Photo by Richard Gwin

Raven Graves, a graduating Free State High School senior, has excelled in music and hopes to become a teacher. She will be attending Coffeyville Community College on a full scholarship.

It won’t be the first time that Graves has belted out “The Star-Spangled Banner” in front of her peers. She has sung it at the start of basketball, volleyball and soccer games. She has kicked off home openers and senior nights. And when she finishes, the applause follows.

“They love her,” Free State’s choral music director, Hilary Morton, said. “And part of that is you have to give it up for people this age who are just doing it, who say ‘this is who I am and this is what I’m going to do.’ … It’s for more than just talent. It’s just admiration for her security in self.”

Graves’ path to graduation hasn’t always been a secure one. Early on, her mother, counselors and teachers worried about the decisions she was making as she struggled to find her identity.

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In junior high and the early part of high school, Graves said she was making childish decisions and wasn’t all that focused on graduating on time.

“I did enough to get by,” Graves said.

“By the skin of your teeth,” mom Linette Williams added.

Counselor Joel Frederick saw those low grades, but he also knew Graves had much to offer the world.

“Here was a kid who clearly had a lot going for her. She had a good support system in place, was a very engaging young woman,” Frederick said. “She had really good things to accomplish, and we needed to make sure she finished with us.”

To keep her on track, Frederick met with Graves, pointing out the grades she needed to improve and making sure she stayed focus.

Morton, too, worried about Graves in the beginning.

“She was young and acting like she owned the place,” Morton said.

As a senior, Morton said, Graves does sort of own the place. She keeps tabs of who is in the building and what they are doing. When she speaks, the classroom quiets down. Her motto for senior year was to stay out of and rise above the drama, Morton said.

“She is running the show, and we are just participating in it,” Morton said. “But not in a bad way. She has really learned how to do that in the right way without putting people off.”

Graves is a leader on the marching band’s color guard, was nominated to the homecoming court and is someone everybody knows.

“It seems like she is in 10 of my classes, but she is only in one,” Morton said. “She is the heart of our class. She has such a big personality in there.”

Music has always been a part of Graves’ life. Her grandmother is in a gospel group in Kansas City, and Graves grew up singing in the church.

“When she sings, it is just effortless,” Williams said. “It is in her bones.”

And music has been a common theme throughout her high school career. In her junior and senior year, Graves was part of the chamber choir, a group that requires auditioning and is hard for juniors to get into. She has played the violin since sixth grade and is in the high school orchestra.

She has great pitch and good reading skills, Morton said.

“She is fearless. One of the hardest things about being a singer is you really have to put yourself out there and be vulnerable,” Morton said. “Raven doesn’t care. She is going to let it out. That is a lot of what makes her such a strong musician. She just goes for it and doesn’t freak herself out.”

Counselor Tina Mitchell knew Graves back in seventh grade, when she was on a rather bumpy road filled with dead-ends and negative consequences. When Mitchell arrived at the high school this year, she was delighted to see what Graves had become.

“Raven is a glowing example of a young woman that used her past choices to establish and build her future,” Mitchell wrote in a email.

Morton thinks those years of not-so-great decisions will help Graves in her future goal of becoming a teacher.

“I hope she sticks with it. We need more teachers like her,” Morton said. “She’ll be real with the kids. She’ll form special relationships with them, but she won’t put up with their (antics).”

When Williams is asked about her daughter graduating, she tears up and notes how proud she is.

“You could talk to anybody about Raven and they will tell you she is funny, goofy, outgoing, a daredevil. Sometimes she has thought she was invincible with some stuff,” Williams said. “The change I have seen, I think, is with her accountability and being responsible.”

Next year, Graves will attend Coffeyville Community College and major in music education on a full scholarship.

As a counselor, Frederick said he has seen many students at a crossroads in their life and it’s always nice to see them go down the right path.

“We want to see everyone graduate. But for some it has been an easier journey than for others. And the ones whose paths are not as traditional, I’m particularly glad to see walk across the stage,” Frederick said.

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R5 featuring Ross Lynch from Disney’s series, Austin Ally, will perform in concert at the 30th annual Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning in Association with PNC Bank on Sunday, July 29, at 1 p.m. at Solberg Airport in Readington.

