|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Music is important to Miami Palmetto High School senior David Spiegelman. He plays trombone in the Palmetto Senior High Marching Band (when or if football resumes). In addition, Spiegelman plays in Palmetto’s jazz and concert bands.
He’s an excellent musician, good enough to be chosen for the Frost School of Music Honor Band and the Superintendent’s Honor Band. He’s also a state competitor for solo performance.
He played in the Greater Miami Youth Symphony for two years before switching to play in the Community Arts Program All Star Jazz Ensemble.
“It’s a lot more advanced,” he says. “They are the best players from the district.”
Under the direction of Dan Strange from the Frost School of Music, the Community Arts Program’s goal is to spread music to underprivileged areas.
“We do a lot of community work and play at community places like art museums, park, music halls, festivals and on the radio,” he says.
As a top-notch musician, Spiegelman could have gone to an arts magnet but he opted to attend Palmetto because he believes Palmetto has the best teachers and overall environment. He was president of the junior class and is now the president of the student council.
Previously he was on the senate and was vice president of Interact. As the vice president of Interact, he helped triple club membership during the last two years.
His goal as school president is to make school fun for everyone and to have a really successful homecoming and prom.
Along with this, he plans to create a great senior year for all the seniors even while dealing with a pandemic. However, that will depend on whether restrictions on gatherings will be lifted. His leadership as junior class president helped the class cabinet raise $17,000. Along with this, his junior class sold the most junior rings in Palmetto history.
“We hope to bring that same energy over to the whole school,” he says.
Trying to keep up school spirit and excitement while dealing with a pandemic that keeps students home doing virtual learning is not going to be easy.
“It’s going to make more work for us, as we figure out the new guidelines,” he says. “But we can make it more fun for the students as we figure out more activities to do.”
Over the summer, he was in contact with the activities director, Mrs. Valero, to talk about how events would be handled. And they have had plenty of ideas.
If he could have, Spiegelman says he would have opted to go back to school full time, even though there was the virtual school or the hybrid options. But the summer COVID-19 surge caused the school system to decide on starting with virtual schooling.
If activities resume, he plans to compete in the History Bowl again.
“Two years ago, we were national competitors so we went to Washington to compete,” he says.
He’s a member of the Social Science Honor Society, the National Honor Society, and the Music Honor Society Tri-M.
“I also give lessons to kids as part of Tri-M,” he says. “Virtually right now, but usually at their house. They are all younger, elementary school kids. All around the district.”
His college list includes the University of Florida and others to be named later. He’s considering a pre-law track, possibly business law or a business undergraduate degree in finance or economics and then on to law school. He may also have the option to attend college on a music scholarship.
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
