RPCHESTER, NY – Students at Franklin High School were greeted with smooth jazz at the school on Thursday.
Grammy-nominated musician Jimmie Highsmith Jr. performed in the hallways as the students walked towards the classroom.
The greeting was delivered by Fathers Initiating Restorative Engagement or FIRE. The organization is a group of fathers who reach out to students as positive role models during check-in, firing, and lunch.
Organizers say they want to send students on vacation on a high note.
âTo be here with these kids today is just special to me,â Highsmith said. “I am a father. I am a grandfather. I know what it is to want to be supported by someone. My father was in my life, he died two years ago. For almost 50 years I ‘ve had this. So I wanted to give other kids … to be there to support them and show them how to cope with this world. “
âThe music is so calming and I don’t even know if Jimmie knows it, but I’m a musician,â said RCSD Superintendent Lesli Myers-Small. “I started playing violin and bassoon. Music has always been a comforting feeling for me and I could really rest.”
FIRE is currently looking for more volunteer dads. You can register by sending an email to [email protected] or by calling 585-262-8362.