WHAT’S FRCS LIKE?
Come and experience a day in the life of Marcia, a 1st grade student at Front Range Christian School. Click the photo above or visit the “Day in the Life of” page of the admissions section.
WHAT’S FRCS LIKE?
Come and experience a day in the life of Marcia, a 1st grade student at Front Range Christian School. Click the photo above or visit the “Day in the Life of” page of the admissions section.
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| Amy Sutherland, Fine Arts Director at Front Range Christian School in Littleton, and her students attend the 47th Annual Colorado Thespian Conference at the Convention Center. From left to right: Sarah Margason, Amy Sutherland, Emily Simonaitis, Jackie Barker, Ella Trask, Taya Hanna, Meredith Bolthouse. |
DENVER, Colorado (December 10, 2011) - “I will not make you a sandwich!” said Morgan Porter, an 8th grade student at Front Range Christian School, during an improvisation skit at the 47th Annual Colorado State Thespian Conference. Porter was one of over 4200 students who flocked to the Colorado Convention Center December 8-10, 2011, for a weekend of music, theater, and creativity. The event attracted 23 middle schools, 148 high schools, and some of Colorado’s finest aspiring actors and actresses.
The second largest event of its kind in the U.S. (just behind Florida), the conference sought to both educate and inspire a love for the arts. Jay Seller, Vice President for the Educational Theater Association and drama teacher at Horizon High School, commented, “The conference focuses on education and utilizes local artists to teach workshops.” Workshops for the event included topics such as Broadway dancing, playwriting, stage combat, improvisation, monologues, “red nose clown,” and special effects make-up. Seller remarked, “The event has grown each year. We now have middle schools. And the impact has been encouraging. In the past, we’ve had students go on to become Broadway performers.”
In addition to workshops, scores of young performers sang and acted in the Individual Events Showcase for a panel of judges. One of this year’s junior thespian finalists was 11 year-old Rachel Reagor of Bremley East Charter School, who has been singing since Kindergarten. Her mother, Lindsey Reagor, commented, “Rachel has always loved the arts. This is a great opportunity for her to do what she loves.”
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| Meredith Bolthouse (left) and Taya Hanna (right) enjoy the swing-dancing class at the Colorado State Thespian Conference |
The conference is part of a larger strategy by the Arts Education Partnership to promote the value of fine arts among school leaders. Amid cutbacks to school budgets nation-wide, the organization makes an appeal for the value of inspiring creativity in the 21st century. Seller says, “I love the creativity and innovation of the arts. It teaches students 21st Century skills. What business wouldn’t want an employee to be innovative in the workplace?” The Arts Education Partnership implores school leaders to establish a school-wide commitment to arts learning, create an “arts-rich learning environment,” and rethink the utilization of school resources.
Amy Sutherland, Fine Arts Director at Front Range Christian School, brings her junior high and senior high students to the conference each year. “I think the conference is valuable because it both teaches my students new skills and inspires excitement for fine arts. After they leave the conference, they want to improve.” Two 8th grade students at Front Range Christian, Morgan Porter and Mikaela Letsinger, left Brian McManus’ junior high workshop on improvisation discussing how they could start an “improv” group at their school. Letsinger said, “I really like improv because you get to be creative. You just have to react and go with the flow.”
In addition to workshops, Thursday included a full-length production of Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 by Liberty High School. Friday and Saturday attracted more than 3600 senior high students who spent the weekend acting, singing, performing, and auditioning for college scholarships.
Seller remarked, “We hope to inspire in students an appreciation of the arts so that one day, even if they don’t perform, they’ll patronize the arts as adults.” In an age of shrinking fine arts budgets, the Colorado Thespian Conference is a reminder to school leaders and policy makers to not sideline creativity for utilitarian ends. More than 4200 young Coloradans this past weekend were a stark – and often noisy, eccentric, and colorful – reminder of the importance of the artist for the future of Colorado.
Front Range Christian School is a private Christian school located in Littleton, Colorado. Nearly 400 students in preschool through high school receive a quality education in a “distinctively Christian” and “educationally excellent” environment. The school is accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and the North Central Association (NCA), and is a 501(c)3 institution. More information about the school can be found on its website at www.frcs.org.
Release written by: Jeff Haanen
Media Contact:
DJ Turner, Communications Director
comm@frcs.org
720-394-5708
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