CELEBRATING THE ARTS

The student artists at RPCS were thrilled to share their talents and passions with the community this year. From in-person performances in the Sinex Theater, including winter and spring concerts for all divisions, visual art shows throughout campus, and creative projects in the art studios and classroom at every grade level, here is a glimpse into the beautiful art and memorable performances from the 2021-2022 school year.

PERFORMING ARTS: TOP: Our fourth graders were in sync with bucket drumming to “Yuck“ by Skye Kooyman at the Lower School Spring Concert. SECOND ROW, L TO R: All the “Stars“ were on our eighth grade dancers with a performance to this hit song by Kendrick Lamar and SZA at the Middle School Spring Concert. | Senior Semiquavers with Nysa Gandhi, 2022, on the guitar, performed “Landslide“ by Stevie Nicks in their last concert as students. | For the third year in a row, the Roses collaborated with RPCS and Roses alumna Sydnie L. Mosley, 2003, in a dance residency program spanning several months. Last fall, the Roses worked with Sydnie and members of her dance company to create a piece that was performed in the Upper School Winter Concert THIRD ROW, L TO R: Samiyah Norris, Makenzie Pridgen and Blessing Darden, all from the Class of 2023, wowed the audience at the Upper School Spring Dance Concert with their incredible performance to the song “I’m Tired” by Labrinth and Zendaya. | Our Middle School students performed a beautiful rendition of “Get on Board, Little Children“ with handbells at their Winter Concert. | For the first time in two years, our Lower School students performed their Winter Concert in front of a live audience! BOTTOM ROW: The kindergarten class and Semiquavers shared a tender moment while singing “Rainbow Connection” together at the Upper School Spring Choral Concert. Kenna Mitchell, 2022, sang and performed sign language with kindergartners Gigi C. and Charlotte W.

VISUAL ARTS: TOP, L TO R: Forty-four Upper School students participated in the Memory Project last winter, with direction from Upper School Art Teacher, Emily Rohrer, 2002. Each RPCS student was given an image by a Nigerian child to then paint a portrait of that child to be shared back in Nigeria. We are so proud of our students who were a part of this global project with the mission of creating a kinder world through art. | The Eighth Grade Art Show last winter featured two works of art by each first-semester art student from the Class of 2026, including expressive self-portraits that were inspired by pop artist Andy Warhol’s bright, vibrant self-portraits, which convey a particular mood or emotion. | In the spring, our fifth graders created amazing split-portraits in pencil and watercolor. Through drawing with contour lines and implied lines and value, students created work that displayed their artistic growth throughout Lower School. Fifth grader Eloise F.’s self-portrait (pictured above) was selected for this year’s permanent art collection. SECOND ROW: Our Upper School Ceramics Exhibit was on full display in the Knott Lobby earlier this past winter, featuring pieces from our first semester Upper School students. The ceramic pieces ranged from wheel-thrown, slab-rolled, extruded, coiled, figurative, press-molded, stamped, component-assembled and mixedmedia combinations of clay plus other materials to create phenomenal artistic pieces. THIRD ROW: As a response to a former piece on the wall getting knocked down and damaged, an incredible mosaic mural designed by Stella Castro, 2023 and lovingly facilitated by Upper School ceramics teacher Ms. Rivkin was created and installed in the Upper School center stairway. Many other students, teachers and staff were also involved in the project. BOTTOM: Last fall, our first and fourth graders spent time in art class creating amazing multimedia works of art that were then showcased in our Winter Concert program and holiday cards.