This school year was the first time that Rock Hill offered a showcase for all of the fine arts at RHHS. All of the Fine Arts directors and Mr. Alstrin, the director of Fine Arts at Prosper ISD, came together to plan the showcase to exhibit what Rock Hill offers. The showcase was on Dec. 1, with two showings starting off the day for middle schoolers at Rogers and Hays, beginning at 9:30 a.m. and ending around 12 p.m. The final showing, reserved for the general public, started at 6:30 p.m.

A brief list of the program’s performances included:

Choir, Orchestra and Rockettes performing “Amid the Winter’s Snow” by John Goss and arranged by Dan Forrest.

Blue Note Choir performed to Caroling, Caroling by Alfred Burt, and The Twelve Days of Christmas arranged by Chris Hansen, under the direction of Mr. Joshua McGuire.

The Wind Symphony performed Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson under the direction of Mr. Nathaniel Neugent. Orchestra performed Inferno by Antonio Vivaldi, under the direction of Mr. Ronald Planks.

Color guard had two stage productions including, Christmas Tree Farm by Taylor Swift and Holiday Medley in a co-performance with the Rockettes, under the direction of Mr. David Arvin.

Drum Line performed their cadences, including Jig and Torque, under Mr. Chris Retschulte’s direction.
Art students had their artwork located in the main hallways during the week of the showcase and the “All-District Showcase.”

The Rockettes performed with different fine art groups and had a solo dance to Let it, Snow, under the direction of Mrs. Brittany Shaver and Mrs. Natalie Wilson.

Finally, the Musical Theatre performed, Sparklejollytwinklejingley under the direction of Mrs. Sariea Haney, Mrs. Kirsten King, and Mr. Tim Doyle.

“I’m most excited for the Rock Hill faculty and staff, PISD and the community to see how talented our students are, and they get to see so many of them on one night and in one performance,” Fine Arts department chair Ronald Planks said. “We have a fantastic Fine Arts department here at Rock Hill, and for our students and fine arts staff to collaborate in such a special way has been extremely rewarding,” Planks said.

The showcase was a way to show the middle school students the different fine art groups at RHHS.

“The Winter Showcase is just another way for all of our talented students to be showcased, [it] doesn’t replace nor overshadow another group’s holiday performance,” Planks said.

Art highlighted the creative opportunities available in their classes and department.

“One of the most exciting parts of the Fine Arts Winter Showcase for the Blue Hawk Art program was our live wheel throwing we had up before and after the event,” art teacher Taylar Piers said,

Finally, Musical Theatre performed at the Fine Arts Showcase. Madelyn Goodwin loved the opportunity to share their works with an audience.

“It was really fun for us to showcase what we have been working on and see other groups perform too, [I’m] glad the arts at Rock Hill are getting recognition,” Goodwin said.