Davie Industry Connecting with Future Workforce through Davie County Schools CTE Programs
April 24, 2019
Daniel Boone Family Festival, Saturday, May 4th, will Dish up Food, Fun, Music and a Heapin’ Helpin’ of History
April 28, 2019
What makes arts education so important? Fostering creativity? Acquiring confidence? Allowing expression and communication? Promoting collaboration? The arts build so many important skills, and they contribute to students’ success–both currently and in the future.
Each year, Davie County Schools and Ashley Furniture join forces to celebrate the arts through an annual community festival. This free event also provides a wonderful way for families and friends to enjoy some quality time together as they experience and enjoy the arts. The 9th Annual Arts Smart Festival will be held Saturday, April 27th from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at Davie County High School, and students and arts educators are working hard to make the festival the best yet!
Jazz Artist Joe Robinson
The opening ceremony in the theater will not disappoint. Sponsored by a Grassroots Arts Grant funded through the NC Arts Council, The Joe Robinson Jazz Quartet will set a relaxing tone for the festival as they perform and welcome festival goers. Mr. Robinson is a famed jazz trumpet player who has played around the country, and he loves to teach students about jazz. The quartet will be available in the band room afterwards, until the close of the festival, to interact with participants and provide tips on playing jazz music.
In addition to the featured guest performers, students from elementary, middle, and high school will share their talents. The elementary choral students from across all six schools will come together to perform en masse, and vocal performances will also include North Davie’s Chorus and Davie High’s Vocal Ensemble. Dance groups from Davie High, and musical theatre students from William Ellis and Davie High will share pieces from their larger concerts or shows. Davie County Schools has a strong band program that builds from middle schools into the high school level, and four student bands (concert and jazz) will be sure to entertain. These student performances highlight both talent and hard work that result in the growth and development of student artists throughout their years in school.
Davie County High School student on pottery wheel
A variety of visual arts will be on display to represent student artists from all grade spans. Davie County students are fortunate to be able to take art classes K-12. The visual arts are another way of developing students’ awareness, communication skills, and creativity. Visual arts teachers will facilitate “make & take” sessions for participants to enjoy creating art together at the festival.
Sponsored by the NC Arts Council, Davie County Schools is also excited to provide a workshop with another visiting artist, Senora Richardson Lynch, who is known nationally for her American Indian handmade pottery. Senora Lynch uses the coiling method to create pieces that incorporate Native American themes and stories, and her artwork is featured in Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, the NC Museum of History, and most recently on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill. Senora Lynch will work with participants to create turtles from air-dry clay as they learn about the cultural significance of the turtle to the Haliwa-Saponi tribe.
The festival would not be complete without local vendors offering an array of arts and crafts. Refreshments will be available for purchase, and horticulture students from Davie High will have beautiful plants for sale from their new, high-tech greenhouse just in time for spring planting, decorating, and gift-giving.
Davie County Schools and Ashley Furniture invites everyone to Arts Smart on Saturday, April 27, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Davie County High School. It will be a wonderful community event!
