You sit in the audience, listening to the arts department faculty members as they give their speeches. You listen as the members of the acting ensemble talk about their favorite costumes. You sit up in attention when you see it. Junior Joshua Carver walks across the stage, black dress pants, white dress shirt and on top of these: a strapless red dress.
The sequins glitter in the stage lights and the red mesh covering the skirt part flows around him. He grins at the crowd of people, laughter rippling across the auditorium. You only hear him say that it’s tradition before you too are laughing, a wolf whistle echoing through space.
Last Saturday, Nov. 19, Northwood celebrated its 40th year of arts education with a presentation.
“[Having 40 years of arts education] is a super awesome achievement, and since I consider myself an artist, I’m proud to attend a school with such a great arts program,” junior Courtney Cleveland said. “Art makes school worthwhile for me, and I would definitely be a lot less glad to come to school every day if I didn’t get to have some sort of art going on around me.”
Jazz band performed the song Birdland by Josef Zawinul, featuring solos by junior Chelsea Korynta and junior Josh Lyman. Band director Eugene Cottrell shared his opinion about what makes the arts program special to him.
“The arts teachers are so close,” said Cottrell. “At the school I used to teach at, the other arts teachers didn’t really communicate. Here, we all work together.”
Before the Vocals I and II students sang their song, ’Cross the Wide Missouri, arranged by Don Besig, vocal and guitar teacher Matthew Hansen talked to the crowd.
“It’s an incredible honor to be teaching at a school like Northwood,” Hansen said. “It’s just a joy to be here.”
Other students are pleased with this school being so dedicated to the arts.
“It’s excellent,” junior Meredith Lewis said. “[My friends and I] want to get more involved in [the arts]; it’s our goal.”
Junior Quinn Kerscher had more to add.
“We’re all so connected to each other,” Kerscher said. “The arts let us express ourselves.”
In a conclusion to the speakers in the auditorium, Northwood Arts Education Foundation founder Gina Harrison spoke about her experience with the arts department. After a few choice words she said something that finalized the gala:
“You never know the lives you touch.”
The presentation ended with the auditorium singing the Northwood Alma Mater.
– By Morgan Yigdal