JANUARY 22, 2003 – VAIL, CO – The Vail Jazz Foundation is pleased to host the first-ever winter trip to Vail for four deserving young students from Washington Prep High School in Los Angeles, California. All of the students are members of the School’s Jazz and Marching Band that has participated in Vail's Fourth of July Parade for the last four years. The Marching Band has been so well received by the community that long-time Vail local Bill Hanlon, who has spearheaded past summer trips to Vail by the students, and the Vail Mountain School, where the students have “camped-out” during their summer stays, joined with the Vail Jazz Foundation to organize the students’ visit to Winter Vail!

The Vail Jazz Foundation in cooperation with the Vail Valley Tourism and Convention Bureau has brought the 100 member marching band to Vail from Los Angeles, California, to perform in the Vail America Days Fourth of July Parade. Each year the band has been privileged to take home an award from the parade and have presented several public performances in the Vail Valley during the 4th of July weekend for thousands of spectators. This past summer, however, Hanlon wanted to do more for the kids and suggested a winter ski trip to Vail while partnering with the Vail Mountain School so that the Wash Prep students could experience not only winter activities but both school and family life here in the mountains.

Four deserving high school students were selected by Wash Prep's Music Director Fernando Pullum based on academic excellence. They are: freshman Royal Young and three seniors Loraine Johnson, Michael Roundtree, and Alexis Campbell. Each student performs in the school band and three of the four youngsters participate in Wash Prep’s innovative program “Kids Helping Kids.”

The students will fly from Los Angeles to Denver and travel to Vail on Sunday, January 26, 2003. After getting fitted for ski equipment, the "city" kids will meet their host "mountain" families from Vail Mountain School for the week. In addition to attending classes at the school, the Washington Prep students, along with a Vail Mountain School buddy, will participate in a variety of activities, including skiing on Vail Mountain, tubing at Adventure Ridge, a night at the movies, in addition to a welcome reception and farewell party hosted by the Vail Mountain School.

"We want to show these children the best that Vail has to offer and that includes spending quality time with the host families", stated Peter Abuisi, Headmaster at Vail Mountain School. "This is the type of program that can have a positive impact on the students, and we are thrilled to participate."

Since its inception in 1996, the Vail Jazz Foundation has supported the highly regarded Washington Prep High School music program. The relationship between the VJF and Wash Prep was borne out of tragedy over seven years ago caused by a fire that destroyed the School’s band building and all the band instruments. The Vail Jazz Foundation Chairman, Howard Stone, was so moved by the devastation of the incident that he joined with others in a fundraising effort to restore the building and replace the lost instruments. From this tragedy The Friends of Washington Prep Foundation was formed by Stone and others, and is the charitable arm (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization) of Washington Prep High School.

The Washington Prep High School music program has been recognized for excellence – both musically, and for having a high percentage of students who graduate and earn scholarships to colleges and universities. The Jazz Ensemble, which is made up of members from the marching band, also has been recognized for musical excellence and has performed at prestigious venues such as the Hollywood Bowl and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

In an effort to empower the students at Washington Prep and spread the wealth of their musical talents further throughout South Central Los Angeles, The Friends of Washington Prep initiated "Kids Helping Kids." In this innovative music-mentor program, members of the Washington Prep Jazz Band, with the supervision and guidance of the Band Director and other music teachers, instruct local elementary/middle school students in playing instruments, music lessons and hands-on workshops.

Elementary and middle school students who show an interest in learning to play an instrument signed-up for tuition free year round Saturday Music Conservatory held at Washington Prep. KHK is an ongoing program with students entering the program weekly with the very gratifying result that participants return to their schools and neighborhoods and recruit others.

The student teachers in turn benefit from participating in a positive community service activity. In addition, with semiannual culminating activities consisting of performances by the students presented to the local community, including retirement and convalescent homes, KHK builds a sense of civic pride with the community at large gaining from performances of the students.

The Vail Jazz Foundation’s mission to perpetuate jazz is carried out through the presentation of live performances featuring great jazz musicians and through jazz education focused on young musicians and young audiences. For more information about the Vail Jazz Foundation, or the Washington Prep High School Band, please call (970) 479-6146.

For more information, contact: Christine Richards-Carlson
The Vail Jazz Foundation
P.O. Box 3035, Vail, CO 81658
1-888-VAILJAM (1-888-824-5526)
email: vjf@vailjazz.org website: www.vailjazz.org