Thank you to everyone who joined us at Fernwood Elementary’s Sister Schools Benefit Concert last month! We had so much fun listening to the students’ joyful music.
Fernwood Elementary is a special community, filled with generous and dedicated individuals. We’re honored to work with them to build up a generation of great students who are going to go so far in life!
As always, we were blown away by the musical talent on display at the concert. Kids’ music events can sometimes be an acquired taste, preferred only by parents of the performers. But the Fernwood students delivered both a huge dose of cuteness AND a beautiful sound.
Concert goers were treated to beautiful music from two choirs, two marimba bands, and a ukelele ensemble. We’re so proud of the hard work and dedication shown by each student to create this event.
The Benefit Concert is the brainchild of music teacher Katherine Berry, a long-time supporter of Sister Schools. She has been invaluable both to us and to Fernwood for many years. Can you believe this was the 17th annual concert? That’s how many years Katherine has been pouring her heart into this event, and this year was no exception. Her joy in her students’ accomplishments really shone throughout the evening, and it’s easy to see why she is such a beloved teacher.
At this year’s concert, we presented the second annual Overton Berry Service Award. Given in honor of a student who goes above and beyond in service to others, just like the late great Overton Berry did in his lifetime, this award is an opportunity for us to remember the legendary jazz musician and honor his legacy of service to the Seattle community and to Sister Schools.
This year, we were pleased to present the award to 4th grader Harita Gadhiya. During a reading lesson on the “I Have a Dream” speech, Harita and her classmates were asked to write a speech envisioning their own better world. Harita’s focused on a world where everyone had enough to eat. Not content with just writing the speech, Hartia went on to launch her own food drive to help make the dream a reality. After receiving the award, Harita shared her speech with the audience, impressing us all.
If you couldn’t join us for the concert, you missed an incredible event! Huge thank you to Katherine Berry and the students of Fernwood Elementary for making the evening possible.