A rising senior music performance major at James Madison University, Dylan began playing the saxophone at age 12 and was hooked! At Magna Vista Hight School in Ridgeway, VA he was a member of the marching band and has received multiple scholarships from JMU and Piedmont Arts, an arts center in Martinsville, VA. In 2022 he received a first place award for his baritone sax performance of 18th century music at the Charleston International Music Competition.
Dylan works two summer jobs to help pay his school costs that scholarships don't cover. The For Alison Foundation was honored to present him with a new IPad 10 and stylus to create and perform his music, and a soprano neck for his saxophone which enhances tuning and sound.
Click on the bar below to hear Dylan play the first movement of the Dubois Concerto.
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Campbell Court Elementary in Bassett, VA were able to treat their 5th graders to a performance of "Elf, the Musical" at Mill Mountain Theater in Roanoke on December 9th, thanks to the For Alison Foundation. Principal Kenya Gravely commented, "we had a really good time and the kids loved the performance. Thank you for supporting us as we expose our students to the arts!"
Many students in the school have never seen a live musical performance, and it helps them to realize how exciting the performing arts can be and help them learn to be good audience members.
Tyrique Bowles,16, of Roanoke has been awarded the Alison B. Parker memorial scholarship at the Star City School of Ballet.
A home-schooled student who has been dancing since the age of 11, Tyrique also performs with the Southwest Virginia Ballet, a pre-professional company. He acknowledges that he is the only African-American male in the company, and he hopes that he can lead the way so that others are comfortable choosing a profession in the performing arts. According to data published by Zippia, only 22% of ballet dancers in our country and of those only 4% are African American.
Congratulations to Tyrique and we wish him all of the best as he pursues his chosen career in the arts!
The For Alison Foundation is the longest continuous funder of the Grandin Theatre Film Lab. Now in its 7th years, the Film Lab after-school program gives students across the Roanoke Valley access to video editing equipment, filming locations, and hands on experiential learning about what it takes to be a filmmaker. Over the years the student films have been accepted into prestigious film festivals around the world and received multiple awards including Capital Region Student Emmys.
For Alison Foundation was on hand at the premier of the latest student films. We wish these great filmmakers all the best as many of the graduating seniors go on to film school or into lucrative jobs in the film industry.
Eighty 5th grade students from Carver Elementary School in Henry Country traveled to Roanoke to see the Virginia Children's Theatre Company production of "James and the Giant Peach" at the Jefferson Center. Tickets were provided by The For Alison Foundation as a part of the mission to give young people in southern Virginia unique arts opportunities.
Based on a popular children's novel, the story centers on a young orphan boy who enters a gigantic, magical peach and has a wild adventure with seven magically altered garden bugs he meets.
Sixty-five drama students from Bassett High School in Henry County, VA traveled to the Tanger Center in Greensboro, NC to see the national touring production of "Beetlejuice". Based on Tim Burton's beloved film, the hilarious musical tells the story of an unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes. Irrevently funny and a huge hit!
This trip was sponsored by a grant from The For Alison Foundation that gives young people in southern Virginia arts opportunities that expand their creative horizons. Thanks to drama teacher Justin Kline for reaching out on behalf of his students!
Piedmont Arts TAC (Teen Arts Council) members attended a performance of "Clue on Stage" at Wolfbane Productions in Appomattox, Virginia thanks to a grant from the For Alison Foundation. Based on the iconic 1985 Paramount movie, Clue is a hilarious farce-meets-murder mystery.
The TAC mission is to involve young people in grades 9-12 in the arts and give them a safe place to express themselves. Wolfbane Productions is a nonprofit Arts and Civic organization bringing award-winning professional theater, premium arts education, and community driven advocacy programs to Central Virginia.
Thanks to a partnership between the For Alison Foundation and Piedmont Arts, fourth graders from both Albert Harris Elementary and Patrick Henry Elementary schools in Martinsville will be attending a performance of "The Nutcracker" on December 9. The production is an annual event in Roanoke, presented by the Southwest Virginia Ballet.
