Fine Arts @ a Glance
Art, Band, Cheer, Choir, Dance, Orchestra, Suzuki, & Theatre
February 2024
WGHS Cheer: NCA GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPS!
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The Walnut Grove Cheer team took to the mat on January 21st and ended up taking it all. Introducing the 2024 NCA Grand National Champs from Walnut Grove High School! Congratulations on this incredible achievement!
Recognizing PISD Fine Arts Teachers: Leading by Example
Texas Thespians Teacher of the Month
Texas Thespians awarded Sariea Haney the distinguished honor of Teacher of the Month for January, 2024. This prestigious acknowledgment is chosen each month by board members from all nominated from across the state. The affiliate chapter of the Educational Theatre Association (EDTA), one of the largest chapters in the nation, recognizes teachers for their contributions to their school and the multitude of offerings they provide their students. Congratulations!
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Walnut Grove High School Rising Star Teacher of the Year
Congratulations to Lindsay Vasko, Assistant Band Director at WGHS, on receiving this well-deserved honor! We can not thank her enough for the tireless hours and effort she pours into our kids and families each day!
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Rogers Middle School Teacher of the Year
Natalie Joyner, Choir Director at Rogers Middle School, is an inspiration to every person she comes in contact with on a daily basis. Her passion for her craft and the love she shows her students is simply incredible! Natalie sets high expectations for her students and they always rise to the occasion. Her endless dedication to our choir program is what makes it the best in the district.
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Rushing Middle School Rising Star Teacher of the Year
Congratulations to Kaitlyn Norwood, Assistant Band Director at Rushing Middle School, for being selected as the school's Rising Star Teacher of the Year! We are grateful for her dedication to the band program and her students and families!
United Sound Students Light Up the Board Room
Prosper ISD Board Members were recently treated to a wonderful performance by United Sound students. This is the first time that this group has played off campus and they had a wonderful performance.
Partnering with existing music programs on school campuses around the country, United Sound is a peer mentoring program that pairs students with and without disabilities in the band and orchestra setting. Each United Sound Chapter is run by a music teacher and a special education teacher, working together. New Musicians (students with intellectual or developmental disabilities) are taught by Peer Mentors to play the instrument of their choice at a personally modified level. United Sound students then join the full band or orchestra to perform in concert, twice per year, with their peers.
PHS, WGHS, RHHS Choir Students Headed to All-State Choir
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These students earned their places in the Texas All State Choir and will travel to San Antonio in February to perform at the largest music education convention in the nation. 14,000 singers started the audition process this year, and only 3% of those students made it all the way to an All State Choir. Join us in celebrating their outstanding achievement!
The Rogers Dance Department is not only creative on the dance floor! The dancers wrote, illustrated, and created children's storybooks for their latest project. We teamed up with the library, and thanks to Ms. Ulmer and Mrs. Black, they used the Makerspace to elevate their projects. The books have showed so much individuality and creativity.
YAM Spring Exhibition Features Prosper ISD Students
Olivia Crooks - "Your Creative Center" (PHS, teacher Aimee Hinshaw)
Sarah Campbell (RHHS, teacher Crimson Scott)
Congratulations to Olivia Crooks of Prosper High School and Sarah Campbell of Rock Hill High School. Their artwork was selected for the Texas Art Education Association’s Youth Art Month (YAM) Spring Exhibition at the Bullock Museum in Austin. The exhibit showcases works of art from Pre-K through 12th grade from across the state.
Student Artwork Exhibited at TASA/TASB Show
Artist: Sonia Pesce
(WGHS, 10th Grade, teacher Gina Mock)
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Artist: Rebecca Levine
(WGHS, 11th Grade, teacher Janette Church)
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Artist: Mia Reyes
(RHHS, 12th grade, teacher Rebekah Hurst)
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Artist: Marina Wassef
(PHS, 11th grade, teacher Aimee Hinshaw)
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Artist: Isabella Strong
(RHHS, 10th grade, teacher Karalee Scott)
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Artist: Eliza McBride
(PHS, 11th grade, teacher Violet Delaney)
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Artist: Elyse Flores
(RHHS, 12th grade, teacher Crimson Scott)
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Artist: Laura Ribas
(PHS, 11th grade, teacher Brian Pierce)
Artwork from 8 students at PHS, RHHS, and WGHS were chosen to be on exhibit for the TASA (Texas Association of School Administrators) / TASB (Texas Association of School Boards) Show, which was Sept 29-Oct 1 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. This is the first time in district history for all 8 submitted works to be chosen! Congratulation on this significant achievement!
NAHS Students Bring Joy to Community
National Art Honor Society (NAHS) students at Walnut Grove High School showed off their talent while also giving back to the community. Students received 5 service hours for each portrait they were commissioned to paint. Buyers made a $50 donation that our NAHS students will gift to SPCA at the end of the year. Enjoy just a few of these custom paintings!
Fiddlin' with the Very Small to the Very Tall
The Prosper ISD Fiddle Workshop is a unique, special blend of orchestra, Suzuki strings, and Texas fiddle music! The combined efforts of each of these talented musicians made for quite an entertaining evening. Enjoy some clips from the performance!
Bass Mode Premiers in Prosper
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Prosper celebrates its first ever Bass Mode, featuring Dr. Jack Unzicker (Assistant Professor of Double Bass at the University of Texas at Arlington) and Bob Simmons (freelance musician and bass private lesson teacher in all areas north of DFW)! Bass Mode is an All Prosper ISD event for bass players of all levels from 6th to 12th grade.
Prosper ISD and OSU Musicians Team Up
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The Clarinet Choir and French Horn Choirs comprised of students from Rock Hill High School, Prosper High School, Rogers Middle School, and Hays Middle School had fantastic performances Saturday January 27th alongside the Oklahoma State Clarinet and French Horn Choirs. It was a great event for the PISD students to listen to college students perform and get the opportunity to perform alongside them.
RHHS Theatre Shares Passion with Calhoun Students
Rock Hill Theatre traveled to Calhoun Early Childhood School to teach lessons on storytelling and perform their own original puppet shows! Students had an amazing time connecting with a new audience and sharing their love of theatre with these bright smiling faces.
WGHS' Production of 'Seussical: The Musical 'is a Hit
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Walnut Grove Theatre breathed exuberance and color into their production of 'Suessical: The Musical.' entertaining an audience of all ages. Great job all around!
The fine arts incorporate the study of dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts to offer unique experiences and empower students to explore realities, relationships, and ideas. These disciplines engage and motivate all students through active learning, critical thinking, and innovative problem solving. The fine arts develop cognitive functioning and increase student academic achievement, higher-order thinking, communication, and collaboration skills, making the fine arts applicable to college readiness, career opportunities, workplace environments, social skills, and everyday life. Students develop aesthetic and cultural awareness through exploration, leading to creative expression. Creativity, encouraged through the study of the fine arts, is essential to nurture and develop the whole child.
Art, Band, Cheer, Choir, Dance, Orchestra, Suzuki, & Theatre
Tim Doyle - Fine Arts Coordinator
Dana Goodnuff - Administrative Assistant to Fine Arts
Amie Kim - Administrative Assistant to Fine Arts
Email: jralstrin@prosper-isd.net
Website: prosper-isd.net
Location: 605 East 7th Street, Prosper, TX 75078, USA
Phone: 469-219-2000