FMS Jazz Band earns top honors at Maine State Middle School Jazz Festival

Falmouth Middle School’s “Iron Twinkies” Jazz Band earned first place at the 2016 Maine State Middle School Instrumental Jazz Festival in Division I March 19 at Nokomis High School in Newport. The band, under the direction of music teacher Jerry Barry, scored 95.66 out of 100 possible points. It was the 14th time since 2001 the band has been crowned Maine State Jazz Band champions.

In addition, trumpet player Mary Kate Bayer was awarded a State Jazz Festival “Outstanding Musicianship” award, presented to the top five student performers in Division 1.

Twelve individual Falmouth musicians also received Jazz Festival Awards for excellent improvisation, including Matthew Mitschele, Cole Matthews, Mary Kate Bayer, Sofie Matson, Thomas Downey, Chloe Jacquet, Sophie Goldberg, Pawan Yerramilli, Chris Kinley, Benjamin Potter, Matthew Hafener and John Longinetti.

Rounding out the roster were Joey Lavallee, Anna Sharp, Lena Wood, Henry Janosick, Skyler Piltch, Shruti Joshi, John Peelen, Trevor Neff, Alexa Dargie, Katalina Echavarri, Kelly Yoon, Adrian Friedman, Max Peters and Devon Noble.

Iron Twinkies Jazz Band members are selected each December by audition. The band rehearses two mornings per week January through March to prepare for district and state level jazz festivals, as well as numerous school and community performances.

The band performed three selections of varying styles for a panel of three judges, who adjudicate the students’ ability to perform stylistically in the jazz idiom. Judging categories include technical merit, artistic merit, solo/improvisation, and programming/presentation, which also includes the degree of difficulty of the selections performed.

The music performed by Falmouth Middle School included an original blues swing tune entitled “May’s Way” written by Jeff Jarvis; the triple meter classic, “A Child is Born” by Thad Jones; and a jazz-rock closer called “What is Hip?” made famous by the musical group Tower of Power.

The judges commented that the band was “so musical” and performed with “a lot of style.” They also remarked about the band’s “fine ensemble sound” and complimented them by saying, “fabulous work.”

Local students participate in ‘Girl’s Day’

Falmouth Middle School eighth-graders Mary Kate Bayer and Haley Stark, were two of more than 100 students who traveled to Augusta for “Girls’ Day at the State House” earlier this month. Girls from around the state learned about the legislative process, participated in mock public hearings and met female leaders.

FHS graduate earns certification

Audrey Balzer, of Freeport, a 2014 graduate of Freeport High School, was one of a dozen students who recently earned certificates of completion from VIP Dental Assistant Training of Maine, based at the dental practice of Dr. Brian D. Boynton in Yarmouth.

Greely High School Honor Roll

CUMBERLAND —The following students demonstrated academic excellence and earned a place on the Greely High School Honor Roll during the second quarter:

High Honors

Grade 9: Anna Briley, Jordan Bryant, Madeline Irish, Kylie Josephson, Carter Lawless, Timothy Lester, Katherine Metzger, Edmund Paquin, Caroline Payne, Madeline Perfetti, Courtney Rog, Ibrahim Saleh, Colby Santana, Madison Scott, Ksenia Smart, Matthew SmithErb, Rachel Spencer, Adeline Traficonte, Evan Wyman

Grade 10: Isabelle Bachelder, Kelsey Currier, Kallee Gallant, Michael Geary, Gregory Pershing, Madison Rawnsley, Adeline Ray, Bridget Roberts, Safa Saleh, Peter Theodores

Grade 11: Mariah Belisle, Samuel Bonnevie, Alyssa Gerencer, Zoe Lambert, Maggie Nolan, Jenna Pavis, Jackie Perlmutter, Isabel Porter

Grade 12: Katherine Bacall, Joshua Coyle, Madelyn Day, Wyatt Kilburn, Hannah MacKenzie, Alex Mwakilau, Claire Nicholson, Matt Pisini, Jacob Small, Gianluca Sobrero

