For Immediate Release: May 2, 2013 

Media Contact: Gloria Pfeiffer, Gloria@obs.org or (215) 290-6405

 

OVERBROOK SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND’S “APPALACHIAN SPRINGS” CONCERT

Philadelphia, PA:  The theme of this year’s May concert at Overbrook School for the Blind (OSB) will be “Appalachian Springs,” a spring celebration of the American pioneers of the 19th century.  The concert will be held on Thursday, May 16th at 7 p.m. in the OSB auditorium at 6333 Malvern Avenue in Philadelphia.  The concert is free and open to the public.

The Overbrook School for the Blind Concert Choir will perform several well-known pieces of folk music such as Simple Gifts, He’s Gone Away, Let the River Run by Carly Simon, and the spiritual Soon I Will Be Done.  Each song will be introduced by a student who will recite a piece of American poetry or read an introduction that presents each piece of music in an historical context.

 

The Bell Choir will ring out a Bell Fanfare, by David B. Brown, Red, White and Blue, Grand Canyons (from Southwestern Spirit Suite) by Michael Mazzatenta and Buffalo Gals Chopsticks, arranged by James Smith.

 

The repertoire for the Junior Choir, which is made up of students ages seven through eleven, includes two African American spirituals, This Little Light Of Mine and Oh Won't You Sit Down.  They will also present Let's Sing, America!, arranged by Tom Anderson.

 

Later in the program, the Mixed Ensemble will focus on American Folk songs like Dakota Dances, The Crawdad Song, Find Me A Rainbow, and Raise A Ruckus.

 

After the concert, everyone is invited to enjoy light refreshments in the beautiful Rotunda of Overbrook School for the Blind.  For more information about the Spring Concert, please visit www.obs.org.

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                                                                                

February 21, 2013

 

MEDIA CONTACT:

Gloria Pfeiffer, gloria@obs.org or (215) 290-6405

 

 

PANCAKE BREAKFAST TO BENEFIT OVERBROOK SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND (OSB)

 

Philadelphia, PA: Overbrook School for the Blind will hold its 20th Anniversary Pancake Breakfast with the Philadelphia Filipino-American Lions Club on Sunday, April 21st in Lions Hall at Overbrook School for the Blind, 6333 Malvern Avenue in Philadelphia.

 

The Pancake Breakfast will begin at 8 a.m. and will continue through 1 p.m.  Admission is only $7 per person for an all-you-can-eat breakfast including pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, toast, coffee, and juice.  Tickets are available in advance or at the door.

                                                         

In addition to door prizes for lucky guests, raffle tickets will be available at $1 each.  Raffle winners will receive several unique door prizes, including cash prizes of $500 and Phillies tickets.

 

Proceeds from the Pancake Breakfast will benefit Overbrook School for the Blind’s programs and services.

 

Free parking is available across from the school’s main entrance on Malvern Avenue.

 

For more information, contact Robert Smith at Overbrook School for the Blind at (215) 877-0313, ext. 264 or visit www.obs.org.

OVERBROOK SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND (OSB) HOSTS EAAB WINTER TOURNAMENT

January 3, 2013

 

Media Contact: Gloria Pfeiffer, Gloria@obs.org or (215) 290-6405

 

OVERBROOK SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND (OSB) HOSTS EAAB WINTER TOURNAMENT

 

Philadelphia, PA: Overbrook School for the Blind will host the Eastern Athletic Association for the Blind’s 2013 Winter Tournament on Saturday, January 26th in the Field House on the Overbrook School for the Blind campus, 6333 Malvern Avenue in Philadelphia.

 

Teams from Overbrook School for the Blind, the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind, the Maryland School for the Blind, The New York Institute for Special Education, and Perkins School for the Blind will compete in wrestling and cheerleading.  The tournament will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

 

This year’s OSB Huskies wrestling team is one of the largest (13) and most experienced teams the school has had in recent years.  Bob Ashbridge, OSB’s School-To-Work Director and EAAB Tournament Director, believes that this year’s team will change OSB history.  “Fifty years ago, Overbrook School for the Blind built the Fieldhouse and won the EAAB Winter Tournament that year.  We haven’t won it since then.  I think our wrestling team this year has the talent and experience to change that status, so we’re really looking forward to this tournament.”

