Caldwell Area Students Get A Rise Out Of BOE

West Caldwell, NJ –The Music & More Booster Club helped give students at James Caldwell High School in West Caldwell a lift this year, teaming with the Caldwell-West Caldwell Board of Education to donate new stage risers for the school’s musical groups.

The risers, used for musical and drama productions at the school, will be used primarily in the Center for Performing Arts, administrators said.

Music & More, a non-profit organization is organized and run by parents, raises money for the entire music department by funding scholarships for seniors and the school’s annual music tour.

The risers were significantly more expensive than past gifts donated by the Club, but the Board of Education agreed to match the Club’s contribution and purchase the nearly $13,000 risers.

“Each year, the Music & More Booster Club provides a gift to the performing arts department,” explained parent and Music & More co-president Rachael Bell. “This year, with the generous help and support of the Caldwell-West Caldwell Board of Education, we are thrilled to be able to underwrite the cost of new chorus risers.”

Past gifts from the club include performance shirts for the female musicians and singers, make-up for the spring musical, and a scissor lift for the CPA stage.

“Nearly 50 percent of our students are involved in the performing arts, matching the donation by the Music & More Booster Club made sense as it benefited such a large number of our students,” said Superintendent James Heinegg.

“With the multitude of events held in the CPA, having risers that can be moved quickly is important,” Supervisor of Music Scott Chamberlain added.

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Photo courtesy of the Caldwell-West Caldwell School District