Youngstown Connection helps commemorate Pearl Harbor
Youngstown Connection members rehearse one of the group’s routines. In Hawaii, the group performed on the USS Arizona and USS Missouri, at a hospital for wounded veterans and at a center inside a shopping mall.
Kaitlyn Cook, 18, and Jason Whitehead, 16, members of the Youngstown Connection song and dance troupe, rehearse at Mahoning United Methodist Church. The group traveled earlier this month to Hawaii to participate in the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Members of the Youngstown Connection song and dance troupe pose with Carol Baird, center, their director. The group traveled to Hawaii earlier this month and participated in events commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. Members who attended the Hawaii trip are, from left, front: Jason Whitehead and James Cancel; second row: Alexis Shellow, Toshi Hudson, Kaitlyn Cook and Arielle Green; back row: Jaylen Smith, Leon Smith and Joey Corradi.
By Denise Dick
Youngstown
A group of 12 Mahon- ing County young people travels the world, entertaining people with song and dance.
But there’s a poignant message behind Youngstown Connection’s upbeat tunes and fancy footwork.
“Our message is peace, love and brotherhood,” said Carol Baird.
Baird founded the group almost 24 years ago as a way to showcase the talents of city school students. Since then, the group has grown to include students from surrounding school districts as well.
“We have so much talent in the Youngstown city schools, but a lot of students don’t have transportation,” Baird said.
Youngstown Connection members spent a week this month in Oahu, Hawaii, as part of the yearlong commemoration of 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
They performed on the USS Arizona and USS Missouri, at a hospital for wounded veterans and at a performance center inside a shopping mall.
“It was wonderful,” said Arielle Green, 17, a senior at Austintown Fitch High School. “Words can’t describe how awesome it was.”
She appreciated the beauty of the island, the different cultures and the importance of the occasion.
Joey Corradi, 16, a senior at Fitch, and Sabryna Johnson, 15, a junior at Youngstown Early College, both are in the first year with the group.
Sabryna said she joined because of the great reputation of Youngstown Connection.
It appealed to Joey because membership and the experiences it conveys prepare students for real life, he said. You learn etiquette, manners and time management, Joey said.
To join, students must audition, and the number selected each year depends on the number who graduate and leave the group. Besides singing and dancing talent, those selected must demonstrate commitment to the group.
“We rehearse two times per week for three hours for one thing,” Baird said.
If you miss a rehearsal, there had better be a good reason, she said.
“But you don’t want to miss rehearsal,” said Kaitlyn Cook, 18, who just graduated from Chaney High School. “Besides learning the routines, it’s fun.”
Members must uphold the message of peace, love and brotherhood, too.
Jason Whitehead, 16, a senior at Ursuline High School, has been in the group for about a year.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for growth,” he said.
Because of the lessons delivered by Baird, Connection members are ahead of their peers, Jason said, pointing to work ethic, manners and speaking skills.
Leon Smith, 20, a recent graduate of East High School, says membership in Youngstown Connection has been life-changing for him.
Leon earned a spot performing at Disney World this fall.
“They had several auditions, and he came out on top in every audition,” Baird said.
Leon credits what he’s learned through Youngstown Connection with that accomplishment.
The group performs several times per year for banquets, civic groups and other events in addition to the regular fall, Christmas and spring shows.
Students acknowledge that juggling rehearsal and performance schedules with school, homework and other obligations is challenging. But they say it’s worth it.
Ursuline junior Toshi Hudson, 16, says Baird stresses that school comes first.
“Then the Connection is next in line,” she said. “This is your family outside of the house.”
Toshi sacrificed socializing with friends and playing basketball to have more time for the group. She says it wasn’t a difficult choice. Jaylen Smith, 18, a 2011 Chaney graduate, auditioned for the group because of his love of singing and dancing and says his membership has allowed him to demonstrate those skills.
Alexis Shellow, 17, a senior at Chaney, set her sights on membership while a student at Paul C. Bunn Elementary School.
Youngstown Connection performed at the school and then pulled younger children from the audience to sing with them. Alexis wasn’t picked.
She decided at that point that when she was old enough, she would be selected to join Youngstown Connection.
“You want to be part of something positive,” Alexis said. “There’s such a negative outlook on youth today, and this is something positive.”