As Gorton Junior High prepares to close their doors at the end of the school year, Gortonites took a musical journey through the school’s past from its opening in 1939 to today.

The concert, featuring the school’s Orchestra and Concert Band with special guest appearances by the Select String Ensemble and Chorus, was titled, “Stand Tall in Changing Times: A Musical Tribute to a School, Its Students and Faculty and the History they Experienced Together.” The band instructor, Michelle Devine, developed the program.

The concert was framed in a fictional local news agency’s nightly news show, sharing the history of Gorton to era-appropriate music.

Before the concert began last Thursday, Principal Jeff Taylor shared a few words with the nearly packed auditorium. He said it was a night to “celebrate the end of an era,” but not to be sad or mourn the loss of the school.

“Tonight is a night to be thankful for all the good times had here and to thank the individuals who made its history what it was and is, to thank a community that has stood by and been supportive throughout the years.”

Throughout the year Taylor assured it has been “business as usual” and the school has tried to stay away from focusing on the school’s closing or being bitter. He quoted Dr. Seuss, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”

The concert began with the opening of Gorton in 1939 and recognized some of the first high school students by singing the alma mater. Moving through history the concert focused on the Cold War, the introduction of color television, the Space Race, 9/11, among other historical events, the “news anchors” relating how it may have affected the students of Gorton during those times through the guise of news stories.

The final song in the concert was “Stand Tall in Changing Times,” commissioned and written for that night’s performance, was created by Emmy Award winning composer Roger Cichy. Cichy, a freelance composer for schools and universities, is based out of Ohio and was in attendance for the world premiere performance of the song. He said that although he wrote the song, he is unable to play all the instruments so the students at Gorton are a vital part to bringing the song to life.

The Gorton Concert Band was the first to play the song for a live audience and as such, Cichy asked all the students to sign a copy of the score for him. In return he signed a score that was presented to Devine and another to Taylor.

“It is significant to commission a piece and I give these students a lot of credit for doing this,” Cichy said. “This song will now be published worldwide and people will hear about Gorton Junior High and how they performed the world premiere.”

Taylor addressed the crowd and said, “On behalf of all of us we would like to thank the City of Warwick for allowing us to be a part of your history and thank the families for bringing us into your lives. I hope we have made you as proud as we are of our students.”

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Melissa Tibbitts (left) and Alexis McLaughlin, two Gorton students, dressed as 1920s styled paperboys to pass out programs for the final band concert on Thursday, June 9. The programs were designed to look like old newspapers. NEWS ANCHORS:

The entire concert was framed as a nightly news showing discussing how events throughout history would have affected Gorton students. They covered topics such as the Space Race, introduction of color television, and 9/11. Ryan Vuz and Caroline Parente served as the “news anchors” for the show. DEVELOPER:

Band instructor Michelle Devine developed the program for last Thursday night as a tribute to the school’s history in their final weeks. PLAY ON:

The “Stand Tall in Changing Times” concert featured performances by the concert band, orchestra, select string ensemble and chorus. ALMA MATER:

To recognize Gorton’s time as a high school, the chorus performed the alma mater at last Thursday’s concert. STAND TALL:

The final song of the concert was “Stand Tall in Changing Times,” which was commissioned by the school for the final performance. The Emmy Award winning composer, Roger Cichy, was present for the performance and thanked the students for bringing his song alive.