Story submitted by Dalton High School.

The month of March was an unprecedented, award-winning month for every division of the Dalton High School fine arts department. 

“We have always had an outstanding Fine Arts Department at Dalton High,” says Department Chairman Wes Phinney. “Our Fine Arts programs throughout the district are outstanding- outstanding teachers, outstanding students–and the awards and recognition that were showered on each and every Fine Arts program Dalton High- Band, Chorus, Drama, and Visual Arts throughout the month of March confirmed that for all of us.” 

The month began when bands from Hammond Creek Middle School, Dalton Junior High School, and Dalton High School were praised during their Large Group Performance Evaluations (LGPE) at Woodland High School. On March 13, the Dalton Junior High Freshman Band (under the direction of Janna Pye) received an overall Superior onstage and an Excellent in sight reading. The following day, Pye and the Dalton High Concert Band received a Superior and two Excellent scores for their performance, as well as a Superior in sight reading playing Level III difficulty, while the Symphonic Band received three Superiors and a Superior in sight reading performing Level IV music. In fact, one judge commented that the band "didn’t just play notes and rhythms, you played music. Thank you!”  

On March 15, the Hammond Creek Middle School Seventh Grade Symphonic Band (under direction of DJHS Band Director Sara Webb) received an Overall Superior onstage and a Superior in sight reading. On March 16, the Dalton Junior High School Eighth Grade Symphonic Band (under the direction of DJHS Band Director Mike Brodowski) received an Overall Excellent onstage and an Excellent in sight reading.
 

Meanwhile, on March 14, the DHS Catamount Singers received an overall Excellent score in both performance and sight-singing at their LGPE at Pepperell High School. The sight-singing rating was especially gratifying because, “this was the first year that the Catamount Singers competed in the sight-singing category,” according to DHS Chorus teacher Kristen Passmore. 

On March 18, the DHS Winter Guard (representing the dance department of DHS fine arts and under the direction of Amber Dean) placed second at the Creekview Southern Association of Performing Arts PA Competition in an extremely difficult class. The Winter Guard will go on to compete in the championships at UTC McKenzie Arena on April 2.

On March 23, the Cast and Crew of the DHS Drama production of  “The Addams Family” received three Georgia High School Musical Theatre Award (Shuler Award) nominations (including Hayden Poe for Leading Actor, Best Orchestra, and Jeb Bethel for Supporting Performer) and eight Honorable Mentions (Overall Production, Best Ensemble, Best Direction, Supporting Performer (Molly Watts), Featured Performer (Kinsley Stephens), Best Sound, Best Costumes, and Best Scenic Design) for the Drama Department’s first Shuler Show.

During the month, from March 10-28, the artwork of numerous Dalton Public Schools visual arts students was recognized and on display at the Creative Arts Guild Student Arts Expo, including freshman, Silas Owens; sophomores, Helen Nguyen, Karlee Chastain, and Keely Nguyen; junior, Nathalia Cervantes; and seniors, Jorge Ramirez and Zaedin Ausmus. The highlight of the expo was the awarding of the Bernice Spigel Prizes for Excellence in the Visual Arts, one of which went to senior student Audrey Merryman for her numerous award-winning ceramic creations. 

The month came to a close with the announcement that the works of three DHS Art students (Katherine Wilson, Audrey Merryman, and Juan Flores) have been published in the                          Celebrating Arts Publication sponsored by Celebrating Art and Blick Art Materials. According to DHS Art teacher Melissa Lambert, “Only 45% of the entries submitted across the nation are invited to be published,” making this another outstanding recognition for Dalton High Art students.

“One of our beliefs in the Dalton Public Schools system is ‘engaging students in opportunities to explore their interests, aptitudes and passions’, and our vision is ‘world-class learning that prepares students for success in college, career, and civic life’,” said Phinney. “I believe the arts play an essential role in helping us demonstrate that belief and bring that vision to life, and our administrators, teachers, and students have done an incredible job, not just this month, but every day of every month of the year, in helping us achieve these goals.”

Phinney also points out that recognitions will continue in May when the Dalton High School Fine Arts Academy awards medals and Georgia Department of Education Fine Arts Diploma Seals to forty-three DHS fine arts students, the academy’s first class of graduating seniors.