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Neighborhood schools

Gift to elementary school strikes the right chord

A music teacher told a church she wanted pianos for her students. She never thought her request would be fulfilled.

By JACKIE RIPLEY
Published December 11, 2005

UNIVERSITY NORTH - Just about everybody's heard of Miracle on 34th Street. But there's another wonder unfolding this holiday season, a sort of miracle on 124th Avenue.

"We feel very blessed," said Paula Alford, a guidance counselor at Miles Elementary School, the site of this holiday surprise. "This is huge."

What's huge is that Keystone United Methodist Church and area businesses have donated 20 electronic keyboards to Miles. The keyboards, half new and half used, have made it possible for the school to establish a music lab.

"The whole thing has been a miracle," said Mary Ann Scialdo, the school's music teacher. "Keystone United Methodist Church has really become a cornerstone of giving."

Church member Geri Ingalls, who spearheaded the project, said it began when the church adopted Miles as its service project for the year.

Ingalls advised fellow member Deidre Hankins, who also is a teacher at Miles, to compile a wish list from her colleagues. The list included items as modest as fat crayons and as extravagant as pianos.

"I'm from New York," Scialdo explained with an expansive sweep of her arms. "I make big requests."

Scialdo, though, never expected her request to be taken seriously, and certainly not to the extent that it has been.

"It gets more wonderful as it progresses because instead of 10 used pianos they bought the school 10 beautiful new pianos and refurbished the other 10," Scialdo said. "It's a beautiful story that is quite remarkable."

The church received help from various businesses within the community, including Paragon Music, Fletcher Music Center and Ingalls Organ Service.

"I had a lot of help," Ingalls said. "There were a lot of guardian angels."

Principal Deborah Coyle was especially grateful for the help because so many of the children at Miles come from economically disadvantaged homes.

The story continued to unfold last week as Scialdo conducted her first piano lab with a roomful of squirming fifth-graders eager to get started.

Pointing to the chalkboard where she had written "CC CCC; DD DDD; GG GGG," Scialdo took her young charges through their first piano lesson.

There were discordant moments when D's slipped into F's and 11-year-old Shealee Langlais used her hands to cover her ears instead of the keyboard. But by the time the lesson was finished, the C's, D's and G's were all struck in proper sequence, and beautiful music was made.

"It's really great," said 10-year-old Britney Galloway. "We all are learning how to play the piano for the first time."

- Jackie Ripley can be reached at (813)269-5308 or sptimes.com.

[Last modified December 10, 2005, 10:13:05]