Monroe High School’s biannual Fine Arts Festival (FAF) is coming up on April 25th and 26th. As we celebrate 50 years of Fine Arts Festivals, this year’s festival is the biggest one yet. MHS students can choose to participate in 10 of the over 100 offerings led by 30 master artists or ensembles. Students can attend musical performances, yoga and meditation, pottery demonstrations, and dance performances. There will be presentations by their peers in band, choir, public speaking, and theatre. Furthermore, there are interactive workshops being led by a metalsmith, a filmmaker, a soapmaker, a graphic designer, a quilter, and a tattoo artist. We also have actors, songwriters, painters, and more. Students can have lunch with an author or try their hands at playing a steel drum. Beyond that, there is an all-school project where any student can paint a part of a mural commemorating MHS to be displayed at the current school and then brought to the new one. Plus, there are two all school assemblies, and musicians attending lunches both days. Special thanks goes to the Monroe Arts Center that co-sponsored one of the assemblies, Soul Street Dance. Thanks also goes to Heartland Graphics & Paw Prints, Monroe Engraving, and Superior Touch Collision for hosting field trips.
History of the Fine Arts Festival
The Fine Arts Festival (FAF) was started in the early 1970s by teachers Al Stauffacher and Walt Pawlowski as a way for all students to be exposed to the arts. After Walt passed away in 1997, Kathy King was hired as an art teacher and co-chairman of the FAF, which she did until she retired. This year’s Festival is chaired by art teacher, Jan Douglas and Learning and Technology Coach, Susan Anderson.
The Festival is possible because of the generosity of people in the Monroe community. There is no cost to students, parents, or the school district. The community wholeheartedly supports the festival through donations by individual families, businesses, and community nonprofit organizations. Sincere gratitude to the morning and noon Optimists, Kiwanis Club, Lions Club, Women’s Club, and Alpha Delta Kappa, sorority of women educators. Thank you to all of the community members, staff, and administrators who have supported this wonderful event both this year and in the past.
Join Us for the Empty Bowl Dinner & A Show
All community members are invited to MHS for the Empty Bowl Dinner & A Show on Thursday April 25 beginning at 4:30pm. We have over 400 bowls handmade by our ceramics students ready for purchase for $10 each. Patrons choose a bowl to purchase and then choose a delicious soup provided by local restaurants. Salad and breadsticks will also be available provided by our kitchen staff with dessert treats by MHS Strive and Daily Living students in our special education program. All of the proceeds from the Empty Bowl dinner will be donated to Monroe Way Station and Kristin’s Kloset: two organizations that address food and clothing insecurity among our MHS students. In the past, the Empty Bowl dinner has raised $2,000, and we are hoping to match or beat that this year.
As part of the dinner, all guests are invited to attend an evening of student-directed one-act plays. This event features the comedies “Complaint Department and Lemonade” by Kamron Klitgaard and directed by Trevor Klarer, and “Good Cop Bad Cop” by Ian McWethy and Jason Pizzarello and directed by Ashton Klemm. “Complaint Department and Lemonade” is produced by special arrangement with Pioneer Drama Service, Inc., Denver, Colorado. “Good Cop Bad Cop” is produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc.
Performances will be in the MHS Performing Arts Center on Thursday, April 25th at 6:30pm and Friday, April 26th at 7pm. The performances are free, but donations for future one acts are gratefully accepted at the door.
— Susan Anderson taught high school English for 13 years, and now she currently serves as the MHS Learning and Technology Coach. This is the fifth Fine Arts Festival she has co-chaired.