Senior Scholarships for Fine Arts Students! #207Now #scholarships

There are a number of scholarship opportunities available to graduating seniors who have been involved in Fine Arts programs at Maine West. Please see the below scholarship opportunities. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask your Fine Arts teacher or Ms. Mullen, Fine Arts Department Chair. You are encouraged to submit application materials for consideration in advance of the due dates.

The scholarships will be awarded at the Senior Awards Night on May 18, 2022.

MAINE WEST FINE ARTS BOOSTERS SCHOLARSHIPS - Due March 25, 2022

Up to 5 scholarships of $400 each are awarded to college-bound seniors who have been active participants in one or more of the Maine West High School fine arts programs: Band, Choir, Orchestra, Visual Arts, Dance, Drama, Speech and Broadcasting.

SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

All applicants for scholarships awarded by the Fine Arts Boosters must:

1) Have a cumulative weighted grade point average of 3.0 or higher through the end of the fall semester senior year.

2) Be active in the Maine West Fine Arts programs for a minimum of 2 years.

3) Complete the FAB scholarship online application in its entirety including the transcript copy by submission deadline.  

4) Provide intention of enrollment to a college or university.  Since this is before the commitment date for most universities, the specific school is not required.

Applications must be submitted by midnight on Friday, March 25, 2022.  Only electronic submissions will be accepted.  Late submissions will not be accepted.

HERE is a link to the scholarship application. (Please note, you must use a non-district email address to complete this form.)

If you have any questions, please email them to: MaineWestFineArts@gmail.com

 

Award decisions are made at the sole discretion of the Fine Arts Boosters Scholarship Committee.

DES PLAINES HISTORY CENTER - SCHOLARSHIP FOR EXTRAORDINARY MERIT IN FINE ARTS - Due April 8, 2022

Award: One $500.00 unrestricted scholarship and certificate to be given to the top applicant. 

Applicant Qualifications: 

• Must be a graduating senior from Maine West High School. 
• Must demonstrate “extraordinary merit” in a fine arts field (as defined by the content makeup  of the Fine Arts Department at Maine West). Merit may be demonstrable through extraordinary  achievement and/or potential in a fine arts field. 
• By applying, the applicant commits to provide a brief biography and photograph to be published  in the Des Plaines History Center’s newsletter and social media. 
• There are no GPA or other specific qualifications for this award. 

Application Guidelines: 

• Student applicants must write a brief letter (no more than 300 words) regarding their interest,  achievement, and/or potential in a fine arts field. The student must submit this as a Word  document or PDF via email to scholarships@desplaineshistory.org. 
• Student applicants must attain one brief recommendation (no more than 300 words) from a Fine  Arts teacher at Maine West that describes extraordinary achievement and/or extraordinary  potential in a fine arts field. Rather than list achievements, please express to us the dedication,  talent, “spark,” or “x-factor” that you see. The teacher must submit this as a Word document or  PDF via email to scholarships@desplaineshistory.org. 
• All application materials must be received by 11:59PM on April 8. No variances granted.
• Applicants may apply for either the social sciences or the fine arts scholarship, not both. 

Adjudication: 

• The staff of the Des Plaines History Center will receive and judge the applications. 
• We will consider:
• Clarity in the applicant’s writing 
• Ability of the applicant to express achievement and/or potential in a fine arts field
• The degree to which a teacher expresses achievement and/or potential of the student

JOEL DAUBE MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP - Due April 25, 2022

The Joel Daube Memorial Music Scholarship is given in memoriam of Joel Daube, a Maine West student who made a tremendous impact in the lives of his family, peers and teachers. This scholarship is to be conferred on a graduating senior(s) involved in the music programs in the Maine West Fine Arts Department. The scholarship is to be awarded to a student who excels in music performance and demonstrates exemplary interpersonal, leadership, and character standards. This scholarship fund provides 3 senior scholarships, each $500, to Fine Arts students through 2023. 