In the fall of 2022, these fourth grade students participated in "Dance Espanol", a week-long dance outreach program created by Pedro Szalay, artistic director of the SVB and brought to the Martinsville schools by Piedmont Arts. The students learn teamwork and dance moves and are taught in both Spanish and English. At the end of the week the students present a performance for classmates and parents.
Photo: Alison's ballet shoes were used on the set for a previous production of the SWVB Nutcracker.
The For Alison Foundation continues to provide a scholarship for a student at the Star City School of Ballet in Roanoke for the 5th year. Two-time recipient, Simone Ayers, who is now a dance student at Point Park University in Pittsburg, PA was also a member of the Southwest Virginia Ballet company and danced the part of the Sugar Plum Fairy in their 2018 production of The Nutcracker.
Pictured is Simone with a fellow dance student in Pittsburg.
On April 20, 2022, sixty-eight Bassett and Magna Vista High School drama students saw a production of "In the Heights" at Roanoke, Virginia's Mill Mountain Theatre. This trip was sponsored by the For Alison Foundation to give these young people a chance to experience the magic of the arts and to pursue their creative dreams.
Justin Kline, theater and fine arts instructor at Bassett High School said, "We are forever grateful for this wonderful foundation that brings these amazing opportunities! So many smiles, here on earth and up in heaven."
Twenty-sever visual art students from Martinsville High School toured the amazing exhibit, Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design at the Taubman Museum in Roanoke. The exhibit featured her designs from the movies "Amistad", "Coming to America", "Selma", "Do the Right Thing", "Malcolm X", and her Oscar-winning creations for "Black Panther". This guided tour and lunch in Roanoke afterward was provided by the For Alison Foundation.
Seventy 5th grade students and their teachers from Campbell Court Elementary in Bassett, VA boarded a bus to Broadway - a touring company of the hit show Lion King at the Tanger Center in Greensboro, NC. The students wore matching Makuna Matata shirts provided by Eastman Corp.
The experience was thanks to the For Alison Foundation and for many of the students it was the first live audience experience. According to the principal, who also accompanied the students and reached out to the foundation for funding, "There are not enough words to express my gratitude for what your organization did for the Campbell Court students. They were in awe of the production and again I thank you for allowing my students this experience".
Four talented young people received scholarships to the Roanoke Youth Symphony Orchestra for the 2021- 2022 school year. Students must audition for the RYSO and be accepted to be eligible for the scholarships.
Photo: Magna Vista High School forensics coach Bryan Dunn (front) hold the state team trophy as he is surrounded by members of his championshp team. They are (standing, front, from left) Ava Knight, Lauren Trent, Brianna Tatum, Ivanna Gutierrez, Joanna Gutierrez and (back row) Brayden Lynch, William Ortega and MacKenzie Morrison.
The Martinsville Bulletin
Magna Vista team wins forensics title
Eight students from Magna Vista High School brought home five individual awards and overall top honors recently in the Class 3 VHSL State Championship in Forensics, the school announced.
Forensics is public speaking and debate, and students choose from prose, poetry, storytelling, serious dramatic interpretation, humorous dramatic interpretation, serious duo and humorous duo (which involve two speakers working together).
MVHS student Briana Tatum placed first in the Humorous Dramatic Interpretation event. MacKenzie Morrison placed first in the Storytelling event, and Brayden Lynch and Ava Knight placed first in the Humorous Duo event.
Sisters Ivanna and Joanna Gutierrez place second in the Serious Duo event, followed by William Ortega-Wilson and Lauren Trent, who placed third.
Usually a large, in-person event, the competition this year was held virtually, and each student competed in front of a single computer, with judges and other competitors watching from their own devices.
“It was very jarring, especially for students in humorous contests, as there was no audible indication they were achieving their goal. Imagine trying out a joke for the first time and not knowing whether or not it was landing the right way,” Coach, Bryan Dunn said in the release.
