BERLIN – Students across Worcester County this week were given the opportunity to showcase their artistic talents at the school system’s annual Fine Arts Festival.
On Tuesday, students from the north-end to the south-end of the county gathered at Stephen Decatur High School (SDHS) to celebrate the arts with a night of art displays, choral arrangements and band performances.
This year, Worcester County Public Schools’ Fine Arts Festival featured musical and artistic compositions, including 2-D and 3-D art, photography, performances from middle school ensembles, and songs from five elementary and middle school choirs.
Tamara Mills, coordinator of instruction for Worcester County Public Schools, said the festival is the school system’s largest display of student arts.
“All in all, nearly 1,000 students will be highlighted that night,” she said. “It’s typically one of our most celebrated events of the year.”
Each year, the Fine Arts Festival rotates among the county’s three high schools. This year’s festival, held at SDHS, took over the school’s main hallway and auditorium Tuesday evening.
Alex Tobiassen, art teacher at Pocomoke High School, said the artwork on display in the main hallway was a culmination of classroom projects throughout the school year.
Members of the All-County Band perform. Photos by Bethany Hooper
“The Fine Arts Festival gives the opportunity for students in many different art disciplines, visual arts and performing arts, to showcase their talents to their families,” she said. “The community comes in and a lot of the (school) board members come out. It gives everyone the opportunity to see what the students have been doing and working on all year.”
In addition to art displays and exhibitions by elementary and middle school students were performances by the school system’s All-County Chorus and All-County Band.
All-County Chorus member Ja’Bria Lewis, a ninth-grade student at SDHS, said musical arrangements from the All-County Band and Chorus were prepared solely for the festival.
“We’ve practiced two times all together during school hours, but tonight is going to be our true test,” she said.
Lewis said the festival gives All-County Band and Chorus members an opportunity to meet new people and develop a relationship with other high schools in Worcester County.
“I feel like it brings all the schools together, so we have that common thing to bond over and we get to know more than just our school,” she said.
Mills said the festival also highlights the importance of arts in education.
“Any profession these students will go into involves creativity and creative thinking, and the arts teach students those skills,” she said. “It’s wonderful to see what students are doing and how the arts are enriching their lives.”
