The VSBA Spring Tidewater Regional Art Forum was held April
12, 2016 at Kellam High School in Virginia Beach. Elementary, middle, and high
school students from all over Superintendent’s Region 2 submit art work to be
judged by local artists. Region 2
includes twelve divisions, from the eastern shore to Southampton, Williamsburg
to Virginia Beach. The forum is a chance
for School Board members and superintendents to network and enjoy an evening of
fine arts. Kellam High School students
played music, sang, and had an exposition of learning on display with students
standing by their work, explaining the different projects and problems that
they have been collaborating on in their classrooms. Kellam is a project based learning high
school. Virginia Beach is working on
this innovative initiative and recently visited High Tech High as well.
The night did not disappoint. The music was beautiful, the students gave
great presentations, and the art was extraordinary. Not everyone can have the winning entry, but
I will say I was very proud of our students. Malina Chevere, an 8th grader
at Smithfield Middle School, received a second place ribbon for her artwork,
“Perspective.” Blake Vanderburg, Westside Elementary, received a third place
ribbon for his entry, “Perspective Drawing with Photographic Imagery.” Sydney
Bak of Windsor High entered her beautiful art, “Morgarts Beach,” in the high
school category. I also want to congratulate their teachers who
provided guidance for the students as they created their artwork—Beth Gibble
(WSES), Kevin Segner (SMS) and Lois West (WHS).
The art in this competition comes from all the school
divisions in our region. Unlike a sports
competition, our students compete against Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and
Hampton. While all of us in IWCS know
the talent we have in our schools, I’m delighted that other board members and
superintendents had a chance to see for themselves on Wednesday night.
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| Malina Chevere, Smithfield Middle |
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| Blake Vanderburg, Westside Elementary |
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| Sydney Bak, Windsor High |
