OHS Performing Arts
Instrumental Music, Chorus, Theater
Teachers
Mr. Alton Baggett has been teaching music and theater courses at Oxford H.S. since 1993.
This year we are fortunate to have Mrs. Sarah Rutkiewicz directing the chorus. Mr. Baggett and Mrs. Rutkiewicz are teaching their specialties in both the Middle School and the High School.
Band
Band Students at the high school are able to participate in various ensembles, Depending on the season, the band traditionally plays for home football games and the Memorial Day Parade. A Winter Concert and a Spring Concert are presented in December and May. When instrumentation permits, a Jazz Band (also known as a Big Band) helps round out the instrumental program. Highly motivated students are encouraged to audition for the Central District Band in the fall.
Chorus
The choral program has benefited by the addition of a second period available to the students and by the skills of our new choral director, Sarah Rutkiewicz. Both the chorus and the band have enjoyed a long history of excellent performances and rewarding trips and competitions. The most recent success was the chorus winning a Superior rating as well as the "Spirit of Montreal" award in May of 2015. There were over 1500 students from two countries and 6 states represented.
Theater
Rounding out the Performing Arts offerings at OHS is the Theater Program. The Theater Basics students concentrate on the unique vocabulary, history and hands-on mechanics of the stage. The studies often culminates in a full production with the students handling all aspects of the show. The Theater Performace (they prefer the title "Varsity") class starts right in each year with improvisation, play writing and rehearsing a play. For the past eight years, this group has represented OHS in the statewide Drama Festival. Producing a fully-staged Broadway Musical is always the desired climax of the theater year, but from time to time, a full length play will be substituted if the singing and dancing requirements are not attainable that year.