Fine arts focus of Superintendent’s January breakfast

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ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — Fine arts was the focus of the January Superintendent’s Breakfast held Friday, Jan. 17 at the South Baldwin Center for Technology Culinary Arts Building in Robertsdale.

Chef Dan Navarro and his award-winning student culinary staff again cooked up and served breakfast for the meeting, which was presided over by Marty McRae, assistant superintendent, secondary, for Baldwin County Schools, because Superintendent Eddie Tyler was out of town.

Artwork from Baldwin County School students was featured and music was provided by the Saxophone Ensemble at Robertsdale High School.

RHS Band Director Lee Hughes said the students operate independently, scheduling their own practices and requesting their own music.

“I’m basically just a secretary at this point,” he said. “I assist them in whatever way I can, but this is completely student run.”

The Saxophone Ensemble is one of many ensembles on the school’s campus, Hughes said, commending his students, not only for accolades achieved in the music field, but also academically.

“Right now the top two students at RHS are band students,” he said. “These are some of the brightest most accomplished students we have and I take pride in the fact that, whether or not they choose music as their career path, they will be successful in whatever they choose to do.”

McRae reiterated the importance Baldwin County schools place on fine arts programs throughout the county.

“This is a prime example of students providing leadership in our schools,” he said, “and it is the reason programs like these are so important to the education of our students.”

Tom Hartner, secondary coordinator for curriculum and instruction with Baldwin County Public Schools, spoke on behalf of Amy Plunkett, BCBE Fine Arts supervisor, who was in Mobile at a competition.

Baldwin County currently employs 95 educators in the Public School System’s fine arts programs.

Every elementary student in the district receives visual arts and music classes. In grade six, students have the opportunity to participate in instrumental music and band classes.

At the secondary level, fine arts programs include:

• Art history.

• Band/instrumental music.

• Chorus.

• Dance.

• Guitar.

• Piano.

• Theatre arts.

• Visual arts

• A variety of IB and AP fine arts courses offerings at many Baldwin County high schools.

Hartner went through a list of several of the achievements won by fine arts students at the local, state and national level.

Hartner encouraged those present to check out the Fine Arts page at bcbe.org or the new Baldwin County Schools Fine Arts page on Facebook.