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SPOTLIGHT - When Steel
Talks - Special
RISING STARS
YOUTH STEEL ORCHESTRA
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS OF THE UNITED STATES
The
Rising Stars: Pathways to Success
Carnival on St. Thomas would not be complete without performances by
the Rising Stars Youth Steel Orchestra. Their lively rhythms and
upbeat style have the whole world dancing to the beat of steel pan
music. Serving as Goodwill Ambassadors of the Virgin Islands, the band has performed in places as
far away as Taiwan and Japan,
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Rising Stars members performing on their patented double-decked
Mobile Stage Rack (Trolley) during the Carnival Parade on St.
Thomas, US Virgin Islands |
as well as at the Tournament of Roses
Parade in Pasadena, California; the Lincoln Center, Javits Center, and
Crown Plaza Hotel in New York City; the Capitol Building in
Washington, D.C.; and, the skyline Stage in Chicago, Illinois.
The Rising Stars have also performed all over the Caribbean at venues
such as the Queen’s park Savannah in Trinidad; on Tortola in the
British Virgin Islands; in Christiansted and Frederiksted on St.
Croix; and, for President Bill Clinton during his visit to St. Thomas
in January 1998. They have
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Rising Stars members perform on their double-decked Trolley
during the Carnival Parade on St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands |
even made appearances in
movies Weekend at Bernie’s II; on such TV programs as Good Morning
America and had a brief appearance on the Today Show in November 2001.
The Rising Stars Program has received numerous accolades for its
success - including being rated in the top 10% nationally in the
“Innovations in State and Local Government” competition sponsored by
Harvard University and the Ford Foundation; being named the Grand
Prize winner in the national Arts & Entertainment Television
competition, “Breaking Barriers”; and being listed in the U.S.
Senate’s “Catalog of Hope” as one of the best prevention programs
operating in the United States and its Territories.
The amazing success of the group is due in part to one man’s vision
and is a tribute to the determination and drive of St. Thomas’ young
people. The Rising Stars program was started in 1981
by Judge Emeritus, the Honorable
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Rising Stars members performing during their Annual Christmas
Concert at Reichhold Center for the Performing Arts in St.
Thomas,US Virgin Islands |
Verne A. Hodge, who had become
concerned with the increasing number of criminal offenses committed by
young drop outs. He developed the Rising Stars as a crime-prevention
program whose aim is to keep kids from dropping out of school and to
guide them toward obtaining a high school diploma and plan for the
future. Its success grew quickly and it eventually developed into a
year-round program, receiving worldwide attention and praise.
The requirements for the participants, who range in age from 10 to 18,
are very strict. Members must be students who, with the consent of
their parents or guardians, agree to comply with the Rising Stars’
Oath: “I promise to obey the rules of the Rising Stars; to stay in
school and fully educate myself; and to conduct myself in a decent
manner at all times.”
They follow a stringent code of behavior, including completing
homework before practice, maintaining passing grades, abstaining from
drugs, alcohol or tobacco, obeying household rules of parents and
guardians, and following instructions of the band’s leaders and staff
members. Anyone who violates these rules is subject to probation,
suspension or expulsion from the group, although every effort is made
to avoid these measures - including providing tutorial services to
students who need help. The result has been a graduation rate of over
90% of the participants in this program, with a large number going on
to continue their education with assistance from the organization’s
scholarship program.
“Children are the greatest asset in any community,” says Glendia B.
Caines, who has been working with the Rising Stars since 1995 in the
capacity of the Associate Director of the Pretrial Intervention Program.
“This Program gives us the opportunity to be a part of the ‘village’
that raises our children as we
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Rising Stars members
performing during their Annual Christmas Concert at Reichhold
Center for the Performing Arts in St. Thomas,US Virgin Islands |
help to educate our
members socially, academically and culturally. It is a challenge that
we have accepted and eagerly look forward to as we continue to see the
fruits of our labor manifest itself in knowledgeable and competent
individuals locally, nationally and internationally.”
“It is important to keep the doors of opportunity open to our young
people,” says former Associate Director Glenn Davis, who worked
closely with the Rising Stars from 1991 to 1994. “If you cannot do
that, then you cannot expect a bright future for them.”
The Rising Stars is blessed with ten very talented Instructors and
Arrangers. The instructional staff possesses more than one hundred
years of experience playing the steelpan. Additionally, they also have
an extensive amount of years teaching pan to more than one thousand
students who have been members of the Rising Stars and many more in
various schools, churches and other community organizations.
The Arrangers and Instructors of the Rising Stars Youth Steel
Orchestra include Wayne “Pops” Donadelle (Double Second), Ralph
“Rabbi” Felix (Bass and Tenor Bass), Elvino “Sifu” George (Arranger),
James Gittens (Tenor), Jasmine Haynes (Double Tenor), William Haynes
(Arranger), Eltino S. “Tino” Pickering (Guitar), Laura Rouse (Double
Tenor) Sean Steele (Cello) and Chief Instructor, John Hodge (Quads).
The instructors are assisted by the administrative staff of the
Territorial Court’s Pretrial Intervention Program that includes:
Associate Director Glendia B. Caines, Rising Stars Coordinator Adelia
“Queenie” Henneman and Project Coordinator Lauris Questel.
The Rising Stars may be contacted at the following addresses:
Rising Stars Youth Steel Orchestra
c/o Superior Court of the Virgin Islands
P.O. Box 70
St. Thomas, VI 00804
Ph: 340-774-6680 or 340-774-7067
Email: gbcaines@tcourt.gov.vi
or
risingstars@tcourt.gov.vi
Thanks to the efforts of the Rising Stars and the daily practice of
their motto, “Nothing is so complicated that it cannot be simplified
by hard work”, the future for young St. Thomians is positively
stellar!
Portions of this information are excerpted, with permission, from:
Vacations St. Thomas & St. John
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