Scholars at Denzel Washington School of the Arts participate in playwriting workshop
Sixth grade students at Denzel Washington School of the Arts sat in the auditorium for a playwriting session on Tuesday, January 21, 2025. They raised their hands enthusiastically, as they shared their ideas for play plots with Arc Stages, a multifaceted arts organization from Pleasantville, New York.
Arc Stages is a theater that provides educational programming as well as community stage and professional programming. They partner with several school districts throughout Westchester, teaching young students about the arts and playwriting.
Arc Stages began their visit to DWSA by performing a play about playwriting. The group sang songs about the importance of capturing a strong moral or goal for the story, as well as creating intriguing characters, setting, conflict and theme.
Afterwards, members of Arc Stages visited classrooms to continue teaching students about playwriting. Students learned about how scripts are formatted and the proper way to write stage directions before developing their own plays. Students brainstormed ideas for their stories and began writing their plays.
“It was fun, and I feel like this will help open up doors for me because I like writing stories. It’s fun to express yourself through them,” said Kimora Spence, a sixth grader at DWSA. “I had written a story, but I wasn’t quite sure how to finish it yet. I was hoping that I could read it to them, so that I could finish it. I think I might want to end it on a cliff hanger.”
Arc Stages will visit DWSA again on February 10, when they will assist with editing and revising students’ plays.
Last month, students in the Denzel Washington School of the Arts Gospel Choir presented a concert for their Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration at Hackley School. This concert also intertwined the rich history of gospel music into the performances. The Gospel Choir utilized dance, poetry, and song.
Denzel Washington School of the Arts students were featured on CBS’s latest “Class Act” with Chris Wragge. A pep rally was held on Friday, January 24, 2025, featuring drumline, dance, poetry and vocal performances. Students in the crowd cheered on their classmates as they performed for the live broadcast.
To view more coverage of "Class Act" with Chris Wragge at DWSA click here and here.
Read more to view more clips from the show!
Sixth grade students at Denzel Washington School of the Arts sat in the auditorium for a playwriting session on Tuesday, January 21, 2025. They raised their hands enthusiastically, as they shared their ideas for play plots with Arc Stages, a multifaceted arts organization from Pleasantville, New York.
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., sixth grade students in Michelle Atterberry’s class at Denzel Washington School of the Arts created dream towers, displaying what they envision for a better world. Students proudly showed off their work on Friday, January 17, 2025.
The Omega Psi Phi Talent Hunt took place at Denzel Washington School of the Arts on Friday, January 10, 2025. The Omega Psi Phi Talent Hunt is designed to identify and support talented youth across the nation. Students competed in Dance, Vocal, Dramatic Interpretations, Visual Arts and Music competitions. DWSA students took first, second and third place. First place went to Charlize Ford (Vocal), who won $500. Second place went to Lexus Boymandjia (Dramatic Interpretation), and she won $300. Third place went to Eric Buchanan. He won $200.
The sounds of symphonies could be heard throughout the Mount Vernon Public Library on Thursday, December 19, 2024 as Denzel Washington School of the Arts orchestra majors spread Christmas cheer for the community to rejoice in before the holidays.
The Denzel Washington School of the Arts Gospel Choir made a trip to New York City on Thursday, December 12, 2024, to perform at the Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes. They were led by led by Choir Director Angela Hall, Creative Executive Director for the District, and Co-Director Tanya Mack, a teacher at DWSA.
Click here to read more about the performance on BlackWestchester.com
On Wednesday, November 27, 2024, Denzel Washington School of Arts students crowded into the large auditorium, sharing excitement with their peers to celebrate those who made it onto the honor roll. Middle and high school levels cheered together as over 150 DWSA students walked across the stage to collect their certificates and stand together in their achievement.