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11/16/2017 04:24 PMBranford High School (BHS) is now home to the Cathyann Roding Auditorium. The school's auditorium was officially named in honor of Roding on Nov. 15, when the Board of Education unveiled the new sign that will hang outside doors of the auditorium in the main lobby.
In June 2017, Roding retired as an educator with Branford Public Schools, after leading the BHS choir and spring musical programs for 32 years. Citizens reached out to the BOE with requests to name the auditorium in her honor. A BOE advisory committee was formed in August in response to community support for the idea; and the full BOE voted to approve the committee's recommendation in September.
Roding's former co-director of BHS Spring Musicals, Toni Cartisano, was a vocal advocate for the idea and served as a member of the BOE advisory committee, which was headed by BOE member (and perennial BHS Musical orchestra pit member) John Prins.
Prins, together with BHS Principal Lee Panagoulias, BOE Chair Michael Kraus and Superintendent of Schools Hamlet Hernandez, spoke to honor Roding and the BHS music program she founded at the school.
Cartisano also spoke, noting the auditorium was Roding's "first classroom" as the building had no choir room when Roding first joined the district.
"Over 32 years, as Cathyann Roding filled our auditorium with songs, her students were rewarded with the greatest feeling of accomplishment, and her audiences were awarded with some of the best musical performances. With all Cathyann gave to her students and the community through this auditorium, it is most fitting that it be named the Cathyann Roding Auditorium," said Cartisano.
Cartisano then unveiled the new sign, with Roding and her daughter, Ashley (BHS Class of 2017) looking on; and a crowd of community supporters cheering her with a standing ovation from their seats in the auditorium.
"I'm completely humbled and overwhelmed," said Roding, saying she was wearing several pieces of jewelry given to her by past students and clutching her very first students' gift, a tiny Teddy bear given in 1985, to "...represent all the kids who believed in me."
"They believed in me and went with me on everything, through all of the years," said Roding, who also thanked all of the adults and teachers who supported her programs. Roding also thanked her "sister" Cartisano, for sharing so many years of dedicated effort with her.
"The only thing that would be better would be if I could scratch in 'Cathyann Roding and her Kids," Roding said of the sign. "But in my mind, that is what it always will be. To all of you that have done so much and believed in me through all of the crazy projects; the committee that helped get this through, to the school board and administrators, I'm completely humbled; and I hope when everybody sees this, they'll think of the generations of all the kids. Thank you, very much."
Led by new BHS Choral Director and former Roding student Michael Martone Jr., members of past and present BHS Choirs sang a special song for Roding to close the dedication event.
Reporters Note: BHS Performing Arts has just announced the first spring musical to take place in the Cathyann Roding Auditorium will be Shrek The Musical, March 21-25, 2018. An advance ticket sale to the public will be held Saturday, December 16, 2016, 9 a.m. - noon at Branford High School, 185 East Main St. This will be the only opportunity to purchase tickets before the general public ticket sale begins January 2. Visit www.thechoirlobby.com for more information.