On July 16th, the Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary club was treated to a travelogue and a performance by Tyler Brady, a member of the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony, just returned from a tour of Hungary and Poland. He described the logistics of the tour and many of the experiences shared by the ninety-some students on the trip, which had enjoyable scenery and side trips as well as performances to appreciative audiences at several venues. Of particular interest were the visits to Auschwitz, to Krakow, to the relics of Pope John Paul II, to the bath houses of Budapest, to the salt mines. He had mementos of all sorts and a video of singing Ukrainians; he had memories of a lifetime.
A talent musician on several instruments who joined the CYWS by audition, Tyler gave credit to the Aurora School of Music and the director of the ensemble, Dr. Ciepluch, for preparing him and the rest of the group for the tour. He also mentioned that the European audiences particularly enjoyed Sousa marches and the musicians frequently treated them to “Stars and Stripes Forever.” As a parting shot, Tyler performed a short piece on his instrument of choice, the French horn. Since he is also a magician, Tyler conjured up images of his trip in the “old fashioned” way, power point.
Garrettsville-Hiram Rotarians, on July 23, were treated to an impromptu program by a visiting Rotarian and spouse, Walter and Caryl Smith, of the Lubbock, Texas area.
Walter Smith is the Helen DeVitt Jones Professor at Texas Tech University specializing in the exploration of computer connectivity, worldwide perspectives and co-operation, currently involved in a collaborative project investigating how to design instructional games and materials by and for middle school students. The program (www.worldmoonproject.org) is found in the Texas Tech Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education and currently has twenty-one students enrolled.
TTU is a public research university located in Lubbock, Texas, in the heart of cotton-growing country made possible by the Oglala aquifer that underlies the area.
In addition to learning about the project and about Texas, local Rotarians contempl.ated sponsoring a family-centered bowling program at SkyLanes, promoting local businesses through placemats, screening the intake on the fountain near the Boardwalk, a send-off for Jessica Lyons who will be leaving to spend the school year as a Rotary Exchange Student in Norway, date for the annual steak fry, possible return to the Hiram College Dining Hall as the regular meeting location.
Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary meets on Monday evening at 5:30, currently in the Kennedy Center at Hiram College; stay tuned for changes.
