A MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASS VISIT

On Wednesday February 29 and Friday March 2, I was honored to be among the persons sought out by the students of Carlo Urbani Middle School on their visit to Vatican Radio headquarters at Palazzo Pio. It was a large class divided into two groups, accompanied by their teachers, Father Rynkiewicz and Elvira Ortmann. In my improvised report about how I go about making “Melodies & Memories” prograMs, I tried to convey to them that the skills I use every day, are the ones they are learning now in middle school.
I think that it is important to give young people the message that the things which interest them today are key notes to their futures. For me, two fieldtrips from high school remain outstanding in my memory: one to a typography business in Camden, New Jersey where we were introduced to the technology of printmaking; and one to Wissahickon Creek and the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia to study sedimentary rock formations which make up the river bed.
While my own life’s path has led me neither to the career of a typographer or of a geologist, I forever thank the teachers who took my classes on those excursions. For me the experiences were about how a simple thought can ignite a passion. I sincerely believe that passion can be taught, but it takes dedicated teachers who offer their students hands on experience in the area. I applaud the teachers who brought their students to see Vatican Radio, because they, I believe, are making a difference.
I may be flattering myself by thinking that my own 5 minute contribution to these soon-to-be adults is something that they will remember, since all I have to go on are my own few experiences with school trips. But when I consider the energy I received while communicating with them, I feel assured that if even a fraction of it filtered down to them, my small effort was a success. One particularly enthusiastic student even pitched a job with me - to help bring me up to date with current technologies!