THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 25, 1994 TAG: 9412230262
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HOLLY WESTER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
FOR A GROUP of students at Pembroke Elementary School, the spirit of giving is not unique to the holidays. It's year round.
Pembroke's Send-A-Song Kids, a group of traveling singers, deliver singing telegrams to students, faculty and even to people outside the school throughout the year.
A recent stop was the School Administration Building, where the kids dropped by for an afternoon of caroling and special deliveries.
Joanne D'Agostino, planning specialist in the education planning center, was one of four lucky telegram recipients.
``They were great,'' said D'Agostino, former assistant principal at Pembroke. ``It's almost hard to believe how young they are. Their show is very professional . . . very polished.''
The students sang on each floor of the building, and employees gathered around to enjoy the presentations. ``This really brings the holidays alive for all of us,'' said Deborah Jewell-Jackson, special assistant to the superintendent. ``It makes us very mindful of why we do what we do.''
Pembroke music teacher MaryAnna Elser initially came up with the concept for Send-A-Song Kids six or seven years ago after talking with an old friend from high school who is also an elementary school music teacher.
``It just seemed like a wonderful idea,'' Elser said. The ``idea'' turned into reality after she got together with fifth-grade teacher Frances Spuler. ``Our minds just clicked, and we've had great fun ever since,'' Elser added.
The two had several reasons for getting the group started. ``Send-A-Song telegrams improve self-esteem in the performers and recipients alike, provide a means for groups of students to write and perform music and foster working cooperatively to achieve a goal,'' Spuler said.
A group of students man the telegram ordering desk, where parents, faculty and students can complete an order form to send birthday cheer, congratulations or any message. For $1.50, the Send-A-Song Kids sing a special song and present the recipient with a greeting card and Polaroid picture of the occasion.
After orders are placed, Elser and Spuler write most songs, feeding them into a computer program for writing music. They print copies for the children to study. Elser plays the melodies on the piano and records them.
Four to seven students work together to deliver a telegram. Responsibility comes with the territory and some of the duties include announcing, managing the tape recorder, playing the glockenspiel and taking the picture.
``I like to sing and it's fun,'' said fifth-grader Michelle McDonald, 10.
Another fifth-grader, Melanie Calhoun, 11, likes the traveling. ``I wanted to do this because you get to go into different classrooms and deliver telegrams to people,'' she said. ``If they're in fifth-grade, they get really embarrassed. When they're younger, they're really happy.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos by PETER D. SUNDBERG
Pembroke Elementary ``reindeer'' prance through the lobby of the
School Administration Building on an afternoon of caroling and
special deliveries.
Accompanied by Matthew Dure on the glockenspiel, schoolmates deliver
a singing telegram at the School Administration Building.
Kyle Hockensmith, 7, playing Santa, and his schoolmates entertain
personnel at the School Administration Building with Christmas
songs.
Graphic
SINGING KIDS
Members of the Send-A-Song Kids are:
Second-graders: Tiffany Calhoun, Amanda Dure, Kyle Hockensmith,
April Johnson, Candace Johnson, Sarah Wirth.
Third-graders: Stacy Johnson, Jennifer Kinney, Lacy Liggins,
Staci Strates, Crystal Waters, Venyse Young.
Fourth-graders: Sarah Diaz, Matthew Dure, Brandon Gentry, Akeisha
Nottingham, Brianne Sentman, Amber Stempf.
Fifth-graders: Jessica Buie, Melanie Calhoun, Stephanie Doblosky,
Holly Few, Cristin Hallstein, Catherine Kinney, Michelle McDonald,
Emily Valet.
by CNB