Student 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. 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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Stack, Paul
Upward Bound
04/30/2019