During their recent presentation to the Hamilton City Council, members of the Hamilton Aggie Schools Foundation Board were also asked by city councilor W. Ross Reed if they knew of any long-term projects for the schools they could share.
Board chair Melissa Hughey said one focus is the arts. She said the schools have discovered when they put in more arts, the kids behave better, attendance is better and there aren’t as many discipline problems.
The students are both emotionally and mentally “better when they do something they love;” and “having the arts is a positive thing.”
Hughey noted the arts programs started at the elementary school have been continued and expanded at both the middle school and high school; with students from both HMS and HHS going back to work with the HES student productions.
She believes the arts will continue to expand with show choir being added. “It would be wonderful if a technical theatre class, as well as sound recording, could be added. That would add career tech options for the arts,” she said, noting the state department of education has added technical theatre and sound recording as new courses of study.
“Here we are, with all this great talent within this town,” she said. “This would be the perfect time to add these new course offerings. The teaching positions would be career tech, and we’d be able to acquire career tech monies to fund them. We have so many talented students here who would be able to convert their arts skills into college scholarships, as well as have immediate employment opportunities.”
Student artists awards, high caliber of program
During her discussion, Hughey mentioned Hamilton schools had had the best vocalist in the state against public and private schools, as well as the best comedic actor in the state.
Asked later to elaborate, she explained, “HHS students have competed at the Alabama Conference of Theatre's State Walter Trumbauer Festival, hosted annually by an Alabama college.
“The festival provides all ninth through twelfth grade students with performance competitions, as well as scholarship auditions and college screenings.
“Students qualify for the state competition by earning a rating of ‘superior’ at one of seven district festivals. The average number of public, private or parochial high schools and high school students who qualify to compete by earning superior ratings at their district competition are: 104 high school theatre programs from throughout the state; 2,332 students, 1,291 individual theatre events, 35 group performances, 14 studio shows and 14 one-act shows.
“HHS has competed in Trumbauer for the last five years, with numerous (2-10 per year) students qualifying to compete at state by winning superior ratings at the district competition.
“In the 2023 Trumbauer State Competition, Gage Price was named Best Comedic Actor for the State: Price was a sophomore when he won and is currently a junior (will be a senior this fall) at HHS. In the 2024 Trumbauer State Competition, Kimber Nix was named Best Vocalist as a Dramatic Music Solo for the state. Nix is a sophomore (will be a junior this fall) at HHS. Both students performed in the HHS production of ‘Shrek, Jr.’; Price as Shrek, and Nix as Fiona.” (J.J. Owen also played Shrek, with Colie Guy also playing Fiona.)
Hughey noted, in addition, the Hamilton Middle School Theatre Program has been invited to perform at the Alabama Arts Summit for the past three years. The HMS Dance Class was selected to perform at Capitol Moves, at the Alabama State Capitol and at the Alabama Arts Summit.
“HMS Assistant Principal and Arts Coordinator Benja Jackson has been a requested speaker for the Alabama Arts Summit multiple times, sharing the story of the HMS Fine Arts Program,” Hughey noted.
“At the request of the Alabama State Department of Education, Ms. Jackson serves as a mentor for schools who are developing Fine Art Programs; and HMS
serves as a site-model for building Fine Arts Programs for the State.”
‘Fine Arts Centre’ plans
Reed also asked Hughey to share information about the future of the middle school’s old gym which the Marion County Board of Education is currently renovating into a “Fine Arts Centre” for the Marion County School System, with performance access, not only for Hamilton Schools, but for all county schools.
Hughey said those plans are now proceeding, as the new HMS gym is now being used by the students. She mentioned the school has bids for sound and lighting, as well as curtains. She also said they’ll soon have a rendering of what the ‘Centre’ could look like. She mentioned upgrading the electrical system is another need.
She said plans include a stage extension at the front, which would make the stage that of a performance venue. She said the floors are good as they are, just needing to be refinished. She said new, electric bleachers are also in the plan, noting the bleachers in use now are not the original bleachers, and are completely floored beneath them.
“The plan calls for bleachers that retract,” she said. “They’ll be electrical, with attached chairs for seating. The Centre will have elevated seating with these bleachers that can be moved and arranged into an arc for performances.
“There will be additional chair seating on the floor. With that seating and a big, fully equipped stage, it will be an amazing fine arts venue. The bleachers can be moved out of the way and the space utilized for other things.”
Two purposes she mentioned were college fairs and science fairs. Board member Bravell Jackson said they’d been told the old gym has “some of the best acoustic” space around and “was well put together,” having been built in 1938 by Works Progress Administration workers.
The board also mentioned they’d been told the roof structure of the old gym “is like that of Carnegie Hall.” Dr. Terrance Brown, Executive Director of the UNA School of Fine Arts said, “the sound--the tone is unbelievable,” and noted the great stage was built with sprung floors to prevent impact injuries; a feature found only in the very best venues, and which would be cost prohibitive now.
The board mentioned they are pleased with the prospects for the space and believe the Fine Arts Centre will be a great addition to the Marion County School System, available for all schools in the system to use.
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