Vernonia County School Names Music Building after Alfred Editor Robert Sheldon
Vernonia, OR — 9/23/2008
After a flood in December 2007 destroyed Vernonia School District's music library, a donation of performance charts from Alfred Concert Band editor Robert Sheldon helped the schools continue with their spring programming. To show their appreciation to Sheldon and Alfred, the district's students and staff named the new music space "Robert Sheldon Hall."
"The donation meant everything to the students because the music program was the one normal thing amidst the flood," said Izzett, who directs Band and Choir at the district. Naming the space was a "no brainier" for Izzett and the students, he said. Nearly half of their music library was destroyed, including most of the performance music.
The district, a small town in Oregon, contains 1 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school. With most of the high school and middle school sites destroyed, the site of the flooded elementary school was converted into a temporary space with modular trailers set up as classrooms. The administration encouraged students and faculty to name the modulars, in order to make the temporary campus feel like home.
Sheldon had contacted Izzett after hearing about the flood and offered them music to help them get through the school year. The new music allowed the schools to continue with their spring concert and contest season, something that lifted the students' spirit after their school being destroyed.
"We were business as usual as much as we could, with donated music and borrowed instruments," said Izzett. "We were so happy we didn't have to cancel our performances."
Izzett said he plans to ask the district to keep the name when the new music building on the campus is built. Until decisions are made concerning the building of new schools, which could take at least two years according to Izzett, the middle and high schools will reside in the modular buildings. The district's music students have previously performed for a Portland Trailblazers game and plan on performing at Disneyland in March 2009.
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