11/15/24 Fine Arts Department News

Nomination forms for the below awards are now open! These awards are for Fine Arts teachers, teachers within HPISD, and community members who are advocates for, patrons of, and supporters of the arts at HPISD and the broader community. These awards highlight teacher achievements in the classroom and beyond, and HP Arts patrons who go above and beyond to support the arts at HP. All award recipients receive a monetary award, an engraved seat in the Palmer auditorium, and recognition at a spring HP Arts board meeting. Click on each link to read more about qualifying for these awards, and nominate a teacher or community member who has made a difference in the arts within HPISD!

Fine Arts Teacher Award Nomination Form (awarded to a Fine Arts teacher)
Arts In Education Teacher Award Nom. Form (awarded to a non-Fine Arts teacher)
HP Arts Advocate Nomination Form (awarded to an HP Arts patron)

HPHS Art teacher and 6-12 Visual Art Coordinator Chris Fullwood was recently spotlighted by the MAPS department for his work that was displayed in a recent gallery! Regarding his work in the gallery, Fullwood says, "My vision was to showcase work related to specific moments in my life that made an impact on me as an artist. Moments that, in some way, influenced my art throughout my life. My creative thought process started with the idea of Greek philosophy and that of Mimesis. As I explored the idea of art imitating life and life imitating art I began to realize that art is not just an imitation but is life and living it".

This past week members from all of the HP Choirs went to DBU (Dallas Baptist University) to participate in the Region 20 Choir concert. The singers in the above photo went through steps of the All-State Choir in hopes of being placed into either the Region, District, or 9/10 Honor Choirs. As it is evident in the photo, our singing Scots did very well with the majority of members from all HPHS Choir earning a spot in these select choirs. Go Scots!!

Thank you to all of the HPISD community members who attended performances of Anastasia! Our students worked hard for many weeks to put together this masterful performance, and are so grateful for your support. See below for some images from the show, and be sure to stay on the lookout for upcoming HPHS Theatre performances!

Shannon Phillips, Director of Highland Park High School’s award-winning Highland Belles Drill Team, has announced the 2024-2025 Highland Belles Honor Squads. These Belles are recognized for their excellence in dance and high kick. Congratulations!

Top left: All American Honor Squad

Bottom left: Kick Company Honor Squad

Right: Miss High Kick, Cate Margolin

We are thrilled to announce that two of our talented students, Alec Fang (junior, viola) and Raymond Wu (sophomore, violin), have been selected to perform with the prestigious Texas All-State Orchestra. This is the highest honor a music student can receive in the State of Texas.

Alec and Raymond will join the Texas All State Orchestra in San Antonio from February 12-15, 2025. Their selection is a testament to their hard work and dedication, as they were chosen from over 20,000 students across the state who participated in the rigorous region, area, and state selection process.

Please join us in congratulating Alec and Raymond on this remarkable achievement. We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments and look forward to their performance in San Antonio.

Mr. Fullwood's AP Art & Design class is working on a mural in the skills lab in MAPS!

The award-winning Highland Belles are proud to announce the annual Spaghetti Supper sales winners! All 81 members of the award-winning Highland Belles drill team sold supper and raffle tickets and solicited underwriting donations. All funds from the Highland Belles Spaghetti Supper and Auction help support the year-round operations of the drill team. The Belles would like to thank the community for its support of the annual event!

The three top-ranked ticket sales groups are defined by Gold, Silver, and Blue Belles. We also have 23 Sensational Seniors, who are recognized for raising more than $1,000 in each of their years as Highland Belles!

Top row: Gold Belles, Silver Belles

Bottom row: Blue Belles, Sensational Seniors

Center: Top three sellers (L-R), Ava Engstrom, Hadley Vogds, & Lily Schendle

Since 1934, Highland Park has proudly upheld a bagpipe tradition, and now we're welcoming the next generation of pipers! Starting in January, 7th and 8th grade band students can join the new session, with year-round enrollment available for high schoolers. Thanks to an HP Arts grant, a professional piper will provide instruction. Don’t miss your chance to join this unique tradition! If interested, please fill out this form, and more information will be sent via email before January.

The halls of MIS are buzzing with excitement for The Sound of Music! Come watch our talented fifth and sixth-grade students bring this classic musical to the stage. The showtimes are as follows:

Thursday, Dec. 5 at 6:00 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 6 at 4:00 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 7 at 2:00 p.m.

Tickets are $8 each. Click here to purchase pre-sale tickets online (available until 11/30).

General admission tickets will also be available at the door and in the cafeteria during show week.

The HPMS Drumline got up early and went to Grand Prairie to play for the finishers of the National Kidney Foundation Kidney Walk on November 9th!

They celebrated with every single finisher. We are so proud of their dedication and character!

On Thursday, Nov. 7, the HPMS Raider Band, Choir, and Orchestra teamed up to hold their annual Veterans Day Concert! Students captivated the audience with patriotic songs to honor our military veterans. A reception followed outside the auditorium. Thank you to our community for supporting all of these musicians!

5th grade theatre students got to visit the auditorium stage, and have been working in class to make banners representing their class ensemble in a Newsies-inspired project!

6th grade band students had a great time at their annual 'Hauntcert', sporting a variety of fun costumes! Band directors even got in on the fun!

HPMS Choir had 34 students audition for the All-Region choirs last weekend, and 29 of them made it in! Congratulations to all who auditioned! See below for a list of students and their placements.

The Highlander Band and Raider Band combined for a great night of Scot spirit Friday at the Blue Out Game!

Armstrong kindergartners are learning how to properly hold their mallets when playing the Orff instruments.

Armstrong first graders are practicing the cross-over mallet technique while playing the Orff instruments.

Armstrong Second Graders recently presented their International Folk Dance program. The children performed dances from France, Brazil, Yugoslavia, Germany and Africa during this high-energy program.

1st Grade students performed unpitched instruments with nursery rhymes in music class this week.

Every grade level from Preschool to 4th performed on Grandest Friends Patriotic Day at UP!

Students are SHAPIN’ Up!

Pre-K classes at UP worked in pairs to review colors and shapes. Students had to pick the assigned color and find the correct shapes to color as a team. Next week, kids will turn their shapes into something new!

UP Artists SLAY at Dragon Eyes!

3rd graders created 3-D dragon eye sculptures using modeling clay in Art and various clay techniques such as slabs, spheres, and coils. After studying color theory, students selected a clay color scheme such as warm, cool, analogous, or neutral to complete their piece. Once finished, students created a chalk monoprint for their backgrounds. This project proved to be a new fun favorite!