Valparaiso Community Schools seem to excel in nearly every area on the academic, athletic, and artistic spectrum. On December 6th and 7th, 2010, elementary school students all the way through high school level shared their creative talents through the visual and auditory arts. Countless paintings, sketches, portraits, sculptures and the like were shown in the main gym lobby to allow parents, students, and the community to browse and view the various pieces of art all before the musical portion of the event took place.
"It just becomes a nice holiday festival of the arts," said Miguel Rosario, Assistant Director of Bands of VHS.
Rosario directed the VHS "B" and Concert Bands in between other choirs, bands, and orchestras from all over the Valparaiso school district. Pieces ranged from traditional to more eclectic and often unheard of holiday tunes such as "Secret Agent Santa" and "Santa Goes Wild west". Religious pieces were also shared such as "Hanukkah Dance" and "The First Noel".
Stacey Schmidt, Master of Ceremonies for the concert, shared in between performances that although other schools have cut the arts, Valparaiso has not. In fact, the formation of the district-wide Christmas program, This Is Our Story, was in response to the arts being cut all over the nation in the 1980's.
"We are very blessed. The administration teams that we've had all throughout the years, including the new one, have been very vocal about their support for music, their support of the arts," commented Rosario.
Here is an excerpt from the "Statement of Philosophy" from the This Is Our Story program:
We believe the arts are an intergral part of a comprehensive education. Why? Because the arts enable students to recognize and appreciate beauty; to be more sensitive, more compassionate, more understanding -- in short, to be fully human, capable of enjoying and experiencing life as it was meant to be lived. The arts are a sharing experience.
Miguel Rosario and the rest of the Valparaiso Community Schools would like to wish you and your family and Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday season!
Click here for a lot more photos from the art exhibit and concert from the first night and click here for photos from the second night!
Click here for a video summary from the concert!