Absolon Kent

BLACKSBURG, Va. — I am beyond proud of these talented young musicians who participated in the Virginia Tech Honor String Orchestra Festival this weekend. Matthias, Ryan, and Miya represented Annandale High School and Falls Church High School with exceptional skill and technique.

This year marked the inaugural Virginia Tech Honor String Orchestra Festival, hosted by the School of Performing Arts. The event showcased more than 100 high school students, who were recommended by their directors. Participants attended masterclasses led by Virginia Tech’s string faculty. They performed in a combined concert with the Virginia Tech Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Mathias Elmer, the university’s director of orchestral activities.

📸: absolonkent.net/photogallery/index.php?/category/593

📹: absolonkent.net/AHS_Peforming_Arts/VT_Honor_Strings_Festival_2024/

📹: Ride of the Rangers by Kirt Mosier (YouTube Video via Virginia Tech Philharmonic Orchestra) — youtube.com/watch?v=qv6muRtR5Gs

📹: Mother Goose Suite by Maurice Ravel (YouTube Video via Virginia Tech Philharmonic Orchestra) — youtube.com/watch?v=en0DkyCUbN0

📹: Finlandia, op. 26 by Jean Sibelius (YouTube Video via Virginia Tech Philharmonic Orchestra) — youtube.com/watch?v=OeuslnCmzls

#PreciousFatherMoments #ProudDad #KENTCANDO #TeamKent #GoAtoms #AnnandaleAtoms #AtomsOrchestra

ANNANDALE, Va., and VIENNA, Va. — The family had another busy weekend, starting Friday night as we joined Little Kent 2 for Senior Night activities and attended the Alfred Street Baptist Church HBCU Festival, and the Annandale High School Athletics Hall of Fame Dinner on Saturday.

On Friday night, Little Kent 2 was one of the students honored during Senior Night at Annandale High School’s football game against Rock Ridge High School. He also performed with the performing arts department, playing "The Star-Spangled Banner" during the pregame ceremony.

On Saturday morning, the family attended the 21st annual Alfred Street Baptist Church Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Festival. The event, designed to connect students and their families with HBCUs, provided scholarship opportunities, on-the-spot admission decisions, and music auditions. Additionally, seminars and exhibitor presentations offered guidance on the college application and financial aid processes.

Saturday evening concluded with the Annandale Athletics Hall of Fame Dinner, where nine individuals and two teams were inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024.

📸 AHS Senior Night - absolonkent.net/photogallery/index.php?/category/588

📹 AHS Senior Night - absolonkent.net/AHS_Peforming_Arts/AHS_Football_Game_Pregame-8-November-2024/

📸 2024 AHS Athletics Hall of Fame - absolonkent.net/photogallery/index.php?/category/590

#PreciousFatherMoments #ProudDad #KENTCANDO #TeamKent #GoAtoms #AnnandaleAtoms

HARRISONBURG, Va. — Located just west of Massanutten Mountain in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, James Madison University is a public research university with more than 21,000 students. Originally founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the institution was renamed in 1938 in honor of the fourth president of the United States, James Madison. Today, with more than 130 programs of study, James Madison University has expanded from its origins as a normal school and teachers college into a comprehensive university.

#FallCollegeTour2024 #TeamKent

WASHINGTON — Views of the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial at Night along the National Mall.

#MyDMV #TodaysAdventure #AmericasNationalParks #GetOutside #OutdoorAdventures #FamilyTime #TeamKent #KENTCANDO

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris addressed an estimated crowd of 75,000 at the Ellipse in Washington. In her speech, the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee urged the nation to move beyond violent division and pledged that, if elected, she would always put country above party and self.

The event, held nearly four years after former President Donald Trump held a January 6 rally at the same location, allowed the vice president to draw contrasts between herself and Trump, whom she cast as a threat to democracy. With one week remaining before Election Day 2024, Harris framed her address as a “closing argument” to the American people.

📹: c-span.org/video/?539540-1/vice-president-harris-speaks-ellipse-washington-dc (C-SPAN)