Student artists of all genres flourishing at USS

Roger Varley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Awards have been flowing into Uxbridge Secondary School arts programs recently in music and drama, with the possibility that some students’ art works might be showing around town.

Music teacher Amy Peck said Tuesday that students in the drama program recently won two awards at the Eastern Regional Dramafest in Port Hope, sponsored in part by the National Theatre school. Fifteen students showcased an original play called The Inbetween, written and directed by student Madeline Dalby. Dalby won an award for Creative Concept, which included direction, set design, costumes and writing. In addition, cast member Jo Drynan won a merit award for her acting.

In the realm of art (painting, sculpture, etc.) the annual USS Art Show will be held in the school library today (Thursday) from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., featuring a collection of drawing, painting, mixed media, sculpture and photography by visual artists in Grades 9-12.

Peck said works by the school's Mural Collective are also displayed around the school, and she noted that there have been requests for some murals to be displayed in the community.

On the music front, the school's two bands both walked away with wins at the Sunderland Lions Club Music Festival recently. The USS Senior Concert Band and the Third Avenue Jazz Ensemble both gave gold performances at Sunderland and followed that up with appearances at regional festivals, where both bands received invitations to perform at the national festival at York University later this year.

To raise funds for the trip to the nationals, Peck and her students will be holding a Jazz café at the school on Tuesday, April 29 (see poster, this page). Peck said the school's cafeteria will be given a jazz café ambiance for the evening and the 60 students from both the concert band and the jazz ensemble will perform, along with the Elementary Honour Jazz Band. That band features students from Grades 6-8, what Peck referred to as "the next generation."

The evening will also feature some songs written by USS students.

The evening begins at 7 p.m., with the doors open at 6:30 p.m. Cash donations will be gratefully accepted and refreshments will be available as well as a silent auction.