In case you haven't been told this today, YOU are important!! Here's some reasons why:
You inspire people to be better! You are intelligent and have SOOOO much knowledge to share with this world! You are caring and kind and can offer a smile or helping hand to someone that truly needs it! You are creative and that is a gift that must be shared with the world! You are a friend and we know that friendship/companionship is a basic human need! You are innovative! In this world, we need innovative people to address the future! You are compassionate! We can lose sight of the bigger picture but your compassion for others reminds us that we are all in this together! You are special!! Why? Because you are you!
Spread love! It is a priceless gift that does not cost a thing! And yet, it can mean the world to someone!
Things are booming over on the Northside!! Band, orchestra, and choir are seeing INCREDIBLE increases in their numbers ensuring that ALL students have access to music education. Research has shown that students that engage in music not only perform better on assessments (both standardized and formative) but we also see a drastic reduction in dropout rates. The arts can give a student that might struggle in a traditional classroom a reason to come to school.
With the growth that we are seeing in the arts at Harding, we would like to cordially invite you to our first BIG event of the year, Harding Fine Arts Night! This night will showcase all of Harding's fine arts programs so that we can create a culture of creativity. It will surely be an electric night filled with vibrant young performers demonstrating their hard work and talent.
HARDING FINE ARTS NIGHT TAKES PLACE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15th! Mark it on your calendars now!!
In other exciting news, the Northside had the incredible honor to have a very special guest visit us this past week. President Barack Obama visited North High School on Monday, September 14th. He discussed his college accessibility initiative, but also took some time to address the importance of the arts in our schools. Below is video from his visit:
Fast forward to the 55 minute mark to hear what President Obama has to say about the arts!
Here is a photo of some of our students getting ready to listen to the words of our President:
We are also excited to announce that our Turnaround Arts Artist Mr. Kal Penn will be joining us September 28th and 29th! We have some really awesome things planned with Mr. Penn, so please be on the look out!!
The school year is off to a crazy fast start and at Harding we have some AMAZING things going on! To stay up to date with all the things going on be sure to check out the Calendar tab on the home page of this blog!!
We had a fantastic turn out to our auditions for The Crazy Mixed Up Island of Dr. Moreau as well as our Improv Showcase. It's going to be a couple of great nights in November, make sure to clear those dates now! ;o )
In addition to the wonderful things going on in the theatre arts, our band and orchestra departments have the wonderful problem of seeing their numbers boom! With that said, we're having a difficult time keeping up with student demands. Please take a second to consider visiting their Go Fund Me page at THIS LINK Any size donation would be greatly appreciated in order to make sure ALL kids have access to the happiness music brings!
It's so amazing to work in an environment that is positive and uplifting. In conversations I've had with fellow teachers, we all feel that there is something special in the air this year! Harding will continue to grow and blossom into one of the elite middle schools in the state!! Keep looking out for more information, but to end this blog, enjoy a little video to demonstrate how we're feeling!