 

Ten students from Overbrook School for the Blind will compete in the Cheerleading tournament.  OSB Cheerleading Coach Jamie Young says that coaches and instructors from Liberty Cheer Institute in Broomall, PA will serve as judges for the competition.  The squad will perform four cheers, with one being a dance routine.  Music for the dance routine will be provided by DJ Martial, a professional disc jockey from New York City, who has been donating his services for the past four years.

 

For more information, visit the OSB website and blog at www.obs.org.

November 29, 2012

 

Media Contact: Gloria Pfeiffer, Gloria@obs.org or 215.290.6405

 

 

ANNUAL HOLIDAY CONCERT CELEBRATES THE SEASON AT OVERBROOK SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND (OSB)

-Holiday Concert is a century-old tradition at OSB-

 

Philadelphia, PA: The largest ensemble in the history of the Music Department at Overbrook School for the Blind will perform in “A Peaceful Silent Night,” the annual holiday concert at Overbrook School for the Blind. This year, 52 students will participate in the holiday concert on Thursday, December 13, 2012 at 7 p.m. in the Auditorium at Overbrook School for the Blind, 6333 Malvern Avenue in Philadelphia.

 

The annual Holiday Concert is a long-standing (over 100 years!), beloved tradition at Overbrook School for the Blind. This year, the OSB Bell Choir, Mixed Ensemble and Concert Choir will perform a variety of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa songs and will feature solos by two Overbrook School for the Blind School-To-Work students. There will be a soulful voice arrangement of Joy to the World by Tashea White and a piano and voice solo by Franklin Nichols.

 

The concert program will continue with the boys singing Gloria and the girls singing The Winter Gift, and for all, a new arrangement of Silent Night. After the Bell Choir rings out a Hanukkah piece and the Junior Choir (made up of 7-11 year-old students) sings a few songs from their repertoire, the Mixed Ensemble will get everyone to join in the Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa Celebration.

 

After the concert, everyone is invited to enjoy light refreshments in the beautiful Rotunda of the Overbrook School for the Blind. For more information about the Holiday concert, please call (215) 877-0313 or visit www.obs.org

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September 20, 2012

Media Contact: Gloria Pfeiffer, Gloria@obs.org, 215-290-6405

OVERBROOK SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND WINS COMMUNITY CHILDRENS GARDEN AWARD

Philadelphia, PA: Overbrook School for the Blind has won First prize in the Community Childrens garden category of the 2012 City Gardens Contest from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS).

The award will be presented at the PHS Fall Garden Festival at the Navy Yard on Saturday, September 22nd. Students from Overbrook School for the Blind will accept the award.

The gardens at Overbrook School for the Blind include two growing spaces. One is located in the Biddle Hall (Elementary program) courtyard, which is all raised beds and planters/pots, and the other area is outside of Lions Hall (cafeteria) which has two raised beds, in ground growing, and apple trees. Students of all ages participate in these programs — they plant seeds and grow seedlings in the classroom; they transfer the seeds and plants out to the garden; they water and weed the garden; and then they pick the bounty. Many of our students have also juiced, dried and cooked with the produce and herbs that they have grown.

Research has shown that community gardens provide more than just a place for gardeners to get their hands dirty. The American Community Gardening Association states that community gardens serve to improve the quality of life for people in the garden; provide a catalyst for neighborhood and community development; stimulate social interaction; create opportunities for recreation, exercise, therapy, and education; reduce crime; reduce city heat from streets and parking lots; and provide opportunities for intergenerational and cross-cultural connections.

For more information about Overbrook School for the Blind and its gardening program, please contact Roseann McLaughlin at (215) 877-0313 or visit www.obs.org.

For Immediate Release
September 12, 2012

Media Contact: Gloria Pfeiffer, Gloria@obs.org or (215) 290-6405

NEW MEMBERS ELECTED TO BOARD OF MANAGERS AT OVERBROOK SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND (OSB)

Philadelphia, PA: Gerald Kitzhoffer, Director of Overbrook School for the Blind, today announced the appointment of a new President to the school’s Board of Managers.