HERE is a link to the scholarship application.

In addition to awarding this scholarship, we are looking for contributions to this scholarship fund. If you are interested in making a contribution in memory/honor of Joel Daube, please see this contribution form for more information.

Broadcasting Students' Coverage of Chicago Auto Show #207Now #mediaarts @wmth_mainewest #chicagoautoshow

This week, students in the Broadcasting course attended the Chicago Auto Show to produce news stories with interviews of attendees and auto manufacturer representatives, as well as b-roll video footage of various cars featured at the show. 

Students learned important skills related to interviewing, news writing, and shooting technique.

The final product of this project will be news stories around the following topics: new electric vehicles, the Jeep exhibit, the Chevy exhibit, and more.

Chamber Music Night - An Evening of Beautiful Music featuring MW Orchestra Students #207Now @mworchestras #chambermusic #stringsrock

Students in the Maine West Orchestra program performed works of chamber music for friends and family members tonight in the Learning Resource Center. Chamber Music is music that is written for small ensembles, as opposed to large ensembles (like orchestras), and these works are intended to be performed in smaller, more intimate rooms, or "chambers." The LRC provided the perfect venue tonight.

Chamber music is much more demanding for individual musicians, as each person  has to hold their own on their part. In absence of a conductor, the ensemble must learn to communicate non-verbally in order to cue each other and help shape the musical phrase.

The students in the Maine West Orchestra Program performed very well tonight. Bravo, students! Thank you for sharing your music with us this evening!

More pictures and video clips can be found HERE. 

Spreading Love Through Music #207Now #musiced #artsed #musichonorstories #artsenrich

Maine West music students helped spread some love and appreciation for each other this Valentine's Day. Before school, a chamber ensemble of musicians from the orchestra program welcomed students and staff into the building with beautiful music.

During lunch periods, students from the Maine West chapter of the Tri-M Music Honor Society performed Valentunes, singing telegrams students purchased for each other.

Thank you, students, for enriching our lives through sharing your music!

Guest Speaker Kelly Fitzgerald Visits Photography Classes #CareersInArt #207Now #artsed #photography @mainewestart

Guest speaker, Kelly Fitzgerald, a Maine West Alumna and local professional photographer with her own portrait studio, The Fitzgerald Studio, visited Ms. Lloyd's photography classes this past week. She talked with students about the business aspect of being a photographer and running an independent, small business. Working as an artist is a viable and lucrative career path, but requires multi-faceted skills and a lot of time and energy spent on "non-art" tasks. Some of the topics she introduced to the students included: branding, marketing, sales, customer service and customer satisfaction.

After the lesson on running a business, Ms. Fitzgerald taught a lesson on studio lighting because Maine West Photography students are just about to start their studio portrait unit.

Thank you, Ms. Fitzgerald, for sharing your time, knowledge and talents with the students of Maine West! Thank you to Ms. Lloyd for arranging this career connection opportunity for our Fine Arts students!

Fine Arts and English Departments Collab on Poetry Typography Videos #207Now #collaboration #typography #poetry #film #mediaarts @wmth_mainewest

The Fine Arts and English Departments have engaged in an interdepartmental creative project between student filmmakers and poets. Students at West typically study poetry and write poems to perform at the annual Poetry Out Loud event in February. This year, student filmmakers have joined in the fun! Typography films are becoming an increasingly popular genre of film, and the poetry unit offered the perfect opportunity for artistic collaboration.

Student filmmakers who are in Ms. Orr's Digital Video Production, Broadcasting, and Advanced TV and Film classes are working on creating films for each poem. These students are learning important tools of the trade, like elements of fonts, how to animate and key frame text, how to edit color, font and space, and using movement to enhance meaning. In addition, these students are having to analyze each poem in order to find ways to amplify the meaning of the text, thereby learning about important language considerations for poets.

Collaborations such as this create deeper learning opportunities for all students involved! Thank you to Ms. Orr and to the English teachers for working together on this project!

