With messages of tolerance and acceptance, the Port Jefferson Middle School’s upcoming stage production will certainly be one to remember.
The Drama Club will present “Honk! JR.” based on Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved classic, “The Ugly Duckling.”
The musical adaptation of the 1843 story features lyrics by Anthony Drewe and music by George Stiles. Music teacher Christine Creighton serves as the club’s adviser.
Showtimes are Friday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 5, at 2 p.m. at the Earl L. Vandermeulen High School auditorium.
Admission to the performance is available for a suggested donation of $5 per ticket or $20 per family. Tickets are available at the door on performance dates.
Masks are required for all performances. Tickets are limited for these two performances due to social distancing guidelines in the high school auditorium.
Robert Neidig with William Harris at Hope House Ministries. Photo by Julianne Mosher
Port Jefferson Middle School student William Harris knew he wanted to help out his local community as part of his mitzvah project this month.
Harris — who turned 13 in September and was supposed to have his long-awaited bar mitzvah that month — had to postpone his ceremony and the festivities that come around it.
“Originally I was going to do a blood drive, because people needed donations for blood,” he said. “But I couldn’t do it with the pandemic.”
That’s when he decided to team up with his principal, Robert Neidig, to encourage his class-mates to donate food to the local nonprofit Hope House Ministries.
“About a month ago, I made some flyers and I put them around the school,” William said. “We put it on the announcement every morning and people began bringing in food.”
Leza Di Bella, William’s mother, said he did this all by himself.
“He took the initiative,” she said. “Usually for these projects, parents are very involved. We were not at all.”
On Friday, June 11, he was joined at Hope House by his mother and father Richard, along with his school principal where he dropped off several dozen bags of food. Then after nearly nine months of waiting to celebrate this special day, his bar mitzvah was held at Temple Isaiah in Stony Brook on Saturday.
“I’m just so proud, not only of Will, but the respect that he has earned from his classmates. They would bring a can here and there and, as you can see, it all adds up,” Neidig said. “It’s all going to such a good cause I couldn’t be prouder. It’s a big time in his life and I’m happy that I could be a part of it.”
William said he’s not done with his donations yet.
After more than a year of Zoom performances, practices and canceled events, the Port Jefferson School District decided to utilize a stage in their own backyard and hold their first in-person recital since the start of the pandemic.
“It was very nice to see everyone in front of us after such a long period of time,” said eighth-grader Christopher Lotten. “It made me feel more comfortable to play in front of a live audience. It was a great experience to play in front of everyone — instead of listening to our music through a computer screen, we got to listen to it on a stage.”
The Chamber Festival 2021 took place at Harborfront Park in Port Jefferson village on May 27 where students showcased compositions by Bach, Haydn, Pleyel, Hudson, Sherwin and Müller-Rusch.
The Port Jefferson Middle School grades 7 and 8 string orchestra used the opportunity to adapt to the uniqueness of this past school year, and during the second semester, students were given the opportunity to form their own ensembles and select their chamber piece to work on and perform.
“Chamber music promotes creativity and allows students to work collaboratively with their peers,” said orchestra teacher Vanessa Salzman. “It is a wonderful way to improve musician-ship while building valuable social and musical connections.”
At just after 11 a.m., family and friends set up their lawn chairs and blankets in front of the stage built back in 2019 to honor Port Jefferson resident Jill Nees-Russell.
“It was interesting to play in front of a live audience again,” said eighth-grader Ash Patterson. “I have always enjoyed playing in front of people, even if I do get nervous that I’ll mess up be-fore I have to perform. I felt that when I had to record our orchestral pieces, it was less real. There was no audience to motivate me to play well. It was a lot less exciting than playing live, and just turned into a tedious task for me.”
Family and friends listened to the PJMS chamber students perform at Harborfront Park last week. Photo by Julianne Mosher
Eight groups of performers grabbed their strings and took to the small wooden performance area that Salzman described as “a picture-perfect venue.”
Mari Fukuto, a seventh-grader, said Thursday’s performance was a nice change of scenery.
“It felt strange,” she said. “But it was nice not having to record it, the scene also made the experience better.”
Seventh-grader Lia Donohue said performing outside for her family and friends was a special moment.
“It made the experience special knowing that everyone was there live, and taking photos like last year,” she said. “Not only for us was the experience special, but for all of the spectators watching, because they didn’t need to try to figure out how to put our performance on their screen at home.”
Mehana Levy, a seventh-grader, agreed.
“Playing in front of people again was a little nerve racking at first but, once I got on the stage, it felt a little more like before COVID, and reminded me why I chose to play in the first place.”
Overall, with sunny skies and warm weather, Salzman said it was a great day.
“After a long hiatus from live performance, the support of the village hosting us and the parents and community who showed up to cheer us on made for a special and memorable day for our students,” she said.
