THS Fine Arts Dept
August 10th, 2020
Welcome back!
This Week's Happenings
Tues - Friday: All Virtual meetings
Tuesday:
8am: All Staff meeting
9am: District Convocation
Noon: Schoology Training
(We have access to campus on Tuesday 8am - 2pm)
Wednesday & Thursday: TBA
Friday: District Fine Arts meeting w/ JD
Welcome to our new colleagues
Rachel Christopher (Drill Team)
Ms. Christopher is from Katy, TX where she graduated from Seven Lakes High School in 2014. She was a member of the Seven Lakes Sapphires for 3 years holding officer positions for 2, a Jr.Lieutenant her Junior year and Colonel her Senior year. After high school, she attended the University of Oklahoma and was involved in numerous organizations such as Sooner Dance Company (SDC) and Alpha Phi sorority. She was part of SDC for 3 years, was the Community Relations chair for 1 year and President for 1 year. She was a member of her sorority for 3 ½ years, serving on the executive council from 2016-2017 as the VP of Programming and Education and as President. In her sorority, she was also involved in Homecoming and Scandals performances, holding the director/ choreographer position for both from 2016-2018. She graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Relations and a minor in Communication.
After college, she moved to Dallas, TX where she worked as a recruiting coordinator full time while getting her teaching certification on the side in Dance Education and Physical Education. Ms. Christopher is also part of Crowd Pleasers Dance staff, and has been with them for 6 years throughout college to now, working dance camps and competitions across Texas when she can. This is her first year of teaching/ directing, and she could not be more excited to start her journey with the Cougar Charms!
Joseph Macmorran (band)
Joseph MacMorran is a percussionist, composer, arranger, and teacher from Austin, TX.
As an educator and performer, he has accepted international engagements in Guatemala, Mexico, Canada, and toured extensively in the US including performances at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, and the nationally televised Super Bowl XLV.
In the marching arts, Joseph has played bass drum for The Cavaliers (2012) and Blue Knights (2011) and tenor drums with Capital Regiment (2009). In 2012, he helped secure the prestigious Fred Sanford Award for Best Percussion Performance as bass captain with the Texas Christian University Drumline at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. From 2014-2016, Mr. MacMorran served on the battery and design staff for the George Mason University Independent World Drumline. Since moving to the Houston area, he has accepted a position teaching with the 2017 Monarch Independent Drumline and was the Director of Percussion at Klein Forest High School in the Klein Independent School District from 2016-2020. He is currently the Director of Percussion at Tomball High School in Tomball, Texas.
In the concert and chamber arts, Mr. MacMorran performed with the Mason Percussion Group at the 2014 Virginia Music Educators conference, performed with the Washington Concert Opera and the American Festival POPs orchestra under the direction of Anthony Maiello. In addition to his engagements in the Washington, DC area, Joseph accepted an invitation to the prestigious Sewanee Summer Music Festival in 2015.
Joseph received his Bachelor of Music Education from Texas Christian University under the direction of Dr. Brian A. West and his Master’s in Music Performance from George Mason University under the direction of Professor John Kilkenny.
Mr. MacMorran is an active composer, clinician, arranger and writer, incorporating electro-acoustic sounds into his works, and holds professional memberships with PAS and TMEA.
He is proud to be endorsed as an Educational Artist with Innovative Percussion.
Stella Blankenship-Cunningham (Art)
Abiodun Ijiyera (Art)
Mr. Ijiyera was born and raised in Nigeria. He received his teacher training in Art Education and Yoruba from Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo, Nigeria. He taught high school Art there for three years before moving to the United States.
Since receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts from the University of Illinois in Chicago and Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Columbia College, Chicago, Mr. Ijiyera has taught middle school Art in Denton I.S.D. and high school Art in Dallas, Lake Dallas and Keller Independent School Districts.
Mr. Ijiyera is married and just moved to Fresno, Texas to be with his wife. He loves everything creative, reading and bike riding. Mr. Ijiyera encourages his students to see education as a life-long endeavor. He believes that there is always something to learn in every human encounter. He looks forward to a great year of teaching (and learning from) his students as they think and create art that is purposeful.
Lynn's phone number 281-787-1905 call or text
Fine Arts Department Personnel
Band: Joe Nunez, Muriel Hague & Joseph Macmorran
Choir: Lynn Brewer
Dance: Brittany Huebner & Rachel Christopher
Orchestra: Kade Schmalz & William Bewley
Theatre: Clint Cottom & Cindy Hearn
Campus Access on TUESDAYS
Google Fine Arts Shared Drive
We have a google shared drive. It is call "THS Fine Arts Department". We will have meeting agendas, notes and several "go to" documents that our department uses frequently, such as financial forms, schooldude instructions, auditorium links, student travel forms, fundraising forms, updated vendor list, calendars and any other document you would like for me to add.