Many of us remember the TV show FAME, where a bunch of high school kids in a performing arts high school in New York City entertained us with music as they came of age. While we don’t have a school quite like that in Wake County, we do have a high school in Holly Springs with a fine arts department that rivals some of the best performing arts magnet schools in the state. A hidden treasure, the Holly Springs High School (HSHS) Fine Arts program has been grooming young people for careers in the arts for the last nine years. Their determination to provide high-quality instruction for generations of students has created a program that is not rivaled by any other local high school in the area.
The program began in 2006 when the school opened its door with dance, chorus, visual arts, and band under the direction of department chairman Michael Biasi. Theater was added in 2007, and the department has attracted more students and added more offerings to become a powerhouse of fine arts programming. “The Holly Springs High School Fine Arts department is a rare gem that you do not see at many schools in Wake County,” explains Holly Ridge Middle School principal Emily Mountford. “When I was the Fine Arts Department Administrator at HSHS, we called the department the ‘Julliard of the Wake County Public School System’!”
The dance program began in 2006 under the direction of Laura Stauderman, who came to HSHS with a varied background of dance training and instruction. With a BFA in Dance Education from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and an MA in Dance Education from Teacher College at Columbia University in NYC, Stauderman has danced professionally and taught in both public school programs and private studio settings.
The program started off with 37 students in just two classes, but over nine years Stauderman has grown the program into a full dance company with over 100 students and a reputation for a high level of talent and training. “Students in our program participate in national festivals, earn scholarships to local and national institutions, and collegiate programs for dance including American Dance Festival, Governor’s School for the Arts, and the Joffrey Ballet,” Stauderman shares. “One of our Nutcracker ensembles even opened for the Radio City Music Hall Rockette’s Christmas Spectacular at DPAC in 2011!”
The program produces two major dance productions each year – the Nutcracker, which has become an annual favorite in the community, and a Senior Symposium of works choreographed by advanced senior students. “The level of talent in these productions is superb,” says local dance studio owner Glenda Peele. “I attended the Nutcracker to see our dancers perform, and I was so pleased with the quality of the production!” Another enthusiast, Jen Miller-Hogg, praised the department. “The level of performance would rival any professional dance company,” she said. “I’ve seen the Alvin Ailey Company and Russian Ballet, and this group of dancers was fabulous.”
The department has groomed numerous students for dance at the collegiate level. Although many students come to the dance program with prior training and an interest in dance, Stauderman is most impressed by the students who begin their training at the high school level and continue with dance in college. “We offer a comprehensive quality dance education program with excellence in training and rigorous academic content in dance history, anatomy, production, and choreography,” she explains. “Students gain confidence and see themselves exploring dance or dance education at the collegiate level.”
Rome Buttner joined the Fine Arts team in 2007, and immediately established the Holly Springs Theater Company (HSTC) at HSHS. Buttner holds his students and his program to very high standards, with a mission statement that reads: “At HSTC, we don’t believe in ‘high school theater;’ we believe in quality, professional theater.”
A graduate of Virginia Tech with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Theater Arts and English, Buttner began teaching in Virginia schools. But the opportunity to start a theater program at Holly Springs High School presented itself, and eight years later the department includes over 200 students and produces 5-7 shows each year. Students are trained to learn, lead, create, and manage all aspects of the program –from performances to sets, costumes, props, and lighting/sound. “Rome Buttner stands out because of the capacity he builds within his students,” Emily Mountford says. “He is a true facilitator and curator of the magic that happens within the theater arts program.”
High schools traditionally spend much of the school year preparing big musical productions. Holly Springs Theater Company performances, however, rise above that of a typical high school show. Last year’s production of The Wizard of Oz included special effects not seen on a high school stage in recent memory. “The technology used for Oz and other scenes really pushed the limits,” says theater patron Meg Peterson. “Between the audio-visual elements and the professional flying company that came in to fly characters around the stage, the show was well beyond a typical high school production. And while the characters had amazing talent in both voice and acting, it was the full production aspect that made it an almost professional production. The show was well beyond what one would expect from a high school.”
