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Gifted students show off some talents at festival Date published: 6/2/2004
Mark Guerrieri has transformed classic rock music hits like "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin into a percussion ensemble. Ariel Hunsberger has written a novel that's been critiqued by Random House. And Connie Suh has undertaken research that compares Western and Oriental medicine. These three have more in common than their scholarly pursuits. They're all too young to vote or have an alcoholic beverage. Guerrieri, Hunsberger and Suh are students at Colonial Forge High School. Those three and scores of other aspiring artists and scientists participated in Stafford County's Focus Festival on May 25. Brian Driver, a resource teacher at Colonial Forge, said students from elementary school through high school have been working hard for months on a variety of projects. "It's anything they're interested in," he said. For Guerrieri that interest is music. The high school junior, who plans to be a professional musician some day, decided he wanted to transform the sound of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant into a percussion ensemble. "I thought it was going to be a breeze, but it was a complicated process," Guerrieri said. With the help of some computer software, Guerrieri transformed several of the band's songs, but displayed just two of Led Zeppelin's more popular works--"Stairway to Heaven," and "All of My Love" at the Focus Festival. He said he was somewhat nervous to reveal his hard work. "I want things to be perfect," he said. It's a feeling shared by Hunsberger, who has been laboring away at a historical novel. "It's hard for me to expose my work," she said. But she's learned that writers have to expose their work. So she sent her manuscript to the children's division of Random House and received a detailed letter filled with kudos and suggestions. "They liked it, but they wanted me to do some revisions," she said. Suh, who researched acupuncture and Oriental herbal medi-cines, was looking forward to showing people the pros and cons. But despite spending months on her project, the 18-year-old's interest in the topic has not abated. "The research will never be done," she said. Driver said the Focus Festival, which is open to all students who receive credit and a pass-fail grade, has been held every year for as far back as anyone can remember--at least 20 years, he said. In fact, Driver can't remember how many he's witnessed. But it doesn't matter because every year there's something new and innovative. Over the years he's seen kids produce horror movies, complicated research on data processing and sports medicine. "The level of dedication the kids put in is very high," he says. To reach JODI BIZAR: 374-5000, ext. 5627 jbizar@freelancestar.com
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