Dunn said three students placed in state and the team was runner-up in 2019. “As excited as I was, I remember thinking to myself, ‘This is probably the best it will ever get.’ I have never been happier to be proven wrong this past March,” Dunn said.
If you weren't able to watch The Southwest Virginia Ballet's production of The Nutcracker on Blue Ridge Public Television click here: SWVB The Nutcracker
The For Alison Foundation is proud to be a sponsor of this innovative take on a Christmas classic.
The 2020-21 recipient of the Alison Parker scholarship to the Star City School of Ballet, Simone Ayres of Bassett, is a senior this year. She was unable to dance in Southwest Virginia Ballet's production of The Nutcracker this year due to injury, but you'll remember her as the Sugar Plum Fairy in the 2018 production. This photo is from a 2019 performance at Piedmont Arts in Martinsville.
ROANOKE, VA (May 26, 2020) – The Grandin Theatre Film Lab has won one very prestigious award. The National Academy of Television Arts and Science, National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter, has awarded one Film Lab film top honors in the 2019 Capital Emmy High School Fiction category. Grandin Theatre Film Lab students Bryce Knick, Lainey Auwarter, Zane Farmer, Carter Schaeffer, and Sophia Kelley walked away with the BEST LONG-FORM FICTION in the High School division for their film, HOURGLASS. The Capital Emmy comes of the heels of HOURGLASS also winning Best Narrative Student Film at Longleaf Film Festival in Raleigh, NC in early May. The For Alison Foundation is a proud sponsor of the Grandin Theatre Film Lab.
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The Southwest Virginia Ballet's 2019 production of The Nutcracker featured two Star City School of Ballet students who are recipients of the Alison B. Parker scholarship. The 2018 recipient, Simone Ayres (L), danced the role of Marzipan and the 2019 recipient, Anna Lemon (R), danced the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Sponsored by the For Alison Foundation, the fourth grade students from Sanville, Campbell Court, and Stanleytown Elementary Schools in Henry County were to have traveled to Roanoke on December 13 to see the performance and meet the two dancers, but school was closed due to inclement weather. The students are now hoping to attend a performance by the ballet in the spring, and Simone and Anna can't wait to dance for them!
What the band teacher had to say -
Thank you for giving the MHS Jazz Band the opportunity to participate in the clinic with Dr. Dayl Burnett at Radford. The clinic was outstanding!
Regards,
Brian Joyce
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The For Alison Foundation announces the 2019 recipient of the Alison Parker Memorial Scholarship at the Star City School of Ballet in Roanoke, Virginia.
This year’s recipient of the scholarship is Anna Lemon, daughter of Sheri Lemon and Glenn Lemon. Anna is in the eleventh grade at North Cross School and has been dancing since the age of three. She will be performing the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Southwest Virginia Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker.
The Star City School of Ballet is located in Roanoke. Pedro Szalay, the artistic director of the Southwest Virginia Ballet and a former principal dancer at the Richmond Ballet, is the owner/director of the school.
The scholarship is in memory of WDBJ7 journalist Alison Parker who was killed in August of 2015. Alison studied dance for thirteen years and was rehearsing for the “Dancing with the Valley Stars” fundraiser for the Salvation Army at the time of her death.
ROANOKE, VA – The Grandin Theatre Film Lab has won five very prestigious awards. The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter, has awarded Grandin Film Lab five top honors in the 2019 Capital Emmy Student Production Awards. Grandin Theatre Film Lab students walked away with BEST VIDEO: Girl in the Yellow Sweater, which was a collaborative effort with the Jefferson Center Music Lab students. In addition, Film Lab garnered first place in BEST SHORT-FORM FICTION: Dandelion (co-winner); BEST SHORT-FORM NONFICTION: Till I Come Home; and BEST LONG-FORM FICTION: Freedom Abridged and Wanderer (co-winners with each other). This is a stellar achievement for the Grandin Theatre Film Lab students who spent an entire academic year writing, filming, and editing the award-winning short films and music video.
