Happy New Year!!
There are so many "new years" to celebrate throughout any given year. A new school year, another year in age, a new calendar year, a new religious year, a new lunar year...I read recently that there are close to 30 completely different New Year's Days around the world! The nice thing about this is that there are so many opportunities to reflect on time that has passed as well as set goals and celebrate the potential that the future has to offer. As Neil Gaiman said, "With each new year comes a fresh opportunity to shape our world."
As I look forward and think about what I would like to see in the coming year, I think of GRACE and JOY. Let us have grace for each other, for situations we may find ourselves in, and for ourselves. We are all works in progress and we never truly know what others are going through. A little grace can calm, encourage, and reset. And let us find joy in the world each day. Joy in the little things, joy in the big things, and joy in the learning and creation we engage in. That is my wish for our students and for us all - GRACE and JOY.
Keep track of our events and join us throughout the year - you'll be continually astonished by our amazing wildcats!
~Sarah Gentile
Food and Drink
We ask that you only bring water to events in the WGHS auditorium as it is not a space that handles food well and we don't want to attract any critters into the space. Please help us keep clean and working environments for our students!
⬇️⬇️ Check out these ways to enjoy a concert or theatrical production!! ⬇️⬇️
WGHS will be presenting Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella on February 8th (7 pm), 9th (7 pm) and 10th (1 pm & 6 pm). This "Broadway Version" is the newest adaptation (book by Douglas Beane) of the classic musical and features new characters, a hilarious libretto, surprising twists, and the unforgettable score" we continue to love (quote from concordtheatricals.com).
Ticket purchases are now available. All seats are reserved. To purchase via credit card head to wgfinearts.ludus.com (or scan the QR code) and click "buy tickets." To reserve your tickets via check or cash, contact the WG Fine Arts Office at 315-487-4612. We can't wait for you to see what the students are working so hard to prepare!!
Poster design by Paul Brittenham
Five WGHS students (Dan Alvaro, Sammi Bullock, John Diem, Elena Pacheco, and Joanna Ray) were selected to participate in the 2023 All State Festival that took place in Rochester, NY on November 30-December 3, 2023. Our students, along with hundreds of student musicians from around the state, partook in rehearsals with the guest conductors throughout the weekend and then performed their final concerts in the historic Eastman Theatre. Check out some pictures below of these wildcats during the conference weekend. We are so proud of their hard work and excited that they had this opportunity to grow as musicians!
On Monday, December 4th, Superintendent Bills, WGIS Principal McGrath, and Art Teacher Sarah Elmer gathered at WGIS to surprise 6th grade artist, Rebecca Serfer with the news that her design had been chosen for the 2023 district holiday card. Even Rebecca's mom got in on the surprise! Each year, the district office puts out a call to district art teachers for any interested students to design and participate in the contest. Ms. Elmer shared that she was so excited about surprising Rebecca because Rebecca had been so excited about the contest and asked every day in art class if the decision had been made. Congratulations Rebecca!!
Congratulations to the 26 musicians that were recently selected to represent West Genesee at the Onondaga County Junior High All County Festival in January 2024. The Junior High Festival includes an auditioned based band, chorus, and orchestra of 7-9th graders from across the county. Students, with their teachers, spend the fall preparing for the auditions which take place in early December. Once selected, students spend the next 1.5 months preparing, again with their teachers, the concert music. During the festival weekend, the students come together for concentrated rehearsal time with the guest conductors and the festival ends with the concert performance.
Click here to see the list of students and read the full article on the West Genesee website.
West Genesee CSD residents voted on a Special Referendum on December 11, 2023, and the results were as follows:
- The Proposition (#1) for the Capital Project received 2,100 favorable votes and 1,177 votes in opposition. The Proposition has been approved.
- The Proposition (#2) for the Land Purchase received 1,737 favorable votes and 1,552 votes in opposition. The Proposition has been approved.
The Capital Project in Proposition #1 included some items of special concern to the Fine Arts Department including:
- Art classroom renovations...at CMS
- Improvements to lighting and rigging systems for our auditorium to bolster areas used by students and enjoyed by community members at the high school
Thank you to the community for continuing to support the fine arts here at West Genesee!!
Click here to read more about the referendum on the West Genesee website.
Economic Impact of the Arts
- Most of us appreciate the intrinsic benefits of the arts—their beauty and vision and how they inspire, soothe, provoke, and connect us. When it comes time to make tough funding choices, however, elected officials and business leaders also need to have strong and credible data that demonstrate the economic benefits of a vibrant nonprofit arts and culture industry.
- Nonprofit arts organizations are members of the business community—employing people locally, purchasing goods and services within the community, and involved in the marketing and promotion of their cities. Nonprofit arts organizations and their audiences generate $166.2 billion dollar in economic activity every year—$63.1 billion in spending by organizations and an additional $103.1 billion in event-related spending by their audiences, proving that the arts are an economic driver in their communities that supports jobs, generates government revenue, and is the cornerstone of tourism.
- When we reduce their support for the arts, we are not cutting frills. Rather, we’re undercutting an industry that is a cornerstone of tourism, economic development, and the revitalization of many downtowns. When we increase support for the arts, we are generating tax revenues, jobs, and a creativity-based economy.
- The typical attendee to a nonprofit arts event spends $27.79 per person, per event (excluding admission) on transportation, lodging, and other event-related costs. Nonlocal attendees spend twice as much as their local counterparts ($40.19 vs. $19.53). Thirty-nine percent of attendees are nonlocal. Few industries can boast this kind of event-related spending.
