Closings force Oakwood to hit pause on its art efforts
In light of the statewide closure of schools, students across Ohio are seeing changes in instruction. In Oakwood, teachers from preschool to high school are embracing new resources, technology and educational standards to continue to bring excellence in education to their students.
Before the closing, Oakwood students were working on a number of events to celebrate the visual and performing arts in the district. The hope now is some of those events will be rescheduled.
The Oakwood Lumberjack Theatre production of “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella” is on hold. The show was scheduled to premiere March 19 at Oakwood High School. More than 55 students, including four students with disabilities, made up the cast of the classic fairytale that is perfect for people of all ages. Now the cast and crew must wait to see if their show will be performed this school year.
“Everyone in the cast cares so much, and we have all been working very hard to put on a show that everyone will enjoy watching,” senior Beth DeLon said.
One of the biggest events of the year at Oakwood High School, the Oakwood Fine
Arts Boosters Young@Art event was canceled March 13 at OHS in order to abide by the ruling limiting large group events. The annual celebration was to feature visual arts exhibits and demonstrations, live performances, and film and media displays representing student work from all ages in the District.
Oakwood FAB supports performing and visual arts education for students of all ages in the Oakwood Schools district, providing grants to enhance classes and extra curricular activities. The FAB is creating a video to represent some of the art that would have been on display at the show. You can see the video and learn more about Oakwood FAB on their website at oakwoodschools.org/ community/fab.
Harman School sixth graders hope they will have a chance to put the finishing touches on their annual musical, “101 Dalmatians.” Each year, every Harman sixth grader takes part in a musical production. Students can choose to be in the cast or the crew. The opportunity to produce a musical provides these students with the opportunity to develop public speaking and creativity skills as well as teamwork.
At Smith Elementary, the 2020 Celebration of the Arts, planned for Thursday, has been postponed. The annual event allows students to demonstrate a variety of talents and skills. Visual art is on display throughout the building during the nighttime event. Students will demonstrate singing, dancing and physical education skills.
While these events and face-to-face classes are on hold, students throughout the district will still have the opportunity to engage in the arts. The District plans to share projects and assignments, demonstrating student work during the closure.
Contact this reporter at 937225-2289 or email Vickie. Harris@coxinc.com.