BRIDGEPORT – Few schools are fortunate enough to have a school song. Even fewer (maybe none) have a song written by performers who appeared Woodstock.
After several rehearsal sessions, Ira and Maxine Stone guided New Beginnings Family Academy’s pre-k and kindergarten classes in singing ‘NBFA, we love you!” Thursday morning.
The Stone family, who have long supported the students at NBFA through song, yoga and story were joined by music teacher Damon Kelliher and volunteer Monroe Fried.
“We have been volunteering here for five years and it is our gift to the school,” said Maxine. “They have filled us so.”
In 1969, Ira took the stage at Woodstock playing guitar, organ, and harmonica with Bert Sommer.
In 1989, for the twentieth anniversary of Woodstock, the couple was featured in Life Magazine. Maxine appeared in the original (1969) Woodstock special issue of Life Magazine.
Fried helped the students with the drumming portion of the song, playing the beat by clapping and hitting their legs. She also held signs as the children spelled R-E-S-P-E-C-T and D-I-G-N-I-T-Y.
Maxine, who wrote the lyrics for the song, said she was happy to “steal” from Aretha Franklin for the song and draw on the message of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
First graders, staff and parents made up the audience Thursday.
A future recording of the song is planned and the couple hopes to teach it to the older grades.
For more information on the Stones visit here.
You can watch the full performance by clicking here.
Find the lyrics for the song below and sing along.
NBFA, we love you! By Maxine Stone 12/18
-A- -B-
Verse 1- Thank you for taking my hand Bridge-Once I was the little one
Thank you for showing me I understand Now I am the middle one
Learning to love, loving to learn 8th grade seemed out of reach
Thank you for giving me my turn. Soon the little ones I teach! (guit.
Verse 2-I hold a hero in my heart Chorus 2 New Beginnings Fam Ac.
and the courage, when the day is hard. How I love to tell the story
My friends are joining me today D-I-G-N-I-T-Y I can soar/I can fly
We have important things to say! New Beginnings we love you
Chorus 1- New Beginnings, Family Academy < ---- Back to chorus #1 and end
How I love to tell the story
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
you know what it means to me
New Beginnings, we love you
Verse 3-The child is father to the man
I STRETCH to be all that I can
My independence can unfold.
The world is wonderful to hold. ( ^ to column 2)
About New Beginnings Family Academy
New Beginnings Family Academy (NBFA) is a tuition-free public charter school for students in grades Pre-K through 8th, located in Bridgeport, CT. Our mission is to provide students with a meaningful, high-quality education through experience-based learning that helps them develop essential social, emotional and critical-thinking skills. This gives all children the necessary foundation to achieve their full potential at every stage of life. To accomplish our goal of preparing students for life-long success, we work with experts from Bank Street College of Education to implement a progressive education model with emotionally responsive practice.
This model attends to the whole child, not just academics, and focuses on developing collaborative, socially responsible leaders by organically weaving ethics and character-building into daily instruction in small-class settings. Our student-focused approach brings out the best in each child by getting to know them individually, encouraging curiosity, and fostering their personal interests.
All NBFA students are selected through a blind lottery, and there are no admissions criteria.
To learn more visit www.nbfacademy.org