When students and staff return to Plaza Middle School, they will find a present waiting for them in their auditorium.

“Plaza is thrilled to have a new Yamaha grand piano!” announced Principal Deborah Price. “This instrument will enhance the instruction of our teachers and the quality of performances from our students.”

The purchase of the piano was funded by the E.K. Sloan Fund of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. Mr. Sloan was an engineer who anonymously bought pianos for nonprofits during his lifetime. He died in 1997 at age 90, and the Hampton Roads Community Foundation continues his legacy through these monetary awards.

This was the first piano grant from the Foundation for Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS), according to John Brewington, fine arts coordinator. “Obtaining a piano of this quality would have been beyond our reach without the support of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation and the E.K. Sloane Piano Fund,” he said. “We are truly grateful for this wonderful gift and look forward to the beautiful music coming from this instrument for the next generation of students and their audiences.”

Plaza Middle is an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program school where young learners participate in a fine or performing art every year. One-third of the school’s students are members of the band, the orchestra or the chorus. The school also hosts All-City and All-District practices and performances.