The Rocky Point School District congratulates 11 Rocky Point High School students who were selected to the Suffolk Chapter of the New York State Council of Administrators of Music Education NYSCAME and Suffolk County Music Educators’ Association SCMEA High School All-County Festival. To be selected for a NYSCAME/SCMEA All-County ensemble, 11th and 12th grade students must receive the highest ratings in Suffolk County at the New York State School Music Association Evaluation Festival. Once selected, students then participate in three intensive rehearsal sessions at Connetquot High School and Hauppauge High School, culminating with a concert that took place at Hauppauge High School on Nov. 15. The following students were selected to the Festival and represented Rocky Point High School and the Rocky Point Music Department:
 
All County Orchestra – juniors Yuuki Donnelly and Ava Jimenez
 
All-County Mixed Chorus – seniors Derek Bergmann, Angelina DeRosa, Sebastian Garske, Maya MacCarthy, Katie Romano and junior Madison Smith
 
All-County Treble Choir - seniors Maya Alexander and Isabella Kelly and junior Olivia Carley 
 
All-County students are selected in September and have the challenging task of learning and preparing 30-45 minutes of music prior to attending their ensemble rehearsals in November. They prepared the music with music teachers Mr. Nicholas Butcher, Ms. Jessica Spitz and Ms. Amy Schecher.
 
A congratulatory message from Rocky Point Music Department chairpersons Mr. Craig Knapp and Ms. Schecher read: “We are so proud of these students and their accomplishments. They all worked extremely hard on their NYSSMA solos last spring, and they were so enthusiastic in preparing the very challenging music presented to them this fall for the All-County Festival. The level of dedication to the performing arts that our students demonstrate is incredible. We are so happy for their musical successes. Acceptance into the All-County festival is one of the highest honors a student musician can achieve in grades 11 and 12. This was an unforgettable event for the students, one they will cherish for a lifetime. These students deserve to be celebrated. We are very thankful that the Rocky Point School District Administration and Board of Education supports these endeavors for the students and the music department. Additionally, we are very proud of our High School Choral Director, Ms. Spitz for not only preparing students for multiple All-County ensembles, but for also serving as a SCMEA Chairperson for both the All-County Treble Choir and All-County Mixed Chorus. Involvement in a professional organization like SCMEA is a wonderful opportunity to represent the school district while being involved in the process of creating special experiences for student musicians throughout Suffolk County. Working directly with world class choral conductors is amazing professional development and one of the best places to learn new skills to bring back into the classroom. We are grateful to have Ms. Spitz as a member of our music department.”