Johnston County students win county, state and national honors in arts and music

Johnston County Public Schools honored dozens of students Thursday night for achievements in visual arts, band, choir and marching band, including county juried art winners, North Carolina State Fair placings, selection to the North Carolina Honors Chorus and a Marching Bands of America regional championship.

At the start of the program, Sarah Fawn McClain, representing JCPS Fine Arts, summarized the scope of the district honors: “Our first recognition is for the students who were first place recipients in the Johnston County Public Schools High School, All County Honors Art Gallery on November 18, 2024.” She said teachers submitted student work for adjudication by judges from the Johnston County Arts Council and the North Carolina Museum of Art and that adjudication was aligned to state visual-arts curriculum standards.

McClain listed first-place winners across four proficiency levels and thanked teachers by name, including Kelly Harden (Smithfield‑Selma High School), Nathaniel Wicks (West Johnston High School) and Morgan Dickenswin (South Johnston High School). She also named students who placed at the North Carolina State Fair and asked them to come forward for certificates.

The program recognized high school All‑County Honor Band first‑chair students and All‑County Honor Choir section leaders and soloists. McClain read a long roster of first‑chair band students and choir leaders from schools across the district, noting that some designees were not in attendance. She described the audition and adjudication process as rigorous and aligned to North Carolina music standards and credited local band and choral staff for preparation.

McClain highlighted a district milestone in choral representation: “This is the first time in over a decade that all three grade spans have had representation from Johnston County in the same year,” referring to selections to the North Carolina Honors Chorus at elementary, middle and high‑school grade spans.

The program closed its arts segment by recognizing Cleveland High School’s marching ensemble for accomplishments at the Marching Bands of America regional championships in New Jersey, where the band won multiple awards including outstanding musical performance, outstanding visual performance, outstanding general effect, first place in Class AAA and first place overall regional champion. McClain said this was “the first time since 2008 that any band from a North Carolina high school earned regional champion at this event” and named Cleveland band directors Jason Heard and Steven Rainville in her remarks.

The district presented certificates onstage to the named students and thanked teachers and directors for their work. The arts recognition portion of the event ran from the district’s reading of the all‑county and state placings through the Cleveland High School band honors and included dozens of named students across schools.

Acknowledging the wider celebration, an event host noted the district was “proud to recognize individuals in 5 distinct categories” and said the evening shone “a spotlight on nearly 120 outstanding individuals.”