[ot-caption title=”Founder’s Council Award winners, from left to right, junior Kennady Smith, senior Joanne Wood, senior Marisol Beaufrand, junior Noa Weiner, and junior Sarah Sukal. (via Ms. Tomassini)”]

[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]On April 6th, Pine Crest hosted the annual Founder’s Council Assembly, which displayed and celebrated the exceptional talents of students involved in the Pine Crest fine arts.  The Upper School student body assembled to watch the brilliant performances of the student award winners: Kennady Smith, JoAnn Wood, Deanna Hennelly, Marisol Beaufrand, Sarah Sukal, and Noa Weiner.

[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]Senior Deanna Hennelly, who won the Award for Excellence in Drama, was unfortunately unable to attend school the day of the assembly, but students were still able to enjoy her performance through videos she prepared that showcased her acting skills. In each video, she acted out diverse roles, showcasing her ability to channel the personality of a character she’s portraying. Her excellence in drama is shown often in her leading roles in multiple Pine Crest productions; in All Shook Up, she played librarian Sandra, and in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, she played queen of the fairies Titania. 

[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]Since there was a tie between the winners of the Drama Award, Senior Marisol Beaufrand won, as well. Additionally, she won the Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre. Her role in the musical, All Shook Up, where she played lovestruck Natalie and Ed, as well as in the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where she played the donkey named Bottom, demonstrated her love and talent for acting.  By singing a musical theatre piece, Beaufrand combined the two fine arts she received awards for through adding acting into a solo singing performance. 

[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]Senior JoAnn Wood received the Award for Excellence in Dance, which everyone witnessed firsthand, as she frolicked delicately across the stage, showcasing her talent. Wood shared about her experience, “I was honored to receive this award and perform alongside the other talented recipients. I also loved choreographing and performing my piece, which was a tribute to all my memories at Pine Crest.” Wood’s passion and talent, visible in the performance, showed how much work and effort she put in dance throughout the years and how much Pine Crest helped to shape her into the dancer she is today.

[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]The Award for Excellence in Art was given to Junior Kennady Smith, who shared a slideshow with the audience filled with some of her most dynamic and eye-catching art pieces. Each slide contained an element that demonstrated the different techniques and styles Smith has mastered through her years dedicated to art.  Freshman Joshua Koolik commented, “My favorite was her drawing of a head cut in two drawn completely in gray because it really speaks to me.”

[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]Due to her outstanding talent in playing viola, Junior Sarah Sukal received the Award for Instrumental Music, and shared her talent with the school by playing a piece by the popular composer, Bach.  She added about the performance, “The opportunity to play for Founder’s Council was amazing, and I had so much fun preparing and performing in front of my peers.” 

[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]Junior Noa Weiner won the Award for Excellence in Vocal Music. She shared her skills with the high school by singing a song from a musical to the crowd. She has been a proud member of the Pine Crest Fine Arts family since she was 8 years old in the Cool Cats chorus. Noa said, “Being able to represent the entire department in the awards ceremony was a dream come true. Performing has been such a huge part of my life for so long that I don’t know what I would do without it.” Noa is an active member in school productions as she played the longing Sylvia in All Shook Up and additionally sang in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Sophomore Sarah Rodriguez, who is in chorus with Weiner, shared her thoughts on the singer in the assembly: “I loved her performance! The song was great, and she killed it. She has such a pretty voice. In chorus too, you can always hear her singing the Soprano notes because it’s so good.”

[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]The Fine Arts Awards for Excellence in the Student Cultural Arts Series gave students a chance to see what their peers had been working on in the fine arts by showcasing the department’s selections. It remains one of the favorite performances to see among the student body and as usual, this year’s assembly was also a huge hit.