba Shop. The class, held at the Huntersville Aquatic Center on January 7, gave the scouts a wonderful underwater experience! The 6th and 7th grade scouts in this troop are all from Davidson, attending Woodlawn, Bailey Middle, Alexander Middle, and Lake Norman Charter schools.
NOTEWORTHY NOTES
The price is right (it’s free) and the entertainment is superb! What is not to like about Musical Interludes this Friday at 12:30 p.m. and “The Marriage of Figaro” both Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. Mark your calendars now for these special events.
Cynthia Lawing has put together a marvelous “Davidson’s Got Talent” program for the “lunch hour” event ranging from classical piano to Broadway show tunes. And that evening (as well as Saturday) the Davidson College Music Department presents an abbreviated version of Mozart’s well known opera featuring Leland Park, Durwin Striplin and Dan Boye joined by six college students. Music Department Artist Associate in Voice Jacquelyn Culpepper is producing the opera dedicated to the late Robert Whitton who was an enthusiastic supporter of opera performance.
Both events will be held in the Tyler-Tallman Hall of the Sloan Music Center on campus. We will have a reminder on Thursday with more about the performers.
SEND US YOUR NEWS
Have news for Around Davidson? Write to Brenda Barger at hbarger@bellsouth.net.
