Fine Arts Newsletter - 2023-24 school year
Fine Arts Year-in-Review
The Fine Arts Council would like to take this opportunity to highlight the various fine arts opportunities Sacred Heart students were able to participate in during the 2023-24 academic year. Thank you for celebrating the arts with us!
THEATER PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP
Theater Performance Workshop is a musical theater opportunity designed to build a student’s exposure to and skills in theater performance. It is open to 4th through 8th grade students. This past November, the group performed a variety of musical theater songs from Wicked and The Wizard of Oz. The performance took place at The Den Theater in Wicker Park.
liturgical choir
The Liturgical Choir is open to Lower School students who love to sing and spread "the good news" through song. They perform at all school masses and other celebrations. The highlight was singing during a Chicago Wolves hockey game.
LICKITY SPLIT CONTEST
This past fall the school held an art contest for PK thru 8th grade students. Students were asked to create a drawing using "Family Traditions” as the theme. The winning artworks were displayed on the walls at Lickity Split on Broadway from Thanksgiving through January and each winner received a gift certificate to the store. Here are the winners.
school musical
This year The Addams Family the Musical School Edition was added to the list of musicals our talented students have masterfully performed. Congratulations to the staff, students, and parents who helped make this incredible production happen!
Past School Musicals:
2023 - Seussical the Musical
2022 - Anastasia! The Musical
2021 - Little Women
2020 - Mathilda
2019 - Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
FAMILY FUN WITH FINE ARTS
The Fine Arts Council offered two family field trips – in fall and spring – this year. Sacred Heart students and families were treated to these unique opportunities to gather together and experience the arts in our greater community.
Outing to the American Writers Museum
Students and families enjoyed a special afternoon on Michigan Avenue at the American Writers Museum, encouraging participants to learn about various writing styles, writing habits, and new perspectives on writing from the practical to the creative. Who knew that the typewriter exhibit would be such a hit!
Graceland Cemetery and Arboretum Walking Tour
Sacred Heart families gathered at the Graceland Cemetery, on the north side of Chicago, for a tour of the grounds led by a Chicago Architecture Center guide. Home to many prominent Chicago figures, including athletes, politicians, industrialists and many of the finest architects of the last century, visitors were given a glimpse into the last 150 years of Chicago’s history.
gallery night
The Sacred Heart hallways transformed into a gallery space as friends and families walked an artful path among the student artwork and enjoyed the harmonies sung by our Lower School Liturgical Choir and students of guitar and piano lessons. The night was complete with a Scavenger Hunt featuring art from Sacred Heart’s permanent art collection. Student artwork can be viewed via Artsonia. Please contact Joanne Shemiot with questions. A special thank you to the parent volunteers who helped photograph, label, frame, and hang the art. The night would not have been possible without your support!
AFTER SCHOOL MUSIC LESSONS
The After School program offers one-on-one piano lessons to all grades and guitar lessons to 1st through 8th grade students. This year at Gallery Night, the students held their recitals. It was wonderful to listen to the progress of seasoned students and witness the excitement of the first-time performers. This year the Gallery Night concert was Disney themed! To learn more about private lessons, please reach out to Katie Moss.
JUSTICE EVENING AND JUSTICE DAY
The Fine Art Council had the privilege once again of helping with the production of Justice Evening and Justice Day. One of the many things that makes a Sacred Heart education so unique is that it not only provides an academic education, but places an emphasis on social justice education as well. The questions of "what is going on around me?" and "how can I help?" are always being discussed. Sacred Heart recognizes that the arts are a powerful medium to express and convey social justice themes. This year’s theme was “Who Is My Neighbor?” Parents, guardians, and Middle School students were invited to a special evening of storytelling and conversation with Borderless Magazine, a local news nonprofit whose mission is to dismantle racist and harmful media coverage of immigrants. Justice Day followed with storytelling, portrait-making, and learning about the important work of our neighborhood service partners and how we all play an important role in being good neighbors. Images were captured throughout the day to create this wonderful video.
yearbook submissions
Each year the school holds an art contest for the yearbook cover. The winners were announced in January at the Middle School Assembly. Congratulations to winners Reese R. (A7B) and Every W. (A7B), and second place winner Harper W. (A6B) for their outstanding designs!
TALENT SHOW
The Sacred Heart Talent Show was a hit once again! This year’s show featured student hosts and emcees and a variety of acts. Comedic groups and individuals had the audience laughing. People were dancing in their seats and in the aisles alongside the students who danced and did gymnastics on stage. And our multiple singers and musicians blew everyone away with their musical gifts. It was a celebration of talent and joy!
POETRY CONTEST
The Fine Arts Council kicked off the month of April with a celebratory poetry contest. Open to students, faculty, staff and parents, we are pleased to announce the winner of this year’s contest is…
Max H. (H6) - Stolen Candy
It happened in seconds
The move of my hand
Like water rushing
Under a surfboard.
My brain and my hand arguing
But my hand wins
The braw
Eating and eating
Till I was about to explode
Then getting caught
My mom yells at me
I feel
Disappointed
I knew what I was doing
I just could not think
What to do
Now a
SCAR
On my trust
Click HERE to hear Meg Steele, Head of Schools, read it aloud.
Honorable Mention: Lucas H., (H4) - For Life
The land sometimes quiet, sometimes with bushes rustling,
The sea, full of creatures, all unique in a different way,
The sky, filled with birds, wearing colorful feathers,
Some things man made, some made by nature,
It’s the home we know, always beautiful each day.
About this newsletter
This annual newsletter is sponsored by the Sacred Heart Fine Arts Council. The Council began as a parent-driven group designed to coordinate efforts to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. on Justice Day.
Subsequently, the Fine Arts Council has evolved into an amazing collaboration between parents and faculty and staff that celebrate the arts. From Justice Day to Gallery Night to Fine Arts Month, the Council seeks to bring awareness and arts opportunities to the Sacred Heart community on and off campus.
If you are interested in joining the Fine Arts Council, please reach out to Nicole Simon.