Reading, writing and arithmetic … these continue to be the staples of any kindergarten through 12th grade educational experience. If your child has aspirations to be a star, start them off at an early age with Lights, Camera, Action!!
Local schools do more than teach our students the basics — educators also show our youngsters how to express themselves in other ways and give them a chance to share those expressions.
American Heritage School
Johnpaul Moccia, fine arts faculty member and choir director
How is your school grooming students to get involved with the arts?
American Heritage is proud to give their students the academic base of their craft. As they grow in this foundation, whey will be continue to strengthen their skills and thus be able to perform at the highest level possible.
What are your school’s performing arts opportunities, including music, drama and dance?
It is a busy season here at American Heritage in Plantation. The Fine Arts Department started work well before the school year with a trip to the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, and marching band camp. The chorus, band, orchestra and guitar programs are gearing up for the All-State audition process. Our school is one of the most represented schools in Florida, winning numerous awards and superior scores at district and state thespian competitions.
The Theater Department is currently preparing for five shows this fall. The season rounds out with five concerts in December: band, guitar, chorus, orchestra and dance.
Does your school offer other opportunities such as video production?
The video production classes are done through our computer department.
Share details about your performing arts facilities.
American Heritage has an 800-seat professional theater with full rigging and lighting and an electronically lowered orchestra pit, complete technical department and professional dressing rooms. Classes are taught in all performing areas as well as Tech Theatre, Lighting and Sound, Stage Make Up, and Playwriting. We have a multiple use black box theater that can transform into any size. It is also used for art shows. We also have a 50- to 75-seat “store-front” type theater. The choir room and band room are each large enough to seat a full band/orchestra and 100-voice choir.
Why do you feel teaching the performing arts is important?
Teaching in the performing arts helps to teach the “whole” child. It uses left and right brain functions. It allows students a means of expression that they often miss in their academic classes. We find that some of the most advanced learners are enrolled in the Fine Arts.
Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy High School
Cindy Keegan, drama artistic director
How is your school grooming students to get involved with the arts?
There is a full array of classes offered in the Performing and Visual Arts as well as after school clubs including drama, band, art honor society, liturgical and Spanish choir, and dance, just to name a few.
What are your school’s performing arts opportunities, including music, drama and dance?
You’re surrounded by various art opportunities at Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy High School. Besides classes offered in the performing arts, the Drama Department stages several full productions every year (one musical and one straight play). We have an International Thespian Society Troupe that presents a one act and various acting and singing solos, duets and ensemble numbers and scenes. We compete at a district and state level. Last year we were one of only eight schools in the state of Florida chosen to perform at the state festival. We are a member of the Cappies program where students review high school plays and are recognized at their Cappie Gala at the Broward Center for Performing Arts.
We have a concert and marching band and a liturgical and Spanish choir. There is also a dance team that has many performing opportunities including at our pep rallies.
Does your school offer other opportunities such as video production?
We offer a cinematography class and have several after school clubs focused on video and film production.
Share details about your performing arts facilities.
We have several venues including the Maverick Theatre, which is our classroom and black box theater. We also have the Student and Performing Arts Center where we stage our musicals as well as our band and choir performances.
Why do you feel teaching the performing arts is important?
The arts show our similarities and differences, and our humanity. It is the connective tissue for all humanity. We all know pain, anger, joy. Visual and performing arts connect us as human beings.
David Posnack High School
Randi Schwartz, Admissions, Communications, and Development Coordinator
Office of Advancement
How is your school grooming students to get involved with the arts?
David Posnack offers theater electives in both the middle and high schools. The classes cover a broad range of theater development in the areas of characterization, scene work, technical theater instruction, creative movement and physicality of an actor, improvisation, pantomime, artistic discipline and careers in theater arts. Music students often help transpose musical scores and perform in the orchestra for the high school musical. Art students assist with themed decorations for the lobby area for each of our shows.
What are your school’s performing arts opportunities, including music, drama and dance?
David Posnack offers both in school and afterschool activities in the arts. We offer art, music and theater electives year round in both our middle and high schools. Dance is offered as a component of our musical theater program and professional choreographers are brought in to train our students firsthand.
Does your school offer other opportunities such as video production?
In the Lower School, all fourth and fifth graders participate in producing a weekly live newscast broadcast into classrooms. In the middle and high schools, options include photography, studio photography and stop motion animation. Students may also take independent study classes for video production.
Share details about your performing arts facilities.
Our performing arts facilities include three arts classrooms and the Brickman Auditorium, which seats 200 eager audience members. For both our middle and high school musicals, state of the art sound and lighting equipment is brought in to enhance the space to the fullest and add to our current growing inventory. Our future building plans include a state-of-the-art music and theater classrooms as well as a new theater.