R5, featuring Ross Lynch from Disney’s number one series Austin Ally, will perform in concert at the 30th annual Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning in Association with PNC Bank at 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 29, at Solberg Airport in Readington.

R5 is the fastest-growing young band on the pop-rock scene with more than four million YouTube views and 150,000 Twitter followers. These teen sensations are comprised of the Lynch family of Littleton, Colo., and include Ross Lynch and Riker Lynch, a featured “Warbler” in Fox’s TV series, Glee.

They are the latest Disney teen sensations to perform at the balloon festival following the Jonas Brothers (2007), Demi Lovato (2008), Meaghan Martin (2009), Emily Osment (2010), and Mitchel Musso last year.

“With concert tickets skyrocketing, we’re proud to once again offer children and their families the opportunity to see their favorite Disney stars at affordable prices they can’t find anywhere else,” said festival Executive Producer, Howard Freeman. “Our teen concerts series has enabled us to introduce the magic of ballooning to a whole new generation and adds value to their festival experience. It’s also one of the reasons we remain the top family destination year after year.”

R5 is comprised of Lynch family siblings Ross, age 16; Riker, 20; Rocky, 17; sister, Rydel, 18; and family friend Ellington Ratliff, 18. Together they make up one of today’s most exciting young bands featuring catchy rock-inspired songs, a fashionable look, and an energetic performance style.

Ross Lynch has also recorded songs for Austin Ally, including the show’s theme song, “Without You,” as well as “Double Take,” “Break Down the Walls,” “A Billion Hits,” “Not A Love Song,” “It’s Me It’s You,” “Better Together,” and “Heard It on the Radio.”

Playing Austin Moon in Austin Ally is his first leading role. Pursuing a career in television, Lynch is following in the footsteps of his cousins, Derek and Julianne Hough from ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. He will also star in the new Disney Channel movie, Teen Beach Musical, its next song-and-dance extravaganza, in 2013.

Tickets for the R5 concert, presented by 1560 Radio Disney, include admission into the Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning, which features twice daily mass ascensions of more than 100 balloons from around the world and has been named as of the Top 100 Events in North America. VIP reserved seats (first 10 rows) are $50 for adults and $40 for children; Gold VIP reserved seats are $40 for adults and $30 for children. General admission lawn seating will also be available.

Tickets are now on sale at balloonfestival.com.

That’s what Jackson plays: Not pop or rock with a twang, as virtually every other top country artist now plays. But country.

And that’s what he played Saturday at Sands Bethlehem Event Center in what easily was the best concert so far in the new arena.

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Jackson crammed 20 of those country songs — 15 of them No. 1s — into an 80-minute concert, tying them tightly together and playing and singing extremely well. Simple as that — no flash, no acting the outlaw. Just good music that was full and rich.

He foreshadowed what was to come by opening with “Gone Country,” upbeat, fun and well-sung, backed by an eight-man band that added fiddle, lap steel guitar. Then he ran through eight songs in a half hour, barely a break between them.

While all the songs were country, the 53-year-old Jackson, wearing a white cowboy hat and black shirt, did change up the country elements.

“Small Town Southern Man” was tender traditional country (he ended it by changing the phrase to “small town Pennsylvania man.”) “A Woman’s Love” had a honky-tonk piano break. And a cover of Hank Williams Jr.’s “The Blues Man” was slow, with sensitive laps steel guitar and high-picked mandolin. He contrasted that with the upbeat “Long Way to Go,” which had people clapping along.

But the closest to rock he got was his 1994 No. 1 hit cover of Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues,” which he ended with a slight yodel.

Jackson built the show impeccably. Almost halfway through, he played his big hit “Itty Bitty,” starting with a fiddle solo and occasionally deepening his voice and adding a growl. Then he paired two emotional songs — “Drive (For Daddy Gene)” and “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning).”

The former, with harmonica and resonator guitar, got a big hand (interestingly, the audience didn’t react to its Mario Andretti reference). And the latter, which he wrote in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, was inspiring and he sang it exceptionally well in a spotlight against a starry-sky background. It got a standing ovation.

