Rockville Centre students shine in spring concerts

Districtwide performances showcase musical growth and debut elementary school scholarships

Posted Friday, June 26, 2026 11:10 am

With a wave of his baton, teacher Harrison Tepe leads the Floyd B. Watson Elementary School orchestra during the group's spring concert performance.

Courtesy Kathleen Mark

The fourth and fifth grade band at Francis F. Wilson Elementary School showcased their growing musicianship during a spirited, well-rehearsed concert performance.

Courtesy Kathleen Mark

Floyd B. Watson fourth grader Nicky Sorvillo took center stage with a trumpet solo during one of the concert’s choral selections.

Courtesy Kathleen Mark

It was a proud moment for Jennie E. Hewitt fifth-grader Jarrod “JJ” Murphy and music teacher Katie Price after Murphy received one of the inaugural Rockville Centre Sponsors of the Arts elementary school scholarships.

Courtesy Kathleen Mark

South Side High School Concert Band percussionists Justin Papadapulos, grade 9, foreground, and Kanin Michael, grade 10, helped provide the rhythmic foundation for the ensemble.

Courtesy Kathleen Mark

Christina Tomek guided the South Side Middle School seventh-grade concert band through their performance.

Courtesy Kathleen Mark

Rockville Centre Schools Director of the Arts Kathleen Mark, from left, South Side High School music teachers Anthony Pomponio, Doreen Fryling and Christopher Rakeman, elementary school orchestra teacher Harrison Tepe, student-teacher Ben Taylor, and composer and guest conductor Chris Scarnato helped make the district’s spring concert season a memorable success.

Courtesy Kathleen Mark

By Brian Kacharaba

The Rockville Centre School District’s spring concert season brought music, celebration and community spirit to auditoriums across the district, showcasing months of preparation by student musicians from elementary through high school.

From beginning band students to advanced ensembles, the performances highlighted steady growth in skill, confidence and collaboration.

Floyd B. Watson Elementary School opened the series in early May. Concerts continued later in the month with South Side Middle School’s seventh-grade performance, followed by the eighth-grade concert, Riverside Elementary School, William S. Covert Elementary School and Francis F. Wilson Elementary School. The South Side Middle School sixth-grade concert took place near the end of May.

Jennie E. Hewitt Elementary School kicked off June, and the season concluded with back-to-back concerts at South Side High School.

Throughout the series, audiences were treated to a wide range of musical selections that reflected the district’s emphasis on comprehensive arts education. Students demonstrated not only technical development, but also important life skills gained through music, including discipline, collaboration, goal-setting and perseverance. Each performance served as a culmination of classroom learning and rehearsal time, bringing together students, teachers, families, friends and neighbors in support of the arts.

A highlight of this year’s concerts was the RVC Sponsors of the Arts awarding five new scholarships for the first time to graduating fifth graders at each elementary school. Students were selected by their elementary music teachers in recognition of their dedication and musical growth.

This year’s inaugural scholarship recipients were Kenneth Middleton III from Covert, Jarrod “J.J.” Murphy from Hewitt, Everly Byon from Riverside, Rebecca Sorvillo from Watson, and Vivian Philbin from Wilson.

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