Group would give SeDoMoCha musicians a boost

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — Nearly 60 percent of students at SeDoMoCha Middle School participate in a music ensemble and all pupils in pre-kindergarten through grade 4 are served by the elementary music program.
    To encourage and continue to grow what can be a life-long pursuit, a group of teachers, parents and others have been working to form the SeDoMoCha Music Boosters. During a school board meeting on March 3, music teachers Kaitlin Young and Alecia Griffin made a presentation on the proposed group and how it would serve the student musicians.

    The two educators mentioned the various music programs offered at SeDoMoCha, which includes three evening performances across the school year at the elementary level and the various bands, choruses and jazz band for middle school students — all fifth- and sixth-graders are served by the middle school music program.
    “We have had the fortune that our program has drastically increased in the last five years,” Young said, mentioning how now approximately 59 percent of middle-schoolers take part in a music ensemble. “We have tried to think about what we can do to take our program to the next level.”
    “We have seen the wonderful things the Foxcroft Academy Music Boosters have done for that program,” she said, saying among the boosters’ efforts are providing funds to enable more students to get involved.
    Since the fall, Young and Griffin and others — now up to 15 teaches and community members — have worked to develop SeDoMoCha Music Boosters, following all district policies to draft a constitution and bylaws. A four-point purpose of the organization is to encourage and promote the activities of the instrumental and vocal music departments of the two schools; foster relationships between home, school and community to benefit the general music classrooms as well as chorus and band members; work closely with administrators and music program directors to enhance and enrich the musical education experience for all students; and provide moral and financial support for the music program that serves pre-K through grade 8 students.
    “This is taking it to the next level and continuing to provide music to our students at little to no cost,” Young said.
    “The cost of instruments is extremely high,” Griffin added. She explained over half of the band members borrow school-owned instruments, with some of these musicians having the associated fee waived due to being income-eligible. Other students rent their instruments from private companies, but with every instrument there are other associated costs such as reeds and valve oil.
    The two teachers shared a wish list of varying costs of items the music boosters could work to provide students. Young said for the choral concerts, risers need to be borrowed from Foxcroft Academy and moved over from the West Main Street campus.
    “We would also like to provide performance polos for our students to wear,” Griffin said about another wish list item, comparing these shirts to athletic uniforms. She then thanked the school board for hearing their presentation and asked the directors to give the SeDoMoCha Music Boosters a vote of support at the April meeting.
    “It’s a very, very positive thing and the crowds have been huge,” Superintendent Bob Lucy said about elementary concerts. He then thanked Young and Griffin for all they do in the classroom and their efforts to develop a proposed music boosters.
    In other business, Lucy gave an update on the budget process for the approaching year. “Since our last meeting on Feb. 3 we had a finance committee meeting on Feb. 24 and we looked at a first draft of the budget for the 2016 fiscal year,” he said. “We are meeting again on March 24 to look at a more updated budget.”
    Lucy said current figures indicate the local contribution to the RSU 68 spending plan will need to be increased by approximately $155,000, while monies received from the state will be about $118,000 less than for 2014-15.  He said district officials are working “to balance the needs of the school system with the finances of the taxpayer.”
    Board Chair Rick Johnston said with a number of required mandates and the state not funding 55 percent of the educational costs, “It’s getting harder and harder for us to pass this on to the taxpayer.” Johnston said “now’s the time to get involved” prior to the annual district budget meeting in May when many of the financial components have been finalized.
    SeDoMoCha Principal Julie Kimball said the fifth annual One Book, One School celebration was held on the evening of Feb. 12 and then during the school day on Feb. 13. The Feb. 13 session “was the first time we had ever taken that approach to do a second day,” Kimball said.
    “With the efforts of so many we were able to link our elementary students with our middle school students,” as the younger pupils joined their older peers in a number of activities related to the novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” Kimball added, “There were many laughs throughout the building and lots of good times.”
    Kimball said One Book, One School is being planned for a sixth year in 2016, but ending celebration details of the shared family reading program are to be determined.
    The school board appointed five coaches for the upcoming spring athletic season at the middle school. The positions will be Ryan Nickerson, head track; Amy Fagan-Cannon, assistant track; Matthew Spooner, baseball; Chris Wesley, A team softball; and Alexis Coleman, B team softball.