The Biloxi High School Orchestra will partner with the Mary C. O'Keefe's Youth Symphony to present a lawn concert extravaganza at the Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Center on Saturday at 10 a.m. during the annual Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival in Ocean Springs.

The free concert will begin with the "Star Spangled Banner" with Biloxi High School's soprano soloist Morgan Shavers.

The concert also will feature folk and popular music from "The Chronicles of Narnia," "The Incredibles," "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Pirates of the Caribbean." Guests also will hear classical works, such as Bach’s "Brandenburg Concerto #3."

In the event of inclement weather, the concert will be presented in the performing arts theater at the Marcy C. O'Keefe Cultural Center.

The Biloxi High School band has been named Grand Champion of the inaugural "Hurricane Classic" marching band competition at West Harrison High School.

The competition, held Saturday, included a field of Coast schools, including Gulfport, D'Iberville, and Long Beach among others.

Biloxi won first overall in music, percussion, visual effect, and general effect. The Biloxi color guard fared third overall.

Biloxi posted a score of 87.8, followed by second-place Gulfport with an 82, and third-place Long Beach with an 81.

"This was a rewarding end to our season for a terrific group of students," said Travis Coakley, Biloxi's director of bands. "I am very proud of their accomplishments and have truly enjoyed working with these young musicians."

Sandra Higgins, elementary math instructional coach for Biloxi Public Schools, was a presenter at the Mississippi Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference Sept. 14-15 at Mississippi State University.

Mrs. Higgins, who provides professional development training for elementary math teachers in Biloxi Public Schools, told conference delegates how Biloxi used an MCTM grant, called "Make and Take," for hands-on math materials for the district’s K-2 teachers.

Mrs. Higgins has also been invited to serve on the committee for the 2013 mathematics teachers conference, which takes place at Jefferson Davis campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College on Sept. 20-21, 2013.

During the conferences, math and science teachers from Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana can gain valuable information for their classrooms and network with each other.

Children First: To see the latest Children First report card for Biloxi Public Schools, click here.

Biloxi First: To see dozens of images from the Biloxi First fund-raising roast of Butch Oustalet Tuesday evening at the IP Casino Resort Spa, click here.