Four Padres head to All-State orchestra
Four Carmel High School students will be playing for the All-State Orchestra this Feb. 20-23 at the California All-State Music Education Conference in Fresno.
Peter Mellinger, Steve Yoo, Edie Ellison and Ari Freedman were chosen to play for the orchestra by a panel of judges in December. It’s a pretty big deal, considering how difficult it is to be selected.
“It’s highly competitive,” music teacher Brian Handley says. “The students have to record auditions of some challenging material. They send the auditions in, and they are listened to blind by a panel of judges. Only the best players are selected to be part of the orchestra.”
The All-State Orchestra is essentially an all-star group of the best string players in the entire state of California. It is sponsored by the State Music Educators Association in partnership with both the California Orchestra Directors Association and all the other music educators in the state. As such, getting noticed by such large organizations is no small matter.
“It really is a tremendous honor,” Handley says. “For us, being the size school and orchestra we are, to have four players there is really huge. I’m very proud of them.”
-Sam Graves
Pasta Night fundraiser postponed to May 4
Pasta Night, a joint fundraiser by the Padre Parents and the Carmel Valley Rotary Club originally set to take place March 1, has been postponed to mid-May for unstated reasons.
According to Paul Behan, chief technology officer at the district office, the event will take place in the Carmel High School cafeteria, and all funds raised will go back to CHS through those two organizations.
Pebble Beach Company is the major sponsor for the evening, providing meals cooked by celebrity chef Todd Fisher of the Pebble Beach Inn at Spanish Bay and star of Discovery Channel’s “United States of Bacon,” a hit TV series.
The event will have live music, an auction, raffles and a fancy dinner.
Interested attendees should buy tickets through Padre Parents or Carmel Valley Rotary Club in advance in order to reserve spots for the event, although tickets are not available yet.
-Day Gudmundsson
Sober Grad fundraising works toward $50k
With the intention of offsetting costs for the CHS seniors’ exclusive, end-of-the-year party, parent and student volunteers raised $7,000 at the second annual Sober Grad Rummage Sale on Feb. 1.
While Sober Grad usually costs $30,000-$40,000, this year’s estimated cost, according to Sober Grad chairperson Eliza Schreckenberger, is $50,000. Although this may seem unbelievable, the cost includes insurance, decorations, entertainment, food and beverages, as well as security.
The event, taking place June 6, will be held in the CHS gym, and as always will be decorated with a surprise theme. Parent volunteers are in charge of set up.
As Schreckenberger says, “It takes a village.”
The Sober Grad 2014 minute notes mention that as of Jan. 28, $31,000 has already been donated through parents, businesses and grants. A goal to raise $19,000 has been set to ensure that necessary equipment can be attained. Excess donations will contribute to the Sober Grad 2015 fund.
“Our goal is 100 percent participation,” says Linda Cosmero, Sober Grad communications co-chair.
More information on upcoming fundraisers and making a donation through PayPal can be found on the CHS website, under the parent information tab.
-Delaney King