Why do you feel teaching the performing arts is important?
It is our belief that every student, of every ability level, has something to offer the production if they have dedication and commitment to the program. Most importantly, participation in the arts creates well-rounded, confident and responsible individuals who find fulfillment in their own creative journey.
Pine Crest School
Christine Dardet, Director of Communications
How is your school grooming students to get involved with the arts?
Pine Crest School students – from the first day of Pre-K to the last day of senior year in the Upper School – have the opportunity to be involved with the arts.
Movement and music are part of a Lower School student’s regular curriculum. Upper, Middle and Lower School students may choose to participate in band, chorus, dance, drama, guitar, jazz band, music composition, orchestra, piano and visual arts. Arts may be offered as private and group lessons; during school as an elective and after school as an extracurricular activity.
What are your school’s performing arts opportunities, including music, drama and dance?
Pine Crest School performing arts opportunities include band, chorus, composition, dance, drama, general music, jazz band, orchestra, piano and visual art.
Does your school offer other opportunities such as video production?
Pine Crest School offers taped and live video production opportunities to Lower, Middle and Upper School students. Students on both Pine Crest campuses – Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale –are taught to film, edit and report stories by faculty who are well versed in video production. The new 1,200-square-foot Upper School studio on the Fort Lauderdale campus features a green screen, an anchor desk, studio lighting, state-of-the-art broadcast cameras, a control room and interview couches.
Share details about your performing arts facilities.
Pine Crest School’s Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale campuses house auditoriums with fully equipped stages, dance studios, music performance rooms and studios and visual art studios.
Why do you feel teaching the performing arts is important?
Through the arts, Pine Crest School is committed to inspiring creativity and an appreciation for learning that goes beyond traditional core academics. Pine Crest School’s president, Dr. Dana Markham, has said, “The world needs artists who perform heart surgery and judges who write poetry.” The entrepreneurs, researchers, executives, attorneys and citizens of tomorrow must be able to communicate, collaborate, innovate and create to succeed. Exposure to and involvement in the arts is integral to the development of a wholly educated student.
Sagemont Performing Arts
How is your school grooming students to get involved with the arts?
Doris Quintero, Assistant Principal at Sagemont’s Upper School Campus: Starting in the elementary school, Sagemont provides music and art classes, a chorus club, and a drama club. Once the children move up to the upper campus, they have had a good foundation and can choose from chorus, guitar, band, drama, including courses on the honors and Advanced Placement level. In both middle school and high school, we offer 13 different performing arts clubs from drama to jazz, pep, and rock band.
What are your school’s performing arts opportunities, including music, drama and dance?
Elizabeth Garrard, middle school and high school drama teacher/director: Our band and chorus perform at both winter and spring concerts, as well as competitions and community events. Students in the drama club perform three full-length, and several one-act plays each year, and compete at the district and state Thespian festivals. Traditionally there are two musicals and one non-musical. The musical theatre productions provide a collaborative opportunity for all of the performing arts students, combining song, dance, acting, orchestra, scenic design, costume design, and an ensemble of chorus singers in a creative masterpiece.
Share details about your performing arts facilities.
Quintero: We will be building a 10,000 square foot facility that will include two art studios, two band rooms with three practice rooms, and a 150-seat black box theater. We plan to open this facility in August in time for the 2014-15 school year.
Why do you feel teaching the performing arts is important?
Jessica Gronberg, middle school and high school band teacher: The Sagemont School band program exists to provide students a comprehensive, balanced education in instrumental music. Through the study of music, students develop intellectually, physically, emotionally and socially. Simply put, music educates the whole child-mind, body, and heart.
Matthew Goldberg, teacher of keyboard, chorus, guitar and rock band: Once a student reaches a certain level on their instrument, they’re changed for life. Whether it’s the camaraderie of being in chorus, writing a song or finally finishing a challenging piece of music, it’s something you always keep with you.
St. Mark’s Episcopal School
Dan Bassett, Assistant Principal and Director of Music
How is your school grooming students to get involved with the arts?
Students at St. Mark’s begin their music and art involvement in pre-kindergarten and continue through the eighth grade. In the middle school, each student participates in music three times a week. Our lower school students meet for music at least twice a week. Three music teachers and a full-time art teacher educate our students.
What are your school’s performing arts opportunities, including music, drama and dance?
Beginning in pre-school, students perform in two or more showcases each year, which include singing, movement and dance. After-school drama courses are offered to students in grades three through eight. The largest production is our annual school musical.
After school choirs are offered in grades one through four. Middle school has choir, band and an auditioned Chamber Choir. The middle school band and choir participate in the Florida Bandmaster’s Association and Florida Vocal Association District performance assessments, solo and ensemble as well as All-State Band and Choir. We also have a steel drum band, flute choir, and St. Mark’s also offers private lessons in voice, band instruments, strings, percussion, and steel drums.
