Northwest School of the Arts Newsletter
Phone: 980-343-5500
January 31, 2014
Mission: Pursuit of Excellence in Academics and the Arts
GREETINGS FROM MS. MELODY SEARS, PRINCIPAL AT NORTHWEST SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
Hello, Northwest School of the Arts Community! This is the season for thinking about new
beginnings. I most admire Americans for their “can-do” spirit, and their refusal to stay down when
they encounter what resembles failure. At Northwest, we have opportunities to start again, to get the
support we need through Saturday School, in- school tutorials on Thursdays and Fridays, and tutoring
by appointment with specific teachers. How lovely to think that we can start clean with the new
semester to develop stronger study and attendance habits and increase our success for our goals,
whatever they may be. Every day is a brand new chance to get it right.
We are now going to regionals, with The Rimers of Eldritch. Their encore performance will be on
February 22nd in the black box. Our chorus and band are having major presentations, as the calendar
indicates, with our chorus and Mr. Lafreniere engaging most of the day and evening on the 22nd for
CMS Honors Chorus! Mr. Davis’ department, Tech Theatre, continues to churn out marvelous sets and
lighting for every performance we have, including ones for “Shrek, the Musical,” which is our spring
show at the Halton Theatre, this March. We will be holding auditions for Honors Dance and the
Student Choreography Showcase. You can find dates on our website. Because of all these things and
more, you can probably look forward to lots of positive press in the coming months about our school,
as Northwest continues to be recognized as a premiere arts school in our nation.
Our school has just been selected for the School Redesign Project in CMS, only one of eighteen
CMS schools to win that honor. In the coming weeks, we will be working to look at many areas where
we can improve our already amazing school!
The arts calendar for February, 2014, is on the back of this letter, as usual. Please pick up your
student from school events no later than 30 minutes after a performance. Students who stay longer
to wait for their rides stand to not be allowed to come to future school events. Thanks to all those
who are picking up their students on time! In addition, please be mindful of the tardy policy. We
simply do not have the manpower to give to process many late students or students who are not
picked up on time. We need that manpower to devote to teaching and learning.
I want to draw your attention to the past weekend of January 11th and 12th. That is when we had
our first ever TAG actors’ symposium. Some of the guest artists and parents who attended said that
it was one of the best things the city of Charlotte has ever done for its youth. Thanks to all our TAG
volunteers and guest artists!
In addition, I want to thank everyone who donated items for the silent auction for and/or attended
January’s “Soiree for Supernavage,” which was quite successful. The black box, cafeteria, and gym
were transformed into a winter wonderland by our PTO volunteers and students from Student
Leadership and Ms. Strahan for this affair.
We are working on getting a well-coordinated prom to present to our community, and I need
everyone’s support to make it the best prom ever at NWSA. This is a wonderful opportunity for our
upper classmen to celebrate all their hard-won accomplishments throughout the year as one united
family. More information will follow.
My door is always open to my children and their parents. Thank you so much for keeping your
hearts open for me!