CHS 5% Club Recipients
Chesterton High School hosted the 27th annual 5% Club Banquet for those 22 students in the top 5% of the senior class of 2016 at the Spa Banquet and Event Center last evening. Each student in the top 5% selected an educator who has influenced or inspired them in their educational career to attend the banquet with them.
Bailly Elementary Education Foundation Scholarship Winner
Bailly Elementary Kindergarten student Ambria Flick was this year's winner of the 2016 Duneland Education Foundation (DEF) 10,000 Gift of Education Scholarship Raffle drawing at the 5th annual gala on April 22. Joining in on the presentation of the check for her college fund is, left to right, Superintendent Dr. David Pruis; her teacher Jacob Havner; her mother Laura Flick; Ambria; Principal Kevin Zeck; Brandon Kroft, Duneland School board member and DEF Treasurer and Allison Kroft, DEF Director.
CHS Preforming Ensembles Capture ISSMA Gold Ratings
On April 15 and 16, four Chesterton High School music ensembles travelled to the Kankakee Valley School Corporation to perform at Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) Contest. All four groups received the highest rating of Gold. The Intermediate Orchestra under the direction of Vince Arizzi performed Declarations by Jeffrey Bishop, Lullaby by William Hofeldt, and Symphony No. 15 in G Major: IV. Finale by W. A. Mozart, arr. Sandra Dackow. The combined Treble Choir and Drifters under the direction of Kristin Morris performed The Nightingale by Wilkes, Stars I Shall Find by John, and Jabberwocky by Pottle. The Sandpipers sang Conversion of Saul by Stroop, Northern Lights by Gjello, and Battle of Jericho by Hogan. The Symphonic Band under the direction of Michael Scheiber received a Gold rating including the With Distinction award.
At the end of April, the CHS Music Department and the CHS Band Boosters hosted the’s ISSMA Northern State Qualifying competition. Similar events were hosted around the state to determine the top 16 Concert Bands and top eight Symphony Orchestras in the state. These groups also take part in the ISSMA State Concert Organization Championship event this past weekend at Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis. At the Chesterton site, the very finest high school concert bands and orchestras from the Northern part of Indiana came together to take part in both a prepared stage performance of advanced musical literature and a sight-reading competition. Two CHS ensembles competed at the ISSMA Qualifier.
The CHS Wind Ensemble’s three selections were "Xerxes" by John Mackey; "Dusk" by Steven Bryant; and "Ride" by Samuel Hazo. The Wind Ensemble earned a Gold rating. The CHS Wind Ensemble is under the direction of Michael Scheiber.
The Advanced Orchestra selections were "Variants", by Jack Bullock, two movements from John Rutter's "Suite for Strings", and "Night In Mexico", by Paul Creston. The orchestra is under the direction of Vincent Arizzi.
The ISSMA contest performances give the directors and the students valuable feedback regarding their performances from judges who are outstanding in the musical field. The feedback and critique from these judges is very specific in all aspects of music performance.
For additional information about this, or any music department event, please contact Tom Schnabel, Director of Music Education, at the CHS Music Department at 983-3730.