The Apple Orchard: One Athens, one Christmas

Published 5:45 am Sunday, December 4, 2016

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

To be creative. To be connected. To be One Athens.

The Athens City Schools Fine Arts Department presents the inaugural One Athens Christmas Showcase. This collaborative event is an invitation to the Athens community to see, hear and experience all the wonderful things students are accomplishing every day in the fine arts.

One Athens Christmas promises to be a truly unique event. This is the first K-12 fine arts holiday program presented by ACS. All schools will be represented musically and visually. Students from every school will be performing throughout the evening. The showcase culminates with a full holiday concert featuring the AHS Concert Jazz Band. All departments will be exhibiting student work.

As the name implies, we are One Athens. One Athens is at the heart of what it means to be a part of ACS. One Athens is a mindset. It is the overriding, all encompassing, collaborative spirit that knits our schools and community together through initiatives that are both instructional and conceptual. One Athens is the guiding principle of our system. It seeks to create an identity that is clearly focused on partnerships and working in harmony toward mutually beneficial goals for students, teachers and the community.

Amanda Gudmundsson is the new Fine Arts Director for ACS. She indicated this showcase is intentionally inclusive to exemplify the One Athens initiative.

“We are One Athens. We want to prove how essential a part of the process the fine arts are in creating and providing for the whole student in ACS,” she said. “Our goal is to create a holistic environment for students where the arts and athletics complement our growth as a system.”

What better season to honor the ideals of One Athens than Christmas? The showcase features student talent across disciplines, at one time and in one place. The spirit of the Christmas season invokes the very sense of unity and togetherness that ACS Fine Arts hopes to capture.

Leah Pierce is an art teacher for ACS. She believes in the value of coming together to share the arts.

“I love for my students to have the opportunity to show off their artwork. I think it gives them a sense of pride in their efforts,” she said. “Many students who are not the best in other subjects may excel in art. I also look forward to the festive atmosphere we will share with people in our community. It is a great way to get families out where they will interact and feel a sense of pride in what a good school district we have.”

This event has real meaning. Elementary students get a glimpse of what they have to look forward to as they move forward through ACS. Older students are given the opportunity to exercise and experience the positive effects of leadership. Exposure for their talents will help develop confidence in their abilities. Family, friends and community members are enriched and encouraged by a renewed sense of Athenian spirit and connection.

This night is meaningful to Gudmundsson, too. “It has given me the opportunity to really find a way to connect the department with the community,” she said.

You are warmly invited to bundle up, come out and experience the One Athens connection. Savor the spirit of the holidays with others. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

One Athens Christmas Showcase is 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday at Athens Middle School South Building. Enjoy light refreshments, music, art and fellowship. Admission is free. Donations are appreciated.

— Hickman is over communications and strategic planning for Athens City Schools. She can be reached at Ginger.Hickman@acs-k12.org.