By CONNIE NOLEN / Community Columnist

“We wanted our students to have the opportunity to display their work for everyone in the system,” said Sherri Campbell, Valley Intermediate School art teacher. “In our previous system, we had an art show. With our new system, we wanted to grow our opportunity to share the fine arts.”

Sherri Campbell and her Pelham City Schools’ fellow fine arts colleagues saw their dreams for their students come to life last Thursday night at Pelham City Schools First Fine Arts Showcase as hundreds of students, families, teachers, school officials and community members gathered to share arts for all ages.

“We wanted everyone involved in the arts to be included,” said Campbell. “The music teachers were excited to share in the festivities.”

Eventually Fine Arts Night grew to include refreshments from the Culinary Arts, choral and instrumental musical presentations, dramatic monologues, a display of printed visual and writing arts in the PHS Literary Magazine—and of course, gorgeous displays of paintings, drawings, photography and sculpture adorning the walls and trophy cases of the auditorium lobby.

“When our system was formed,” Campbell said, “the PCS arts’ educators were excited to come together and get to work. Many of us who worked at different schools had never met one another.”

Both Riverchase Middle School Art Teacher Katherine Phillips and Valley Elementary School Art Teacher Amanda Knight said that their art students were excited to know that they would have artwork on display at the high school.

The filled auditorium seating and spectators admiring the artwork in the auditorium lobby indicate the Pelham community’s excitement for the arts.

“The Fine Arts Showcase is a wonderful way for the community to experience our scholastic arts,” said PHS Theatre teacher Jamie Stephenson.

With so much genuine excitement for the arts throughout the community, Pelham City Schools Fine Arts’ Showcase is certain to become an annual celebration.

“We are excited to continue growing our arts programs in Pelham,” said Campbell.