Does your school offer other opportunities such as video production?
Students have the opportunity to be involved in stage crew. The stage crew, with the aid of our art teacher, designs, creates and paints most of the set pieces used. The stage crew also coordinates all scene changes and run the light board.
Share details about your performing arts facilities.
Our performing arts facility includes a dedicated Pre-K and Lower School music room. A full band room complete with private lessons studios and practice rooms house our instrumental music program while our stage provides space for rehearsing and performing.
Why do you feel teaching the performing arts is important?
The performing arts offers an experience for our students that few other activities can offer. The performing arts prepare children to face new challenges by putting them in situations that may be out of their comfort zone. This gives them confidence to try new things and puts them at ease while being in front of a large audience.
University School
Jenny Cook, Director of the Arts
How is your school grooming students to get involved with the arts?
As early as Pre-K, our students may perform in their grade show and as they progress through the Lower School experience, students have classes in art, music, dance, TV production and debate. Our Lower School students may participate in Lower School theatrical productions, concerts and take classes and private lessons at the University School Art Institute afterschool. Our Middle School students may take arts electives, including TV production, digital photography, ceramics, drawing and painting, dance, chorus, band, guitar, strings, theater arts, debate and speech. We offer two theatrical productions a year. Finally, Upper School students are required to take an arts elective for graduation and we offer AP courses in the visual arts and honors courses.
What are your school’s performing arts opportunities, including music, drama and dance?
We have several theatrical shows for our Lower, Middle and Upper School students. We also have winter and spring concerts in dance, guitar, strings, band and chorus.
Does your school offer other opportunities such as video production?
We offer video production as early as fourth grade to our students and our students in the Middle School and Upper School TV production and film program enter film festivals and contests around the country.
Share details about your performing arts facilities
We have state of the art facilities at the Epstein Center for the Arts, including a 750-seat theater at the Epstein Center, scene shop, wardrobe/costume room, green room, dressing rooms, TV/film production suite (complete with control room, green screen, editing lab and studio), dance studio, instrumental music room, computer labs, art studios, gallery, choral room and debate and speech suite with practice rooms and library.
Why do you feel teaching the performing arts is important?
Students who are involved in the arts are exposed to so many lifelong skills! When a student is working in a creative and nurturing environment, not only do they become more confident in their own artistic expression but also they see the importance of teamwork, commitment and leadership.
PRIVATE SCHOOL OPEN HOUSES
American Heritage School
12200 W. Broward Blvd., Plantation;
954.472.0022
6200 Linton Blvd., Delray Beach; 561.495.7272
ahschool.com
Plantation campus: Saturday, Nov. 2, 1 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 1, 1 p.m.
Boca Delray campus: Saturday, Nov. 2, 10 a.m.; Saturday, Feb. 1, 10 a.m.
Archbishop Edward A.
McCarthy High School
5451 S. Flamingo Road, Southwest Ranches; 954.434.8820; mccarthyhs.com
Saturday, Nov. 2
Two sessions: 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
David Posnack Jewish Day School
5810 S. Pine Island Road, Davie; 954.583.6100; posnackschool.org
Sunday, Oct. 20, 9-11 a.m.
Pine Crest School
1501 N.E. 62nd St., Fort Lauderdale; 954.492.4100;
Thursday, Nov. 7, 9:30 a.m.
Thursday, Jan. 16, 9:30 a.m.
2700 St. Andrews Blvd., Boca Raton; 561-852-2800
Thursday, Nov. 14, 9:30 a.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 29, 5 p.m.
pinecrest.edu
The Sagemont School
Upper School Campus: 2585 Glades Circle, Weston; Lower School Campus: 1570 Sagemont Way, Weston; 954.389.2454; campsagemont.com
Sagemont Lower School Campus for PreK3-5th Grade: Wednesday, Oct. 23, 9:30 a.m.
Sagemont Upper School Campus Grades 6-12: Sunday, Oct. 27, 1 p.m.
St. Mark’s Episcopal School
1750 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954.563.1241; saintmarks.com
Friday, Nov. 15, 8:30 a.m.
Sunday, Nov. 17, 1 p.m.
University School | Nova Southeastern University
3375 S.W. 75th Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 954.262.7300; uschool.nova.edu
Lower School Open House, grades one through 5, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 9 a.m., Epstein Center for the Arts
Middle/Upper School Open House, grades six through 12, Thursday, Nov. 7, 9 a.m., Epstein Center for the Arts
Lower School Open House, grades Pre-K through kindergarten, 10 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 16, Lower School
RSVP: http://uschool.nova.edu/admissions/openhouse/rsvp.html