The GRANDIN THEATRE FILM LAB program represents a model of experiential learning in screenwriting, acting, lighting, filming, editing, production, technology, and promotion. Our goal is to develop a continually improving model for molding the lives of youth as they grow not only as screenwriters, actors, directors, editors, and producers, but as contributing members of our society and informed citizens.
During mid-June, the 2019 week-long Summer Music Institute (SMI) held at Hollins University offered daily group instruction, masterclasses, and rehearsals for both a full orchestra and two string orchestras. This musical week concluded with a public performance by the Roanoke Youth Symphony Orchestra and the string orchestras.
For Alison Foundation is proud to sponsor these talented young people as they pursue excellence in musical performance. For more information, visit the RSO website.
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Fourth-graders marched single file into the gymnasium of Patrick Henry Elementary School on Friday to thunderously loud applause.
That was from the student body, seated on the floor neatly in rows, ready to watch them perform for Dance Español.
Dance Español is a 2-week, in-school dance workshop led by Pedro Szalay, artistic director for Southwest Virginia Ballet. Piedmont Arts sponsored it for the fourth-grade classes at both city schools.
In daily, 45-minute sessions, Szalay led the students through dance moves performed to Spanish-language lyrics they sang, along to the rhythm of piano music by Beth Chapman.
Before her group’s performance at Albert Harris Elementary School, fourth-grader Sariyah Millner said, “I am excited, but at the same time I’m scared, and when I get scared, my stomach starts, like, popping. But I’m excited at the same time because … we get to have fun with more kids.”
She said she enjoys learning Spanish outside the classroom and with students in other classes.
At the start of the programs, Szalay told the student audience that it is important to learn another language – he speaks three, he said – because languages “help you to learn to help other people. You can help yourself and help others.”
Adding in music and dance with learning language “is a nice element for the class,” he said.
Many of the lyrics the performers were to sing had focus on vowels, because “the vowels are the most important part of language,” he told the students.
He spoke animatedly, and the young audience watched his introduction with rapt attention. Nonetheless, he told them, “I promise I’m not going to talk all morning because –“
And at that point, Chapman interrupted his talking with loud piano playing.
“That means, ‘Pedro, don’t talk, man,’” he said. And so it was the performance began with the audience in cheerful laughter and applause.
Through the 30-minute program, the students performed moves line-dance style, with kicks, hops and arm movements. Among the lyrics were statements such as “Todos somos buenos estudiantes” — “We all are good students” – directionals, such as “atrás and adelante” — “back” and “forward” – and parts of the body, each touched as announced.
Ariyana Nowlin, a fourth-grader at Albert Harris Elementary School, said that Dance Espanol makes her “feel happy and excited at the same time because we have the opportunity to, like, go outside the classroom and, like, express how we feel, and we get to be around other kids instead of being in just one classroom.”
During the past two weeks, “we have learned a lot of Spanish and new dances,” Sariyah Millner said.
“I have learned a lot of Spanish and how to work with other people,” Ariyana said.
Dance Español focuses on fourth-grade students because they have both physical coordination and the concentration skills necessary to benefit from the 45-minute sessions, according to a press release from Piedmont Arts. The program enhances memorization skills as the students repeat choreographic patterns in different combinations throughout each class. The development of these skills helps strengthen mathematical abilities and increases focus, discipline and self-control.
The program “was such a privilege for my students to participate in,” PHES Principal Cameron Cooper said. “Dancing in a coordinated fashion, allows students to develop skills of concentration, memorization, and focus-all of which carry over into successful academic achievement.”
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The school's theater will have a name that means a lot to WDBJ7 and the greater community.
"We are going to name it the Alison Parker theater. It's a very special place that people come and see performances and really she will be delightful because she was a beautiful dancer and I know she's dancing up there," Szalay said.
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The late Alison Parker would have loved seeing the Southwest Virginia Ballet's "The Nutcracker" this December -- but instead, 160 city fourth-graders saw it, thanks to the foundation created in her memory.
