- April 24, 2024
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The scene shifted from a snow storm to a nail salon to a dance hall and everything in between Monday evening as young actors from both Flagler Palm Coast High School and Matanzas High School demonstrated their abilities with an acting game called freeze in front of the Flagler Auditorium. The pre-show entertainment was just a warm up for the celebration of the talented students that followed.
The Flagler Auditorium has long been a vibrant home for the arts in Flagler County, and for the second year running, the organization is spearheading the local efforts to support National Arts in Education Week, which runs Sept. 14-20. The week is a celebration of local arts groups, the vibrant talent present in the county’s public schools, and the power of collaboration between the many arts powers in the greater Palm Coast and Flagler areas.
As I sat in my seat Monday night, I couldn’t help but be impressed with the talent that was presented, starting with soloists Cara Jestes and Elizabeth Kirkconnell, who in my opinion, blew their performances out of the water.
“The arts, perhaps more than any other area personify and embrace valuing and developing the individual talents of each person — not a class, not a group, not a demographic, but an individual, the beauty and gifts found in each single person,” said Flagler Palm Coast High School Principal Lynnette Shott from the stage. “When we view education as an art, we must live and breathe the same value and way of functioning.”
As Shott spoke, I have to admit my attention was pulled away by the names and faces flashing across the screen; the arts in education success stories from Flagler County. I was so proud to see the names and accomplishments of people who I went to school with and recent graduates who are making a name for themselves. I was even prouder to know so many more success stories that were not shared on that screen. Having been involved in both the performing arts and visual arts while a student in Flagler County, I have seen the importance of creative expression first hand. In fact, most of the successful people I know have been involved in the arts in one way or another throughout their lifetime.
The arts make the world a more colorful place. Flagler County Commissioner Nate McLaughlin said the arts are important not only to our development as individuals but also as a society and as a world. I wholeheartedly agree.
Shott said, “Continuing to support the arts in education is not a bonus, it’s not an extra – it’s a critical necessity to ensure that these personalized learning choices meet the needs of all students and provide them the maximum opportunity to shine.”
So, go shine Flagler!
Additional events
Sept. 19, 20, 21 – “Avenue Q”, presented by City Repertory Theatre
Sept.18, 6-8 p.m., Free – Poetry Slam/Open Mic at Flagler Beachfront Winery, presented by The Palm Coast Arts Foundation.
Sept. 19, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Free – guided tours of Daytona State College original art collection presented by Gargiulo Art Foundation, with music and refreshments, at Building 2 of the Palm Coast Campus.
Sept. 20, 6 p.m. – Anything Goes Annual Costume Gala, presented by the Flagler Beach Historical Museum, Halifax Plantation, $75/nonmembers and $65/members.
Sept. 20, 21, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Arts and Crafts Festival, Gallery of Local Art, Flagler Beach
Sept. 21, 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., Free – McDowell performs "Australia, the Land Down Under", presented by the Palm Coast Arts Foundation at European Village - center stage
Sept. 21, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Free – Plein Air Paint Out, presented by Ocean Art Gallery, Flagler Beach
