Experiencing Cultural Immersion in Florence, ItalyWearing a dark green Florence shirt, Rocco Grassi reflects on his time studying abroad in Italy“You learn a lot more about who you are and how your life is. It's really cool to go to another country and get to experience their lives and how they act and how they do things, and they kind of become a part of you. You have your whole foundation in your whole life, like in one country, and then you go to another one and it doesn't change anything, it just adds on. You learn things and you add on things, and that kind of becomes a piece of you.”Rocc...

For an industry that exists to create, entertain and bring people together through shared experiences, the pandemic gave a particularly brutal blow to those in the business of the Arts, including the Performing Arts Center at Kent State University at Tuscarawas. For 17 long months, the doors were closed, the seats were empty and the stage was without entertainment. This hiatus – no Broadway shows, musical acts, family experiences and educational outreach programs – resulted in not only a decline in community engagement and economic development but in revenue. “The Performing Arts Cent...

CHISHOLM/CHERRY—A local couple is traveling to New York City where they are set to perform music as part of an ensemble in one of the oldest parades in the nation. Ryan Freitas, Band Director at Chisholm High School and his wife, Marie Freitas, Band Director at Cherry High School have been accepted to be part of Saluting America's Band Directors Marching Band performing in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. "Saluting America's Band Directors is providing a way to recognize the extraordinary dedication and accomplishments of band directors everywhere—public and private schools at all levels...