He did a three-song mini-set while seated, starting with a short version of his first hit, “Here in the Real World.” His latest hit, “So You Don’t Have to Love Me Anymore” (off his new album, “Thirty Miles West,” due June 5), which also is slow, traditional country heartbreak, got a surprisingly big hand.

“As She’s Walking Away,” his latest No. 1 with Zac Brown Band (his guitarist donned a Brown knit cap to sing Brown’s part) got an even bigger hand.

And then he finished with a run of his biggest hits, all gold No. 1s.

“Remember When,” with its piano intro, was tender and sentimental, and he sang it emotionally and dramatically. “Good Time” was pure honky tonk. And “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” had the crowd singing along.

He closed the main part of his set with a rollicking “Chattachoocie,” its first notes sent a rush through the crowd, then got them up and dancing.

He came back for an encore of “Where I Come From,” played loose and fun while a big screen showed Bethlehem scenery.

The fact that the show sold out in 30 minutes showed people know what to expect from Jackson, and he delivered. (He noted correctly that it’s been awhile since he last played the Valley at Allentown Fair in 2005).

In fact the only possible complaints about the show might be its brevity, but Jackson accomplished that by cutting the usual concert fat. And, with 50 Top 10 songs and 25 No, 1s, there might be some room to quibble with the set list. For example, he skipped his last solo No. 1 hit, “Country Boy,” and “She’s Got the Rhythm (And I Got the Blues)” – the latter played as a snippet during a video introduction.

But those are minor matters. Jackson played the Sands crowd plenty of country songs.

FOLK FOR KIDS. Washboards and whistlers. Wailing and ragtime. The Wiyos, a fun-loving trio of musicians, entertain tots and parents alike in a sing-along set to classic American folk music. 2 p.m. Free. Snug Harbor Cultural Center Botanical Garden Veterans Memorial Hall, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island. (718) 815-7684.

WEST SIDE GLORY. Celebrate the ethnic diversity of New York City at the Ninth Avenue International Food Festival. With live music, a children’s pavilion and more than 200 vendors, it’s sure to be a fun (and delicious) time. Noon-5 p.m. Free. 42nd to 57th Sts. (212) 581-7029.

WINDY CITY WACKOS. Break loose from the stress of the week with comedy group Chicago City Limits and its experimental show “Sunday Grab Bag.” 7:30 p.m. $5. 318 W. 53rd St. (212) 888-5233.

ALL YOU CAN HEAR. Get your fill of soul with “Groove Buffet,” one of the best Motown and classic RB cover bands on the East Coast. Feel free to dance as the group plays hits by Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Marvin Gaye and more. 8 and 10 p.m. $10. B.B. King Blues Club Grill, 237 W. 42nd St. (212) 997-4144.

CLASSIC CAMERAS. Show off your vintage cameras and chat with other photography enthusiasts in the historic home of Alice Austen. After a lecture on the famed photographer’s glass plate shooting process, participants will to go out and take a few shots. 1 p.m. $3 suggested donation. Alice Austen House Museum, 2 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island. (718) 816-4506.

RUSTIC RHYMES. Take a break from the hustle and bustle of city life and enjoy nature and the poetry of Richard Lewis in Central Park. A writing workshop with the Touchstone Center for Children help kids unleash their imaginations. In the event of bad weather the event will be moved indoors. Noon. Free. Peter Jay Sharp Children’s Glade, W. 106th St. (212) 860-1370.

UNDERGROUND JAZZ. Musician Arthur Kell and his quartet perform at Sycamore Bar Flowershop’s weekly “Underground Works” jazz series. Kell will be joined by drummer Mark Ferber, guitarist Brad Shepik and Michael Blake on the tenor sax. 9 p.m. $10. 1118 Cortelyou Road, Brooklyn. (347) 240-5850.

SUPER YETI. Learn how the mythical monster from the Himalayas has been depicted in comics since the 1940s. “Hero, Villain, Yeti” explores how popular culture has perpetuated notions that Tibet is a land of magic. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. $10. Rubin Museum of Art, 150 W. 17th St. (212) 620-5000.