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MCC Daily Tribune

A Third Successful Police Teen Talent Slam

For the third consecutive year, MCC Upward Bound's "Police Teen Talent Slam" brought together the best police and teenager talent in Rochester. The show took place on Saturday April 6 from 2:00-4:30 at Wilson Foundation, 200 Genesee Street. This is the first year that MCC Upward Bound partnered with Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection, as both organizations contributed to organize the event. The show aims to bridge the divide between officers and the community by offering a way for both groups see a different (and talented!) side of the other. Three years ago, Hezekiah (now an MCC Upward Bound senior), conceived the idea for the talent slam. "I wanted to make a change in my community, which is why I helped start the Police Teen Talent Slam. We've been doing it for three years now, and every year gets better."

This year's show featured an immense variety of talent, including guitar players, hip-hop dancers, singers, and a rapper. It drew over 160 people, the largest crowd to date, and included more than 10 RPD officers, 2 MCC Public Safety Officers, and members of the Sheriff's Department. It also showcased the first ever talent act with a police officer and a teen. Officer Whitney Celentano and Keyana, another MCC Upward Bound senior, founded a dance group with Keyana's sister and friend, Patience. The group practiced for months leading up to the show and won first place. Keyana shared "I'm really glad I got to know Officer Whitney. I was nervous at first, but it turned out she's awesome and we had a lot of things in common. We're both self-taught dancers, and we learned a lot of moves from each other." MCC Public Safety Officer Chad Rushforth performed as well, blowing the crowd away with his opera solo.

The raffle at this year's show raised $159 for Teen Empowerment, a youth empowerment organization on Genesee Street that facilitates Police Teen dialogues. The dialogues give space for police and teenagers to get to know each other on a personal level and discuss community issues together in a small group setting.

Deputy Chief La'Ron Singletary, recently selected to be the next Chief of Police in Rochester, shared, "This event was a great success. We had a great time celebrating youth and police talent, and the officers really enjoyed participating in it." The Sheriff Department and the MCC Public Safety Department also had officers on staff at the show.

Thank you to all who came out and supported, and look out for next year's Police Teen Talent Slam!

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Paul Stack
Upward Bound
04/30/2019