When the Highlands Elementary School Osprey Chorus marched in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade last week, they carried with them enthusiasm, history, and a story about the clever and very talented music teacher Denise Furda who made it possible for them to delight the crowd with the Highlands Elementary School song.
Actually, it’s a song that has been in the school for nearly half a century, starting back in 1983 when Mercedes Dodds, who was the Music Teacher at that time, had her Gifted & Talented students write music and lyrics to express their feelings about the Highlands Elementary School. The song was sung on occasion then, and then somehow interest or music drifted aside but were not forgotten.
When Mrs. Furda joined the faculty at the elementary school in January, 2002, she heard about the song. But no one knew where the music or lyrics were. So once again, the Highlands song was a thing of the past.
That was until a few years after her arrival and Mrs Furda was cleaning out papers and boxes left by former teachers when her room location was changed. The papers were mostly old purple ditto sheets from the General Music class, but this detailed and meticulous teacher looked through it all rather than simply discard the old boxes. That’s when she found, in the middle of the rubbish, a faded folder with a copy of the handwritten music and lyric sheets inside!
The teacher showed it to her music class, delighted them with the story of their school song, and since then, it has been a regular highlight of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, along with the Osprey Chorus version of “The Whistling Gypsy Rover.”
The Osprey Chorus also sang their school song on the stage at a recent meeting of the Henry Hudson Regional Board of Education, receiving applause and a standing ovation both for their excellence and pride in having a school song.
Looking back on it now, Mrs. Furda laughs, saying “I was afraid to find the song because I worried that I wouldn’t like it and I’d have to sing it all the time.”
But actually, she enthuses, “ it is a really cute song I enjoy very much!
The lyrics to the Highlands School Song, sung with pep, enthusiasm, talent and plenty of school spirit:
We all should climb that highest hill,
and if you go to Highlands Element’ry,
all of your dreams will be fulfilled.
You will be glad you made the effort to achieve your highest goal.
If you go now, we’ll show you how Highlands is the best school!
Look to the far, far, blue horizon where the endless skies now meet the sea.
Look to the bright old sun arising to show the way for you and me.
Look to the dreams we dreamed together here, where our banner’s gold and blue.
Look to the sky! Hold those goals high, here at Highlands School!
