In this day and age of reduced school budgets that oftentimes put arts and music on the chopping block in favor of standardized test review classes, the Garden City Union Free School District has stuck to its guns by ensuring that these programs remain a vibrant and necessary part of the curriculum. Apparently this steadfastness is paying off because for the third consecutive year, the Grammy Foundation has named Garden City High School as a semifinalist in the 2014 Grammy Signature Schools program. This is a prestigious honor given the fact that only 100 public schools in the nation get this far in the process. Credit Dr. Nina Prasso, who as coordinator of music and the arts in the district worked with music teachers, and Garden City’s outstanding young musicians to ensure this outcome. And while the Grammy Foundation won’t select finalist Signature Schools until March 2014, all Grammy Signature Schools selectees will receive monetary grants ranging from $1,000 to $15,000.
— Dave Gil de Rubio
