Parkland, Fla., shooting victim Alex Schachter may be gone, but his musical spirit will live on through the talents of 50 band students from 50 South Florida schools who received $50,000 worth of specially designed Alex Tribute Trombones on Saturday.
"I'm blown away," said his dad, Max Schachter, at the ceremony. "To see Alex affecting all of these kids [with] his love of music expanding all across the state, it's unbelievable."
Hundreds of students and their families packed the All County Music store in Tamarac to receive their new trombones engraved with a motif combining Alex's name and a trombone. Music teacher Bryan McCall was one of about 50 band directors who had the challenging task of nominating students. "Alex can no longer go to college and get a [music] scholarship, but these kids can," he said. "Alex can no longer say he's in a band and he's traveled and had all these great experiences, but these kids can through this foundation."
Alex, 14, was a trombone player in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas marching band. "The most important thing in Alex's life and the thing that made him grow and mature is music," said Max Schachter. "Every parent wants to find something their kid loves and enjoys, and music can be that."
Surprise visitor has encouraging words
A group of students from Spelman and Morehouse colleges who have been studying Michelle Obama's memoir, "Becoming," had a surprise visitor to discuss the work — the former first lady herself. Obama came to Spelman to talk with the students Saturday about the best-selling book ahead of her sold-out appearance Saturday night at State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta. Obama encouraged the 18 students to have faith in themselves, saying she learned through her eight years in the White House and elsewhere that she is as smart and capable as the well-educated and famous leaders she encountered. Obama used a phrase made famous by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to emphasize her point. "I've been to the mountaintop and I've seen it. You're deserving and worthy," she said.
Graduate: Michael Jackson's oldest child, Prince, is a college graduate. Prince Jackson, 22, whose real name is Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. T.J. Jackson, the cousin who served as Prince's guardian after his father died, tweeted, "It's been a long road but you did it. Keep learning, keep growing and keep giving back!" Michael Jackson has two other children, 21-year-old Paris and 17-year-old Prince Michael Jackson, known by the nickname Blanket.
Associated Press