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Today was magical for 160 4th graders from Martinsville City elementary schools. The For Alison Foundation sponsored a trip to Roanoke to see the Southwest Virginia Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker! Simone Ayers, our scholarship recipient, was a beautiful Sugar Plum Fairy and after the show (and out of costume) she came out to greet the students. What a wonderful way to start the holiday season!
Photo credit: McDilda Photography
Virginia Tech School of Performing Arts
on November 30, 2018
The Martinsville High School Jazz Band and their director Brian Joyce recently participated in a Jazz Clinic with Virginia Tech music faculty member Jason Crafton. The trip was sponsored by the For Alison Foundation, which was established in memory of journalist Alison Parker. Alison was a member of the MHS Jazz Band from 2009 - 2012.
The mission of the For Alison Foundation is to to create opportunities for children in Southern Virginia to experience the arts.
Our dance scholarship recipient, Simone Aryes, visited the Martinsville City Schools 4th grade classes as the Sugar Plum Fairy! All 160 of the students will see Simone perform in the Southwest Virginia Ballet production of The Nutcracker at the Berglund Center in Roanoke next month through a grant from the For Alison Foundation.
The For Alison Foundation has established a scholarship in Alison's memory at the Star City School of Ballet in Roanoke. The school is owned and operated by Pedro Szalay, artistic director of the Southwest Virginia Ballet.
The first recipient is Simone Ayres of Bassett, Virginia. Simone also dances with Ray Hollingsworth studio in Martinsville and is a member of the Southwest Virginia Ballet company. Simone will be dancing the role of the Sugarplum Fairy in the upcoming production of The Nutcracker.
Fredricka St. Louis is a rising 9th grader who will go to Patrick Henry High School in the fall. She plays violin in her school orchestra and participates in RYS String Ensemble during the year. She has played violin for three years and participated in RYS String Ensemble for 2 years.
Sydney Light is a rising 9th grader who will attend Patrick Henry High School in the fall. She plays double bass and participates in the RYS Chamber Ensemble. She's very passionate about music and dance. In addition to studying bass, she is a competitive dancer.
Escher Oberg is a rising 8th grader at Jackson Middle school. He plays cello in his school orchestra and participates in RYS String Ensemble during the year. He has played cello for 1 full year and already is principal cellist of RYS String Ensemble.
Since 2016, the For Alison Foundation has provided ten scholarships for the RSO Summer Music Institute.
The For Alison Foundation has proudly supported the Film Lab since 2017. Grandin Theatre Foundation Executive Director Ian Fornier wrote, "the Grandin Theatre Film Lab is honored to be associated with the life of Alison Parker through the For Alison Foundation. We feel she would have enjoyed being around these young, artistic minds".
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Thirty-six drama students from Magna Vista High School in Ridgeway, VA traveled to Staunton, VA with their instructor Bryan Dunn to see a performance of "The Taming of the Shrew" at the Blackfriar's Playhouse. Dunn said that "thanks to the For Alison Foundation, the students were able to see professionals in the acting craft which delivers a new perspective and appreciation of both Shakespeare and theatre arts as a whole".
Piedmont Arts' Art Garden wall has inserts of tile murals depicting a cardinal, a pumpkin, dogwood tree flowers, and a yellow butterfly. The murals were created by artist Beryl Solla with the help of attendees at a family day in the garden. The butterfly mural was sponsored by the For Alison Foundation, in memory of Alison Parker.
DePaul Community Resources foster children and their families were treated to tours of the current exhibitions and craft-making at the Taubman Museum in Roanoke, thanks to a grant from the For Alison Foundation.
Students from Martinsville Middle School who are studying the work of Edgar Allan Poe traveled to Roanoke to see some of the stories live on stage, thanks to a grant from the For Alison Foundation. The students read the stories and created art projects in class before seeing the production on stage.
by Ben E. Williams, Bulletin Staff Writer
MARTINSVILLE Area high school students sampled the milk of human kindness, thanks to two trips to The American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton. They were both sponsored by the For Alison Foundation.
Barbara Parker, mother of the late Alison Parker and director of the For Alison Foundation, said the nonprofit foundation’s mission is to give students arts opportunities they might not have otherwise.
