9/11 Tributes Worldwide: Time Zone 6: South Dakota
Sioux Falls,SD, USA
"I know I won't have the appropriate words to express what the Rolling Requiem meant to my school. First off, you know how hard it is to get high school students to be quiet. We had solemn attention from the moment it started to the very end. We had to pause before the last movement because too many people were crying. Just yesterday we had an important tax vote that would have created great cuts in the arts if it had failed. Today, the school board and the chamber of commerce were present to see South Dakota high school students give a student led standing ovation. Our students were freaking out over Mozart. The energy lasted throughout the day. I know many teachers were giving assignments based on the assembly. All of the "Oral Opportunities" focused on the reactions of the students. Many people are assigning students to write about the names on their buttons. I asked the students if it made an impact and most were so overwhelmed we sat silently after the concert together. Every student agreed that all the extra work it took to perform this work in 11 school days was worth it. Almost every teacher stopped me in the hall and commented that this is something they will NEVER forget. I hope your experiences were as positive as ours." - Dr. Mario Chiarello,
Sioux Falls Lincoln High School Orchestra Director
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