JUNE 23, 2017, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A5
KeizerCommunity
KEIZERTIMES.COM
McNary grad earns
music scholarship
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
Miguel Araiza, a 2017 Mc-
Nary graduate, got the most
out of the trumpet he picked
up in the fourth grade, play-
ing in the school’s marching
band, basketball band, wind
ensemble, brass quintet, jazz
band, symphony and pit or-
chestra for the musical the Ad-
dams Family.
Now, Araiza is taking his
talents to the University of
Northern Colorado.
After auditioning in March,
Araiza received a $36,000 Mu-
sic Award to go along with a
$8,000 provost and $4,242,04
Lois J. Erickson scholarship.
He also earned three $1,000
scholarships—Keizer Rotary
Wheat, LLC, Sheila Good-
man Memorial and Withnell
Music.
Araiza said all of the schol-
arships combined should pay
for a little over half of his col-
lege costs.
Araiza was introduced to
Northern Colorado through
his trumpet teacher, Jamie
Hall, who he began taking
private lessons with at the end
of the eighth grade.
Araiza picked the trum-
pet because his father played
the instrument when he was
younger.
“I was okay in middle
school and it wasn’t until I
started taking lessons coming
into high school that I got a
lot better,” Araiza said. “About
halfway through junior year is
when I decided this is what
I want to do. This is what I
wanted to pursue. I like that
it’s a way for me to express
myself and I feel like through
it there’s a lot of different op-
portunities.”
During Araiza’s senior year
at McNary, the brass quintet
placed second at the OSAA/
OMEA state ensemble in
April. The wind ensemble
then fi nished fourth in the
state in May.
At Northern Colorado,
Araiza plans to major in music
performance.
“My main goal at this point
is to not be a middle school
or high school band teacher
but I’m going for perfor-
mance because my hope is I
want to be a performer with
a professional group,” Araiza
said. “I know through that
there’s plenty of opportunities,
that many professional players
now they teach. That’s when
you can have opportunities to
teach at universities or teach
privately. I know I’ll still be
able to get to teach and im-
pact other people while per-
forming, which is what I like
to do.”
While McNary has given
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
Miguel Araiza, a 2017 graduate of McNary High School, has received a music scholarship to the
University of Northern Colorado.
Araiza the opportunity to play
all types of different music, his
favorite is classical and orches-
tral.
Northern Colorado is lo-
cated in Greeley, Colo., about
60 miles from Denver.
“I really liked the feel of
the campus, the community,”
Araiza said. “A lot of the stu-
dents I met were really nice
and friendly. They have an
amazing faculty there. They
were all really nice and seemed
interested in me going there.”
Whiteaker choir helps family
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
During the last week of
school, the Whiteaker choir
set a goal of collecting $200
and 200 cans of food, one for
every student, for a local fam-
ily in need.
But the kids went above
and beyond, raising $885.40
in cash and gift cards, 368
food and household items to
go along with 44 articles of
clothing.
The Whiteaker Choir
Booster Club is also sending
the two girls, rising fourth
and sixth graders, whose fa-
ther is disabled and mother
is battling cancer, to choir
camp this summer for free.
“I wasn’t even done talk-
ing about it (service project)
and kids were pulling mon-
ey out of their wallets and
pockets,” said Sonya Blair,
booster club president. “The
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RIGHT: Whiteaker Middle
School’s girls choir made cards
for a local family in need.
outpouring of support was
amazing. Kids have so much
compassion.”
Each student in the girls
choir also made cards for the
family while all three choirs
brought in goods all week.
“We want to produce
good singers and citizens,”
Blair said.
“The leadership of Mr.
(choir director Andy) Thom-
as makes booster club really
easy.”
McNary Class of ‘67
reunion Aug. 11-12
The McNary High School
Class of 1967 is holding its
50th reunion on August 11-12.
Attendees will tour the
school on Friday at 4 p.m., fol-
lowed by a reception at Mc-
Nary Golf Club.
A meet and greet at Keizer
Elks Club is scheduled for Sat-
urday at 5 p.m., a class photo
at 5:45 and then dinner (prime
rib, baked codfi sh, chicken cor-
don bleu or vegetarian) at 6.
Cost per person is $50 for
both nights, $20 for Friday
only and $40 for Saturday only.
Advance ticket sales only.
No tickets at the door. Dead-
line is July 1.
Send checks, payable to
McNary Class of 67, with din-
ner choice to Kathy Grosso at
4387 Ermine St. SE, Albany,
OR 97322.
Email
questions
to
judy.m.hall@comcast.net.