A huge crowd of parents and students gathered at Georgie D. Tyler Middle School, in Windsor, Virginia, recently for the school’s Gifted and Talented Night and Art Showcase. The event showcased artwork from students from across the division along with fine arts performances from each school.
Hallways were lined with artwork of all types from the students, including watercolor paintings, pencil drawings, sculptures, and mixed media art pieces. Students also performed with choirs and orchestras, and some theater students demonstrated their improv skills.
The showcase was a highly anticipated event after Covid shut down the popular program in previous years. “The art teachers really wanted to bring this back,” said Alyssa Canady, an art teacher at Smithfield High School. The school division held a small art show last year, but wanted to offer more this year.
“This year it is a bigger and better version with music and theater performances, and Gifted and Talented is also going to be here, so I am just really excited to see it come to life,” Canady said.
The students were also very excited to show off their projects. The school’s gym featured a wide display of exhibits from students in the Gifted and Talented Program as well as the Math Plus Program.
“The Gifted and Talented Program allows the students to think more critically and globally, and be able to work with peers within their own cognitive ability — that think like them, speak like them, all of those kinds of things,” explained Gifted and Talented Resource Teacher Shea Wilde.
Student Jefferson Tomlin is in the Gifted and Talented Program. He worked on a Winter Wonderland Expo project that he and his classmates put into 3D for the showcase. He said that he has found the gifted program to be both demanding and rewarding. “It’s definitely a lot more challenging,” he said. “And you also get smarter.”
Whether showing off their artwork, their voices, their improv skills, or their talents with musical instruments, all of the students appreciated the school offering arts programs.
“The arts programs are really important for students and anyone who joins them because it gives people an opportunity for their future,” explained Connor Hickman, a senior at Windsor High School. “And us kids get to express our feelings through different types of arts and programs like music, art, and many other things.”
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