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HomeArts and AcademicsState of the Arts

State of the Arts

Educators have long recognized the value of music, art, drama and writing for students’ creative development and academic success. This series highlights the many enriching ways students are experiencing the arts.

Actors reflect on history’s lessons, speaking out

Byron Center Alexis Stark
Byron Center High School’s theater club brings "Newsies" to the Van Singel Fine Arts Center stage, empowered by the show’s message of empowering youth to speak out against injustice. 

Student artists commemorate founding of the US

Lowell Erin Albanese
What is freedom? Students express their thoughts through art.

Lowell grad who has autism pens folly-filled comedic play

Lowell Erin Albanese
Lowell High School graduate Vaughn Outman has written his first play, a folly-filled comedy about actors performing a play.

Learning to love language and cultures through song

Northview Beth Heinen Bell
Along with music fundamentals, choir students at Crossroads Middle School have been learning the importance of diversity.

Across state lines, art students find a shared rhythm

Godwin Heights Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
By creating artwork from their favorite songs, high-schoolers from Michigan and Louisiana discovered how art can bridge distances and reveal personal stories.

Six plays, 30 cast & crew, 24 hours to showtime

Lowell Morgan Jarema
Lowell High School’s inaugural 24-hour Theatre attracted some 30 students, many of whom were new to the craft.

New art classroom invites ‘productive artistic work’

Kent City Beth Heinen Bell
A down-to-the-studs renovation has transformed the space from a 1950s-era high school “home ec” classroom to a modern elementary art room.

Orchestra covers ABCs of performing across genres

Kentwood Erin Albanese
The gig-ready ABC orchestra will perform for guests arriving to the Grand Rapids Symphony’s Holiday Pops Concert Friday evening.

Middle-schoolers showcase talents, find belonging in theater

Northview Beth Heinen Bell
Highlands Middle’s revived theater program offers an elite theater experience

Fall play immerses cast & crew in Michigan history

Northview Beth Heinen Bell
The high school’s fall play honors the true stories of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald as it investigates unanswered questions that surround the sinking. 

Students dance, sing their way through theater camp

Forest Hills Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
The Forest Hills Fine Arts Center brought back its summer theater program for elementary and middle school students this year.

Creating music, building relationships with ‘magical’ students 

Northview Beth Heinen Bell
The hand chime ensemble at East Oakview Elementary gives students a solid musical foundation, thanks to some teamwork and an original piece of music.

Writing their own success stories

Caledonia Alexis Stark
In a few short years, the Caledonia Creative Writing Team has gone from a few eighth-graders competing out of state, to becoming the 2025 JustWrite State Tournament Grand Champions.

Second-grade musical blends creativity, life lessons

Comstock Park Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
The annual performance helps students meet music and theater standards, while building confidence and showcasing their unique strengths.

Leaving her mark on the world with watercolors, pens and pencils

Byron Center Alexis Stark
West Middle School seventh-grade artist Mia McDowell is a finalist in the international Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes annual ARTEFFECT competition.

Basking in the glow of their art

Sparta Riley Kelley
More than 500 Ridgeview students created glow-in-the-dark, undersea art scenes for a recent project.
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School News Network reports on the 20 public school districts in Kent ISD, which enroll more than 102,000 students. Founded in 2013 as an initiative of Kent ISD, we are supported by local districts and community sponsors, and powered by an experienced team of reporters, editors and multimedia journalists. We specialize in covering classroom teaching and learning, analyzing the many issues facing students and highlighting the education magic that happens each day in our public schools.

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