Dear Laker Community, 

The 2024–25 school year has been an extraordinary one for all four Fine Arts disciplines! I’m incredibly proud to celebrate just a few of the many remarkable achievements that showcase the passion, talent, and commitment of our students and faculty.

To begin, our High School production of Mamma Mia! was awarded Best Musical by the Applause Awards, a prestigious program run through the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. As a result, our cast has been invited to perform at the Walt Disney Theatre on May 31—an honor granted to only six high schools in the region. Additionally, we celebrate Sarah Jordan, our lead performer, who will compete among 34 high schoolers for a coveted spot at the Jimmy Awards in New York City. (See our Fine Arts section below for a full list of Applause Awards Accolades!)

Our theater program had even more to celebrate this year. The High School's competitive one-act play, Fickle: A Fancy French Farce, received perfect scores and Top Honors at the Florida State Thespian Festival in Tampa—an incredible achievement reflecting the dedication and talent of our theater students and faculty. Both our High School and Middle School theatre students earned a record number of Superiors at district and state levels. Middle School students lit up the stage with their performances in SpongeBob and the one-act play Totally Red, while our Lower School students delighted audiences with Finding Nemo—and are already looking forward to diving into Seussical next year.

It has also been a successful inaugural year for our Senior and Junior Dance Repertoire Companies. These talented dancers earned Excellent and Superior ratings during their first assessment, demonstrating incredible skill and growth. This week, we’re excited to showcase our Middle and High School dancers in the Spring Dance Show: A Celebration of Dance, which promises to be another breathtaking display of artistry. In Lower School, students explored global cultures through movement—from the Mexican Hat Dance to a traditional Greek Dance performed by our second graders. 

In the visual arts, we celebrated World Art Day with our all-school art show, A Garden of Expression: Cultivating Community Through Arts. Several students received awards, including Cecelia Barbosa, who earned the Best in Show honor. Cecelia is also a finalist in the Global Campus Art Contest for Nord Anglia Education. Middle School artists created Origami Cranes for World Peace Day and Clay Bowls for the Empty Bowls for Hunger project—using art to promote awareness of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Lower School students explored creativity through self-portraits, 3D Pop Art, and our newly added Sketch and Cartooning class.

Our Music Department continues to shine as well. The upcoming Spring Music Concert on May 15 will feature performances by our 5th Grade Ensemble, Beginning Band, Intermediate Band, Wind Ensemble, and the Laker Jazz Band. High School musicians earned five Superiors at the State Solo Assessment—a testament to their hard work and dedication. We are especially proud of 11th grader Xinuo Zu, one of just four students in the entire state selected to perform piano in the All-State Band, and 5th grader Sarah Saft, who was chosen to perform in the All-State Lower School Choir. These honors are a reflection of their exceptional talent and commitment.

It has truly been a remarkable year for the Fine Arts Department at WPS. Our dedicated teachers have continued to lead with passion and purpose—mentoring students through performance, visual storytelling, movement, and music—while thoughtfully beginning to design and deliver rich, interdisciplinary learning experiences across the IB PYP, MYP, and DP programs. Our work with our collaboration with the Juilliard Creative Classroom continues to thrive and impact student learning through each lesson offered. 

Next year, we will continue to showcase excellence in the arts and elevate our experiences with the incredible support of our Families of the Arts. If you would like to assist in elevating our Fine Arts experience, please click here for more information about Families of the Arts.

The dedication that was showcased this year displays the powerful impact that Fine Arts has in shaping well-rounded, empathetic, and globally minded students. The creativity, passion, and dedication of our students continue to shine brightly across every stage, canvas, and performance space. Thank you for being part of this inspiring journey—we are deeply grateful for your support and look forward to even more to come.

Mrs. Rosemarie Redman

Director of Fine Arts