Fifth-graders at Hanby Elementary are commemorating the school’s 100th birthday with a song that serves as their footprint in Hanby’s history.
With the accompaniment of several members of the Westerville Symphony, fifth-graders will unveil the new song during Saturday’s Centennial Celebration event. (Details on the event, which runs from noon to 4 p.m., are available here.)
“It’s very genuine,” said fifth-grader Ben Watkins, who was among the group of students who helped write and compose the song.
“In the verses, it tells the history of Hanby. It tells an amazing story.”
For the past several months, music teacher Mary Rebekah Fortman worked with a dozen fifth-graders who served as the school’s songwriting team as well as artist-in-residence Jennifer Merkowitz, a professor of music at Otterbein University. Fortman received a $1,500 Westerville Education Foundation grant to cover funding for Merkowitz and members of the Westerville Symphony.
Other songwriting team members include Enza Antolik, Genevieve Biro, Drew Gilmore, Mia Mathews, Emerson McEwan, Gabriella Rodriguez, Emmeline Rutti, Natalie Shipman and Lucas Thorpe.
When creating the song, students considered what makes Hanby unique and what they love about their school. Common themes emerged and those ideas became the basis for the song’s verses and chorus. Once they composed the lyrics, students worked on the melody, singing different melodies and refining the tune with Dr. Merkowitz. As the final step, the group decided what instruments to use to accompany the song.
Fifth-grader Livvy Monk is excited to perform the song — and be a part of Hanby history.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” she said. “I’m going to bring some exciting energy. We’re going to sing it well. It’s going to be happy.”