Honors

Grade 9: Brooke Asherman, Lillian Benoit, Lars Boddie, Connor Bray, Jordan Briggs, Nina Brinker, Nicolas Brown, Brendan Carrell, Isabella Chandler, Erin Clancy, Madison Conklin, Skylar Cooney, Hannah Craig, Julia Curran, Matthew Desjardins, Emma Dexter, Nathan Dillman, Morgen Dutil, Emma Fitzpatrick, Gowan Frost, Jack Gustafson, Aidan Hayes, Justin Hobart, Nathan Ingersoll, George Kendall, Anna Kennedy, Annie Langhauser, Hope LeClair, Luke Marsanskis, Maggie McCormick, Mollie McDonald, Taylor MeredithPickett, Alban Michaud, Aidan Michaud, Natalie Mullin, Madelaine Panici, Ashley Parvin, Seth Pitcher, Halley Price, Adam Ray, Katelin Reed, Mia Rico, Charles Saffian, William Schumacher, Kira Shepard, Aiden Smith, Anna Smith, Rachel Smith, Emma Spoerri, Kimberly Steinman, Luke Stickney, Andrew Storey, Janelle Taylor, Ryan Thompson, Quinn Tompkins, Sarah Traister, Blake Turner, Samantha Watt, Madison Weatherbee, Scott Wentzell, Jacob Whiting, Jackson Williams, Thomas Young, Carlotta Ziervogel

Grade 10: Jared Bard, Brooke Bickford, Lillian Black, Ethan Brouder, Nathaniel Bryant, Olivia Bucknam, Kate Curran, Claire Davis, Alexander Eisenhart, Alexander Gerencer, Lauren Gervais, Natalie Giroux, Kathryn Hall, Rebecca Hamlen, Joshua Herreid, Molly Horton, Caroline Isasi, Samuel Jagolinzer, William Jenkins, Stephanie Johnson, Sophie Kaplan, Timothy Kendall, Benjamin Kennedy, Eben Kiesow, Sarah Kinzer, Gretchen Manley, Sydney MeredithPickett, Quinn Molloy, Nicole Morse, William Murphy, Alexandra Peary, Coco Petrone, Tyler Plante, Trevor Rafford, Sean Richard, Allison Richards, Jacob Sherr, Sydney Smart, Chloe Smith, Jenifer Spencer, Katherine Steinberg, Taylor Steuer, Hannah Storey, Matthew Strout, Courtney Sullivan, Greta Van Curan, Chloe Waldrep, Ashton Weagle

Grade 11: Katherine Atwood, Jordan Bagshaw, Lindsey Beaulieu, Emily Braley, Benjamin Caiazzo, Amelia Cavanaugh, Molly Chapin, Samantha Dalton, Brianna Desjardins, Hannah Doolittle, Ryan Fraser, Natalie Fritzon, Andrew Graham, Ian Grant, Aidan Greenlee, Liam Greenlee, Grace Hayden Hunt, Troy Higgins, Erin Holmes, Caleb Howell, Hannah Jennings, Cameron Kennedy, Kathryn Landry, Katherine Leggat Barr, Madeline LePage, Axel Lindsay, Joseph MacDonald, Matthew McDevitt, Braden Megathlin, Ryan Megathlin, Benjamin Paine, Kathryn Pare, Tucker Parent, Emma Payson, Isabella Perry, William Pidgeon, Samantha Pitassi, Grace Quatticci, Justin Rice, Sophia Richard, Noah RovnerFrydman, John Saffian, Ellie Schad, Brendan Scott, Brian Sidders, Hannah Smith-Erb, Julia Stinneford, Natalie Swisher, Moira Train, Ryan Twitchell, Benjamin Williams, Benjamin Wilson, Evan Wood, Caroline Zambardi

Grade 12: Kendra Anderson, Michaela Arsenault, Charlotte Benoit, Ryan Bray, Lucy Brown, Andrea Bryant, Declan Campbell, Camilla Civiello, Allison Coon, Makenzie Copp, Jaime Coyle, Kaitlyn Currier, Madison Cyr, Anne Davis, Samantha Dorr, Dylan Doughty, Miranda Eisenhart, Kendra Elder, Siana Emery, Alexa Faietta, Sarah Felkel, John Gaudet, Elizabeth George, Emmanuel Godfrey, Nathaniel  Grandchamp, Evan Hill, Conner Hines, Abigail Israel, Tyler Kane, Elena Kropp, Caroline Maker, Rylee Michaud, Corey MitchellLaBrie, Erin Molloy, Gabriella Nicolaou, Caleb Normandeau, Meghan O’Donovan, Kelsey Otley, Harrison Pershing, Stephanie Pitassi, Owen Potenziano, Faith Price, Nicholas Pronovost, Sofia Reali, Margaret Reed, Aidan Regan, Aidan Roberts, Connor Rog, Sarah Somes, Calvin Soule, Bradford Spoerri, Sophia Stickney, Olivia Taylor, Alexandra Tebbs, Brynne Victory

BalzerBayer

Stark