NORWICH – Formed in late May by a group of parents, students and educators concerned with scheduling changes within the Norwich City School District for the 2011-2012 school year – and the effect on the high school’s music program – the Norwich Music and Arts Advocacy Group received some good news Monday morning.

According to NHS Choir Director Mary Mayo, a solution has been reached that will allow students to attend choir, orchestra and band as in previous years, with no overlap in scheduling. At the start of the year, many students were forced to choose one program over another – or miss a significant portion of rehearsal time – a disadvantage parents, teachers and students alike continued to bring up at Board of Education meetings over the past three months.

While the latest change in schedule meant some sacrifices for both students and educators, said Mayo, the choir, orchestra and band will be able to meet on a daily basis at full strength.

“This was a major undertaking by [NHS Vice Principal] Mrs. Giglio and, as a result of her hard work, we didn’t lose a single student in the change,” reported Mayo. “It took one person to go through 60 students and their schedules by hand, which was a big investment of her time. This was not an easy fix, but it changes my whole outlook for the year.”