By BETH HURD

Despite ending the school year on a sour note, a group of parents and students who have petitioned to keep music, band and chorus offered at Ferri Middle School have continued their fight over the summer in hopes that the classes will once again be offered in the fall.

"We went to the School Committee on June 12, and we asked questions but they didn't have any answers," said Diane Larsh, president of the Johnston Schools’ Music Association.

Also speaking at the June 12 committee meeting, Bernie Frezza, a member of the Johnston Band Parents’ Association, told the committee parents needed an answer in 14 days or the parents association would be asking the commissioner of education for "a hearing and intervention on this matter."

"We'll get our hearing date as soon as we file," said Larsh. The paperwork was filed on Monday, July 9.

The petition requesting "state intervention of Johnston's School Department at the Nicholas A. Ferri Middle School," has been carefully worded. It reads, in part:

"We, the citizens of the Town of Johnston, have seen our School Department dramatically improve over the past several years under the No Child Left Behind Act and the State of Rhode Island's Commissioner of Education's initiatives to improve education amongst our children in Rhode Island's Public Schools. We believe that the arts, music in particular, are in intricate part of our children's education. We also believe that the music program at the Nicholas A. Ferri Middle School in Johnston is one of the many reasons for improvement of our children's quality of education their ability to learn."

The petition quotes the SALT team report of Jan. 14, 2005, which said "the arts are a major component of the FMS curriculum," and included the recommendation that FMS provide all students with the opportunity to participate fully in physical education, health and unified arts. The petition goes on to say the JSD operating budget, passed on Jan. 27, 2007, and the town's operating budget, passed by the Johnston Town Council on June 26, 2007, fails to include a salary listing for a chorus teacher.

"The chorus director has been laid off and [Superintendent Margaret Iacovelli] hasn't given us a straight answer about band," said Larsh.

The petition to education Commissioner Peter McWalters requests an order for a full reinstatement of the music, band and chorus programs at Ferri Middle School.

"We got the language from the State Education Plan and from the Johnston Education Plan," said Frezza.

Parents and other concerned citizens attended a petition rally held at Johnston Memorial Park on Friday, July 6.

"We got on the phone and called all the members, we have petitions everywhere," said Larsh. "We're getting a lot of support from the parents."

Supporters who signed their names to the petition included the Plante family. Ariana Plante, 13, who is going into the eighth grade at Ferri Middle School in September, has played the flute for two years.

"She knows if her grades drop, she can't continue," said her mother, Denise. Denise bought a flute for her daughter, who has maintained honors grades.

Ariana's brother Joshua, who just graduated from Winsor Hill, will attend Ferri Middle School in September. He wants to play clarinet. He also added his name to the petition.

Also on hand was Rachel Petitto, the student at Ferri Middle School who started the petition drive, collecting more than 600 student signatures, a number that represents two-thirds of the school. It is estimated that more than one-third of the school is involved in chorus, band or music.

Another supporter was Alex Lam and his family. Alex, a clarinet player and a member of the Philharmonic Junior Wind Ensemble at Johnston High School, was the only student from Johnston to be chosen for All-State. His sister Tiffany, a student at Ferri, is also a musician.

"I've got my heart and soul in this, for the past nine years, since my daughter was in the sixth grade," said Larsh. Her daughter is now in college and she has a son at the high school.

"We need to let the people know the process we've followed, that we went all the way with this," she continued. "We gave them two weeks and they couldn't be bothered. Parents didn't know how to go about this and I neither did I, but we found out and now they know we're dead serious."

Larsh requested copies of the school budgets from 2006-07 and 2007-08, as well as a list of graduation expenses, which she hopes will help the group build a case for reinstating music.

"Our last words to the School Committee on June 12 were, 'We're not going away,'" said Larsh. "I can't wait for our hearing."