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Shenendehowa students win top honors at world championships; animation course yields college admissions
Summary
Board heard victories by the high school color guard at the Winter Guard International World Championships, student selections to Allstate and regional art shows, and an animation class that produced college‑accepted work.
SHENENDEHOWA — The Board received a year‑end arts report that highlighted competitive wins, gallery selections and new classroom offerings that produced college portfolio results.
Scott Snell, the district’s color guard director, told the board his teams took top prizes at state competitions and finished second at a recent World Championship, narrowly missing first by one‑tenth of a point. Snell said the program regularly brings 50–60 students into performance activities and that eight seniors who began in fifth grade were part of the roster this year.
The district also reported broad student participation in adjudicated music and art festivals: All‑County and Suburban Council ensembles, Area Allstate and seven Allstate selections for instrumentalists and vocalists. The art program placed student work in the Empire State Plaza show and in juried three‑dimensional and media festivals; the presentation noted 200 K–8 student pieces were represented in one statewide show.
Animation teacher Mary Marcinko described a new Adobe Animate‑based course that started this school year. She said students learned foundational animation techniques, rotoscoping and character walk cycles; several students’ work was accepted into local shows and some students used course projects in college portfolios. One student in the presentation was cited as planning to attend RIT for animation.
The arts director also highlighted an inclusive concert called Flame — a band composed of musicians with developmental disabilities — and a series of community performances and partnerships that brought student music to senior centers, festivals and civic events.
Why it matters: administrators framed the arts program as both competitive and curricular: juried selections and world‑stage wins showcase student talent, while the animation course gives practical skills that students brought to college applications.
The board offered congratulations and a request to make animated student work available to trustees via a shared link.
Ending: District leaders said arts programming will continue to emphasize community partnerships and to expand student access to competitive and portfolio‑building experiences.