With that in mind, the foundation sponsored two trips to the Blackfriars Playhouse. This month students from Magna Vista and Bassett High Schools traveled to the theatre to see Shakespeare’s comedy “Twelfth Night."
High school students often have to read Shakespeare’s works, Parker said, but his plays were not meant to be read? they were meant to be performed. “They read it, and they don’t get it,” Parker said. “It’s like a foreign language, and they’re bored.”But seeing the plays performed causes a wholly different reaction. Parker said that the Magna Vista students who saw the play last week thoroughly enjoyed it. “To see those kids’ faces when they suddenly see that Shakespeare is funny and bawdy … it was worth the price of admission,” she said.
The American Shakespeare Center offers one of the most authentic Shakespeare experiences available, barring the use of a time machine. “Blackfriars is a model of the only indoor theatre where Shakespeare’s plays were mounted during his era,” Parker said. “They leave the lights on like they would have back then. There’s a line of stools on each side of the stage where audience members sit on the stage. Some of the students sat there and actually participated in the show.
“Before the show and at intermission, the actors sing contemporary songs and play period instruments,” Parker continued. “You might have the Rolling Stones being played on a lute. It’s just so fun … it gives kids a completely different idea of who Shakespeare was. He wrote for the Queen of England, but he also wrote for the people who could maybe only pay a penny to come in and stand in front of the stage. He knew he had to entertain both.”
The students were engaged with the play, she said, and they weren’t afraid to ask questions during the talkback after the show. Students asked the actors why they decided to devote themselves to Shakespearian plays, or asked how long it took them to understand the language.
“Students understand Shakespeare a lot more when they can see it onstage,” said Magna Vista teacher Melody Margrave, whose students attended Blackfriars last Thursday. “They were surprised at how much they enjoyed the day. We did discuss it in class … but sitting and reading
Shakespeare and seeing it performed are two entirely different things. I think that’s what made the trip so enjoyable. A lot of them had never been to a real live performance.
Margrave said the late Alison Parker was a vibrant young woman who supported the arts, and that field trips like the Blackfriars trips are a wonderful way to honor her memory.
Since the For Alison Foundation was founded in February, Parker said, it has provided four scholarships to the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra’s summer camp at Hollins University? helped sponsor a free Roanoke Symphony concert at Elmwood Park in Roanoke? provided stateoftheart video equipment for WMHS8, the studentrun news crew at Martinsville High School? sponsored a Martinsville Middle School trip to see a touring Edgar Allan Poe production in Roanoke at the end of the month? and arranged through DePaul Community Resources in Roanoke for a family day for foster children and their families at the Taubman Museum of Art.
“Alison had opportunities that a lot of kids don’t have,” Parker said. “She just appreciated the arts and what they could do. … She wanted the arts to be accessible and available to all children.”
Those wishing to make a taxdeductible contribution to the For Alison Foundation are invited to mail a check to For Alison Foundation, P.O. Box 1207, Collinsville, Va. 24078, or go online to foralison.org and make an online donation.
Ben Williams reports for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at benjamin.williams@martinsvillebulletin.com
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WDBJ7) The Martinsville High School television station now has new equipment thanks to the For Alison Foundation. Wednesday afternoon, Barabra Parker presented WMHS8 with a new camera, tripod and camera bag. Parker, the mother of our fallen colleague Alison Parker says it was donated by Alex Martin and the Digital Media Group out of Mechanicsville, Virginia. "We appreciate it so much because they see that vision of the journalists of the future and what they can accomplish even when they are in high school," Parker said. WMHS8 members say this will help them continue their path as young journalists. They will be able to expand their station and the opportunity to other students at the school with a new club next year.
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ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ7) Author David Baldacci has dedicated his book "The Last Mile" to WDBJ7 shooting victims Alison Parker and Adam Ward. Baldacci has published more than 30 best-selling novels. Click in the video player above to watch Baldacci's interview Tuesday on WDBJ7.
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