North Shore Views

Wilmette Junior High Gets a State-of-the-Art Recording Studio

WJHS and the District 39 Educational Foundation will host an open house at 6:15 this Friday evening, February 3^rd to dedicate a new state-of-the art recording studio to be used by students at the Junior High.

Funding for the studio was provided by the District 39 Educational Foundation’s Paul Tilley Music Fund, which was established by Cristina Tilley in memory of her husband. “ The recording studio seemed like the perfect way to honor Paul’s memory, “ said Ms. Tilley.  “He was an exceptionally creative person who loved music.  I wanted to do something that would celebrate music and encourage our kids to express their creativity.”

The Foundation’s grant of approximately $15,000 covered the cost of the engineering console, computer equipment, keyboard, soundproofing and a number of professional microphones designed specifically for individual recording tasks – voice, drums and so on.  The recording software will be “ProTools,” an advanced program that is also used at New Trier High School’s recording studios.

Equipping the studio was done under the guidance of Steve Pont, a professional audio consultant who designs studios for music and advertising professionals. Stan Xidas, a D39 parent, musician and contractor, donated his time and expertise to retrofit an unused office into a studio. Another D39 parent, Tim Scherman, customized a “studio window” that directs the sound waves for optimum sound quality in the room.

The dedication of the recording studio is directly before the annual Youth Connection “Battle of the Bands”, which will be held this Friday at 7:30 pm at the Junior High. The Youth Connection has been an enthusiastic supporter of the studio from its inception and will be taking a leadership role in developing extracurricular uses for the studio.

Tags: Battle of the Bands, District 39 Educational Foundation, Wilmette Junior High School

Wilmette Junior High Students Put Their Talents to Work for Haiti

The kids in District 39 schools had already raised thousands of dollars for earthquake relief in Haiti through their “Helping Hands for Haiti” fund-raising drive. But when that drive was over a handful of students at Wilmette Junior High wanted to do more to help.

Since they and their friends are a talented bunch, they came up with the idea of a variety show and pitched it to Principal Dave Palzet. With his support they went about organizing the show, which they are calling “We Are the Hope”. It will feature music and comedy acts by students and some teachers.

The show will take place on Friday, April 30 at 7:00 pm in the WJHS auditorium at 620 Locust Rd. in Wilmette . Tickets are $8.oo for adults and $5.00 for kids. There will also be a raffle for an iPod Touch ($5/ticket). Proceeds will go to the Red Cross for earthquake relief in Haiti and Chile. Please bring cash or a check made out to cash for your tickets.

I’m pretty impressed by these kids, who have taken the initiative to produce a show to raise money to help the victims of recent earthquakes. Please come out and and show your support on Friday.

Tags: Wilmette Junior High School