Celebrate Your Senior! Salutatorian, Born Musician Off To Berklee

SAG HARBOR, NY— For so many students who should have been enjoying senior year with prom, graduation, and other milestone events, the coronavirus crisis has meant that sadly, dreams and long-awaited celebrations have been put on hold.

Patch would like to shine a light on these amazing young people and their accomplishments; a new series "Celebrate Your Senior!" launched this week, inviting proud parents and others to spotlight the young people whose accomplishments can't be derailed by coronavirus.

Jodi Allardice nominated her son Chase, salutatorian of his graduating class at Pierson High School in Sag Harbor.

"Chase is a musician who enjoys practicing guitar for hours on end," she said. "Although guitar is his first instrument, he also plays bass, drums, trumpet and a little bit of keys. If you’re ever driving around the circle at Havens Beach, you can usually hear him shredding away in his music studio."

Chase, she said, is an International Baccalaureate, or IB, Diploma candidate at Pierson High School and salutatorian of his graduating class. He also is a member of National Honor Society.

"Chase has always taken learning seriously," she said. "He is an ambitious young man, talented and confident. Since his early days of elementary school, he always arrived an hour before the official start time, usually before most teachers. His days have always been very structured. He shows up organized and ready to learn and participate."

Her son, Allardice said, is a voracious reader who enjoys Kurt Vonnegut. He works as a camp counselor at the Hayground School — which he attended from the ages of 3 to 13 — in the summer and has volunteered his time at the South Fork Bakery, assisting in the office.

Chase plays guitar in Pierson’s jazz ensemble and plays trumpet in the Pierson High School band.

"He has been accepted to Berklee College of Music in Boston with a very generous scholarship," Allardice said, adding that he will study guitar performance and score composition.

Chase’s first recorded project as a drummer with the alt/hip hop/R&B band band Black and Blue was released in 2018.

He just recently released his first solo alt/indie EP, available on on Apple Music and Spotify, titled "Spanakopita", under the band name Saximos, Allardice said. On the recording he plays guitar, bass, drums, and trumpet; he wrote and co-wrote lyrics and co-produced with his friend Morgan McGivern, Allardice said.

He is currently working on his next solo project under the band name Ethan Kearns, she said.

Chase, she said, has been a music mentor to a few kids in the community, teaching them to play guitar and instructing them on how to increase their knowledge of music.

Chase is always trying to learn as much as he can about his instrument and loves practicing with his guitar teacher Bosco Michne, she said.

"You can always find Chase with headphones in his ears — yes, even when he’s reading. I never know if he’s listening to classical, jazz, hardcore, indie, alternative or hip hop. His musical tastes are quite varied. He’s an endless source about the history of music, musicians, bands and gear!"

Congratulations, Chase Allardice!

To be included in "Celebrate Your Senior!" send photos and a description of why you're nominating your senior to be featured in a Patch post to Lisa.Finn@patch.com. Tell them why you're proud of them and all they've accomplished. Let's celebrate our amazing kids!