If you would like to look at some of the typography videos, click THIS LINK.

Be Our Guest! Maine West Fine Arts Presents...BEAUTY AND THE BEAST! #207Now #beautyandthebeast #musicaltheatre @mainewestdrama @mainewesttechcrew

Maine West’s Fine Arts Department is excited to present Disney’s “Beauty And The Beast” February 24, 25 & 26 at 7:00 pm and February 27 at 2:00 pm. The show is directed by Mr. David Harmon.

“Beauty and the Beast” is a French fairy tale that was first published in 1740. Since then, this tale of transformation and love has been adapted into books, films, and television shows. In 1992, Disney’s animated film won Academy Awards for best picture, original film score, and for sound mixing.  Maine West’s production will include the show stopping tunes “Be Our Guest,” “Gaston,” and “Human Again.”

The cast is made up of 55 students who auditioned and demonstrated skills in acting, singing, and dancing. “The energy of the cast is what stands out the most to me! This year’s turnout for auditions was the biggest this school has seen in recent history,” Harmon says about the cast and the audition turnout.  “Watching some of the newer actors learn and engage with the more seasoned actors is amazing to see from a directing perspective.”

The show will be accompanied by a full, live pit orchestra conducted by Bernie Gerstmayr, Maine West Band Director. The orchestra is composed of 27 student musicians from the band and orchestra programs at Maine West.

Behind the scenes is a tech crew of about 20 students, under the direction of auditorium manager Peter McManus. The crew is designing and constructing the set, designing and controlling the lighting, organizing all props, and handling all of the sound engineering. Costumes are being designed by the talented Kate Murphy.

Lex Haliotis, junior tech crew member, mentions how great it is to see a whole new group of people involved in this year’s production and sharing his enjoyable experience on working on the set. “The most enjoyable part of the process for me is the building of sets. It’s really low energy and chill, just getting work done and hanging out. I think the audience will appreciate just how much we do, and how we make a lot of the things we do interesting.“

For many of the new members, creating new connections and new friends has been an added bonus. Daniel Solomon, currently a sophomore, landed the role as Gaston.  “I personally have never been in a musical production before. This was my first audition, and I ended up landing a major role for which I'm extremely thankful.” He also shares, “Secondly, the most enjoyable part of the process is watching my peers grow out of their shells, and experience new things alongside me. I've watched friends who have never been comfortable speaking in front of a crowd become full-fledged singers.”

Playing Belle is senior Ali Krieger.  She feels that after being in quarantine, when engaging with others was so limited, it has been very enjoyable to rehearse with people again and directly work together. “What makes this production stand out from other productions is the energy, commitment, people, and all the work that we have put into it. Especially, unlike last year, this year we have the wonderful opportunity to perform live again! This musical is giving the students involved a chance to feel like we are getting back to normalcy.”

Be sure not to miss this heartwarming and enchanting tale of “Beauty And The Beast.” 

PERFORMANCE DATES & TIMES:

FEBRUARY 24, 25, 26 at 7:00 pm

FEBRUARY 27 at 2:00 pm

TICKET PRICES: Students $7/ Adults $10 (General Admission)

Because of the popularity of this show, you are strongly encouraged to purchase your tickets in advance. Doors will open 30 minutes prior to the show time.

TO PURCHASE TICKETS: 

www.mainewestdrama.org  

Storytime with Belle

In addition to the Sunday matinee on February 27th of  “Beauty and the Beast” there will be a special event prior to the show: “Storytime with Belle.”  This event is sponsored by the Maine West Fine Arts Boosters, and will feature a meet and greet with several members of the cast who will also be reading a story, a photo session with cast members, and surprise gifts for attendees.

All proceeds go to support musical productions at Maine West High School. 

February 27, 2022 at 12:30 p.m.- 1:30 pm

TICKET PRICE: $5

TO PURCHASE TICKETS AND RESERVATIONS: http://mainewestfab.com/musical/