Although the Chorus program began when the school opened in 2006, current director Jennifer Patchett has only been its director since the fall of 2011. A graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and a Master of Arts in Teaching for Music Education, Patchett stepped into an already established program at HSHS. Although she says it was a challenge to align her vision and teaching philosophies with the existing program, it only took a year for her students and chorus families to get used to a new perspective.
“Holly Springs has wonderful, talented kids and supportive families,” she shares. “I feel so lucky to be able to teach every day and share a love of music and singing.” The program encourages students to support each other in their efforts, and Patchett explains that they perform with such passion that “anyone in the audience knows that choral music touches our souls.”
The choral program has had its share of successes. The elite chorus was invited to sing for the North Carolina Music Educators Convention in November 2014, and the program has been invited to sing at Carnegie Hall in New York under the direction of Andre Thomas in March 2015.
When Michael Biasi accepted the department chair position for the Bands and Fine Arts Department in 2006, he began his year with 60 members in a brand new band. A 12-year veteran of band directorship, Biasi was excited to begin a band program at Holly Springs High School. In nine short years, the music program has grown in quality and quanitity. This past fall, the band program had 180 members. The school now also offers three concert ensembles, a jazz band, indoor percussion, three winter guards and chamber ensembles. Special honors have included performing in Cleveland, Baltimore, Williamsburg, and Disney World. The band program has placed a member in the All-District Band for nine consecutive years and represented at the state level eight of the last nine years. The marching band and concert ensembles have earned Superior and Excellent ratings in festivals and competitions, and the band has won three overall grand championships and twelve class championships. Departmental groups have also performed with the Western Carolina University Wind Ensemble, UNC-Charlotte Wind Ensemble, and the Triangle Wind Ensemble.
The visual arts program is just starting to come into its own, with a fairly new team of teachers who are dedicated to molding the creative talent of the students in their department. Recent projects have included showing student work in the community and getting involved with the local arts community through the Holly Springs Arts Council. “I have seen a tremendous improvement in the quality of student artwork, and we’ve worked really hard to align the art curriculum and ensure students are being highly challenged,” explains teacher Jayna Huffines.”
The art department consists of four very dedicated and passionate teachers, all with specific areas of expertise. Their students are starting to reap the benefits of a realigned curriculum and greater rigor, with several winning Scholastic awards and one winning a first place award and scholarship at the VEA student show this past fall.
“We offer many performance and leadership opportunities within our programs,” says Biasi. “A student who completes four years in our program graduates with lifelong lessons and tools for success in the 21st Century.” Many graduates have gone on to major or minor in collegiate arts programs across the country as a direct result of their experience in Holly Springs High School fine arts programs. Graduate Jessica Edwards begins a stage management internship this fall on the Broadway production of Wicked, and two current seniors have auditioned for Julliard this year.
With all the wonderful accolades about the Holly Springs High School fine arts department and all of their accomplishments, every program director in the department struggles with the lack of funding for all of their efforts. The arts are not funded in Wake County, so each program director has to fundraise to cover every expense they encounter in the process of putting on these amazing performances and programs. The Fine Arts Booster Club is a parent organization that helps in those efforts, but the department is saddled with the additional burden of having to rely on donations, ticket sales or fundraising to make ends meet. “We’re so lucky to have a fine arts program at Holly Springs that pushes the limits of creativity, technology, and leadership,” Meg Peterson writes. “It’s even better to have the opportunity to attend these amazing live performance events in our own town!”
Community support of the arts programming at Holly Springs High School is fundamentally important to keep these programs going for the benefit of our children and the community. For more information about how to help support these wonderful, high-quality programs, contact Michael Biasi at mbiasi@wcpss.net.
