Celebrate the Arts!

2022 Music and Art Show

It's BACK!  A Willow River Tradition!

Willow River staff and students should be PROUD!  For those of you who were lucky enough to attend the Music and Art Show on Friday night, you were treated to quite a show!  As this was my first time attending, I wasn't sure what to expect - and I was incredibly impressed.  It was a night filled with community spirit, sharing of talent, teamwork, confidence, support, collaboration, helping hands, encouragement, and happy faces!  I can't explain the smiles on the performers, or the intent of the young artists working through the art stations with their families - it was a joy to stand back and watch.  Congratulations, Willow, for building such a wonderful tradition, and for providing an opporutnity for kids to shine -  and for their families to join right with them.  Whether it was a harmonica player accompanying her dad on Piano Man (rewritten to fit Willow!), singing, hula hooping, piano playing, gymnastics, or a super hero dance - the performers were happy to be there, and the audience was roaring with support!  There might have been a little paint left on the cafeteria floor, but it was because parent-child, brother-sister, grandma-grandchild were sitting together, engrossed in painting trees, flowers, wooden pieces, or stamping, printing, or making magazine strip art. Kids were excitedly explaining their artwork on the walls, dragging their families around to see and do everything. Older kids came back to visit Willow.  It was magical.

I want to thank those of you who were key players in this big event. First and foremost, thank you to Lindsey and Hannah for getting the idea off the ground for 2022, and putting the details together to make it happen.  Thank you to the staff who helped put up artwork on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, who helped with stations (Lori H., Erin A., Julie W., Sarah C., Hannah, Kiki, Laurel, Sarah T., Sarah B., Vanessa) and serving food (Lisa P., Laurel, Katie T., Willow River Parent Group), Ara and Brent and the custodial staff, staff and their families who attended and participated, and anyone else that was there to support.  An event like this is not possible without the extra helping hands.  I'm can't speak for anyone else, but I know I was exhausted at the end!  The positive energy was incredible.

At a time when our work is hard and we can feel exhausted, it's nights like this that remind us of how important our school community is to us, the students, and their families.  Thank you, Willow River Staff, for your willingness to contribute and offer support in order to make sure this tradition continues.

It's important to note that arts education is coorelated with higher academic achievement.  High schools with more than four years of art and music classes score higher on standardized tests, and a study of 3rd-8th graders found that students receiving arts education experiences had fewer disciplinary infractions. And in 2018, 91% of Americans believed that arts are a part of a well-rounded education for K-12 students.  So what Willow is doing to promote the arts is a great gift to our students!

Thank you, thank you to everyone who was involved - every single contribution added to the success of the evening.  Like I said, it was magical.