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Connections

Coming up on Connections: Friday, October 13th

First hour: RCSD's Facilities Modernization Program

Second hour: The movie It, and perceptions of clowns

Sometimes we hear generalizations about how city schools stack up to suburban schools. Things like, “the suburbs have more amenities.” Those might include arts, computer labs, performance spaces, athletic equipment, music. Are those generalizations fair, and will the facilities modernization bring the city schools more in line with other local districts? Or are those generalizations off base? Well, the Facilities Modernization Program is charged with updating and modernizing schools in the Rochester City School District. We'll find out what that means, and how tens of millions of dollars are being spent. Our guests:

  • Allen Williams, chair of the Rochester Joint Schools Construction Board
  • Michael Schmidt, vice chair of the Rochester Joint Schools Construction Board
  • Travis Miller, manager of the Business Opportunities Program for Savin Engineers

Then in our second hour, the movie It broke box office records for late summer, which means two things: Stephen King remains popular, and clowns remain horrifying. Okay, that second part is probably unfair, but Pennywise the Dancing Clown has cast a frightening figure in the film. So why are we so afraid of clowns? It didn't start with the book version of It, which dropped in the mid-1980s. In facts, it goes way back in literature. But modern-day clowns want to make the case that we don't have to be afraid. We'll explore the history of our fears and the reality of this offbeat profession. Our guests:

  • Roscoe the Court Jester
  • Richard Hughson, member of Flower City Vaudeville
  • Sky Sands, comedian
  • Abby DeVuyst, librarian, improviser, and actor
Connections
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.