Santa Rosa Elementary students spotlight ‘character’ in concert

Santa Rosa Elementary School’s fourth and fifth grade classes combined for a concert called “We have Character” Tuesday night.

Music teacher Joanne Matibag said, “I wanted to do something other than Christmas. I had a friend that did one called ‘Choices Count.’ I rewrote some things and added a few songs.”

The program was based on the school’s six pillars of character: Respect, Responsibility, Citizenship, Trustworthiness, Caring and Fairness.

“We are so excited about this program,” said Principal Rick Abel as he welcomed guests and introduced Matibag to the audience.

The first song “Inside Out” featured the solo styling of Alonzo Miguel and Olivia Herrera. Students also sang “The Dream Starts Now” with solos by Esperanza Miranda and Raquel Sutandar.

During this song students stepped forward, introduced themselves and told about their dreams, which included being a pro football player, a singer, a doctor, a soccer player, an Air Force officer, a medical researcher and a teacher.

The next pillar of character opened with the statement, “A person who is trustworthy is someone you can count on.” The song, “You Can Count on Me,” featured a solo performed by Taylor Demeter.

Students sang about respect, introducing the song with the comment, “If you want people to respect you, you need to treat them the way you want to be treated.” Soloists for the song “Respect” were Jennifer John and Manuel Alvarado.

Fairness was next as students told the appreciative audience that “You gotta be Fair,” with soloist Jaina Chaston. The last song, “Responsibility,” followed the students’ comment, “A person of good character takes responsibility…doing what they are supposed to do. Being responsible means that we are accountable for our choices.”

Students receiving music awards during the program included: Alyssa Blackie, Esperanza Miranda, Leslie Gutierrez, Jose Valazquez, Melissa Brocamonte, Rome Meza, Monica Cardenas, Amber Cramer, Dona Doan, Dawson Elsberry, Christopher Bennett and Taylor Demeter.

Photo by Carrie Vargas