FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 7, 2004

Contact: Brandon Bouchard, Chair
Caribou High School Music Building Fund
(207) 227-6611
bbouchard@cariboumusic.org
www.cariboumusic.org

$2.7M Caribou High School Music Building capital campaign to kick off March 14 at the Maine Statehouse

CARIBOU, MAINE,—The Caribou High School Music Building Fund will be holding a press conference in the Hall of Flags at the Maine Statehouse in Augusta at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, March 14, 2005, to coincide with Maine Cultural Advocacy Day. Students and teachers will speak at the event, when the fund will be releasing plans and information about a new music addition being built at Caribou High School and the fund committee, which is the first student-run campaign of this magnitude.

The fund is a student-initiated and -led non-profit organization, created to further music education in Caribou. Currently at Caribou High School, a single room built for 50 students has stretched to serve as the band room for over 80 musicians, storage room for the music department, music library and the green room for the Caribou Performing Arts Center. Due to school budget cuts and the general fiscal limitations, a small group of high school students decided they needed to take the matter into their own hands to remedy the situation.

For two years, the students researched the process needed to build a new music facility. In August 2003, they brought their proposal to the Caribou Board of Education and received concept approval. Within the past year, under the leadership of these students, the committee has quadrupled in size and now includes more music students, community members, and Senator Susan Collins as Honorary Chair. The committee officially formed a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and raised enough money to hire an architectural/ engineering firm, Harriman Associates, to finalize plans. On Monday, March 14, the fund will kick-off their campaign to raise $2.7 million for the new music facility.

According to former Maine Governor Angus King, "this is the first time in Maine that a project of this magnitude has been led by students, and their vision and dedication are truly astounding. They have already met with a wonderful reaction from the community and are determined to make this project one which will benefit Caribou and the surrounding communities for years to come."

Speakers at the press conference will include Brandon Bouchard, chair of the Caribou High School Music Building Fund and a Bowdoin College sophomore; Vicki King, Caribou Music Department Chair and Choral Director. The CHS Jazz Combo will also perform for half an hour preceding the conference.