Press Releases:

Entertaining Assembly Encourages Elementary Students

KEY WEST (521 words) -- Elementary kids throughout Monroe County are learning about character through live performances with the red-caped character “Captain Caring” and his friends this week. Every elementary school in the county was able to host an assembly full of live characters, choreographed dancing and singing, laughter and dreams – all in the name of safe schools and character education. Primary Focus, America’s foremost elementary school assembly production organization, presented their 45-minute action-packed program in nine Monroe County Schools last week thanks to funding from Monroe Youth Challenge Program (MYCP).  

The assembly program entitled “Start Dreamin’” features an interactive educational format focusing on the nationally-recognized Six Pillars of Character. These six pillars are: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship. “I am thankful the community supports Monroe Youth Challenge Program because MYCP is now able to reach out to elementary students with positive programs which up until now it had only been in middle and high schools,” said Monroe County School District Safe School Coordinator Sunny Booker. “The Safe and Drug Free Federal program has been cut by more than 50 percent over the past five years and MYCP has partnered with the school district to continue these types of programs,” she said.

These effective assemblies include fun and energetic music written especially for these productions by seven-time Emmy Award winning song writer Dr. William R. Rebold and arranged and conducted by Emmy and Dove Award winning arranger Don Marsh. Each program includes fully orchestrated music, digital sound, theatrical lighting, choreography, drama, costumes, sets, props, audience participation and features the nationally-auditioned and recognized college-aged cast members known as PRIMARY FOCUS!”

Marian Smith, Principal at Sigsbee Elementary said, “The kids were still bubbly about it at lunch time. It really reinforces the principles we teach them all year long and the program was pertinent for all ages – pre K through 5th grade.”

This assembly presentation provides elementary school children with positive choice-making principles and role models as performed by the cast. Each school received a complimentary CD of all of the songs and professionally produced DVD of the entire production, enabling the students to enjoy all of the music and the assembly over and over again. Each school also received a free set of Character Posters to display within the school to reinforce the lessons taught in the assembly. In addition, every student received a personal souvenir picture character card of the cast.

After watching kids enjoy the presentation Ron Batalier, Computer Applications Manager at Sigsbee Elementary School said, “I’ve never seen the whole school enthralled like they were today. Please give the production many thanks for me. Is there a chance they can come back next year?”

PRIMARY FOCUS, a 501 (c) (3) not for profit organization, is comprised of eight teams each with eight college-aged people who volunteer their services for one year to reach out and impact more than 1,250,000 children in the year. Their mission is to teach and reinforce character-based principles children will practice for life. The teams are also available to appear at conventions, theme parks, churches, synagogues, and community events. Combined, the PRIMARY FOCUS teams plan to present their motivating musical assembly programs for more than 1,750 schools throughout the United States. More than 2,000 elementary students in the county benefited from this event.

Monroe Youth Challenge Program is a project of the Monroe County Education Foundation to foster acceptance, respect, and success in the youth of Monroe County. For more information about this project or any other MYCP-sponsored program call MYCP District Prevention Coordinator Michele Sutter at (305) 852-1664 or go to  www.monroe.k12.fl.us/mycp. For more information about Project H.O.P.E. visit www.projecthopefloridakeys.org.orr call  (305) 434-9034