Thursday, July 17, 2008

VISIT WITH MR. MOORE

Deborah Peterson went to visit with Mr. Moore and Stacey recently there she presented the checl which holds all the money raised at the benefit concert here in Mr. Moores behalf.
here is what she had to say! thanks deborah for keeping us all posted. keep up the good work and the updates coming.


I went to Mr. Moore's earlier this evening to give him the check and a few other items. He has lost his hair now. He was very tender, Stacey can't touch him in anyway without it hurting. I was there for about 40 min and by the end he looked like he was about pass out. He couldn't say enough about the night of the concert. He gave me a card that is addressed to me and all of you. This is what is says, "Thanks Your Kindness is such a blessing." Then he hand wrote, " Words could not adequately express our heart-felt gratitude for the most wonderful evening we experienced. It was all so amazing! Thanks for your dedication & efforts in bringing about one of the best memories of our lives. May God bless you always- Love Kerry & Stacey Moore"

They plan to write a letter to send to everyone and will have either Craig or myself send it out to you all. Be looking for it.

The treatments are taking a tole on him, but he is fighting!!! The money we raised will really help them out with this. If the treatment he is on now doesn't work then they will head to Southern Cali to find an alternative.

He does want to do a Reunion Concert sometime NEXT YEAR!!! I look forward to that and seeing you all again!!

Hope all is well for you and thank you again for your help!
Deborah Peterson

PS if you want to know Dayne has been out on his mission for a month now and is loving it!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

waiting for permission

As there were pictures taken at the benefit concert with SHEDAISY in them! all of us are waiting for permission to post them and other video's. once they give that permission! pictures will be posted.

Friday, July 4, 2008

Current, Former students stage benefit for teacher.

These are some of the words Cyprus High School alumni used to describe their choir teacher Kerry Moore who was diagnosed with two neuroendocrine tumors in March.
Former students organized a tribute concert in Moore's honor to raise money Saturday, featuring choir and madrigals alumni, special guests Bob Gandy and SHeDAISY, and about 700 audience members.
Although the concert was free to the public, the event raised more than $7,500 in concession sales and private donations, including a $5,000 donation from Dave Osborn, a SHeDAISY member's father, for Moore's fund.
The show opened with a 24-year alumni roll call, starting with 1985 when Moore began teaching at Cyprus. As each year was called, former students in the audience stood up and choir alumni took spots on stage.
Graduates from each year were present in the audience, and by the year 2008, about 50 people filled the choral rows on stage.
"They're all grown up," Moore said. "The time they spent in our school is fresh in my mind, even though it's been 25 years."
Although the former choir students didn't all know each other, Moore still remembers every one of their names.
"It's the happiest day of my life, next to marrying my wife," he said.
Michelle Dangerfield-Dennis, an '86

graduate and a former madrigal, said confidence is the main thing she learned from Moore.
"When I started in his class, I was scared to sing loud," she said.
Moore played a piano session specifically for then-Dennis, so she could open up her voice without other students present, and it worked, she said.
"I was in musicals and everything because he gave me that confidence," said Dangerfield-Dennis.
Moore's former students reiterated the impact he has brought on them and his kindness and caring for them.
"I don't remember the time when he'd get terribly upset or mad," said Adam Proctor, a three-year choir member who graduated in 1990. "You're a better person having to know him."
Members of the country group SHeDAISY, Magna natives and Cyprus graduates, were among Moore's students and performers Saturday night.
"Even though we've been out of high school for so long, we keep in touch," said Kelsi Simpson of SHeDAISY. "The smallest thing we could do is to be here."
Before their two-song set, Simpson told a story about Moore's preparedness to be there when students needed him.
Simpson and her sister and bandmate Kassidy Osborn were in a small band during their high school years in the early '90s. They scored a gig at Jackpot, Nev., but their keyboard player couldn't come with them.
The sisters' dad suggested them to invite Moore on the road trip to take the missing musician's place, Simpson said. She even mentioned that he is a teacher and wouldn't have time to do it, because it was a school night, but invited Moore anyway.
Not only did he agree to wing the songs without enough practice and play at a "tough club" in Jackpot, he excused the sisters' absences from his class the following day.
"He was such a sport to be there and fill in," Simpson said.
"We saw a different side of him that we weren't used to seeing," Osborn said, referring to the unconventional teacher-student relationship Moore has shown them.
Osborn said she had many choir teachers as she was growing up, but she has learned the most from Moore.
She likes Moore's ability to see students' talents and improve them.
"He doesn't mold you into what you're not," Osborne said. He discovers what students are good at and pushes them in that direction, adding she has written more songs in Moore's class than outside of it.
"I'm glad I've been able to share so much beautiful music with all of [these students]," Moore said after the concert.
The choir alumni surprised Moore before the night's last song and asked him to conduct it for them. Although he didn't expect it, he agreed.
"They say that a teacher can influence thousands of lives. That is true," he said, but he has also been influenced by all his students.
"What you've given to me is inexpressible," he said.
Moore successfully battled pancreatic cancer five years ago, before he learned of new tumors a few months ago.
At Cyprus, he has taught choir, AP music theory, German and has helped directing school musicals.
Any monetary donations are accepted at Cyprus Credit Union under Kerry Moore's name until July 14.