The Dollarway School District invites the public to attend “An Evening with the Arts” featuring student performances on Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 6 p.m. at the Pine Bluff Convention Center.
Linda London Simmons, the drama coach at Dollarway High School, credits Superintendent Barbara Warren for being the idea behind this program. Dollarway students will recite poetry, dance, perform music and sing. Admission is free.
“I know for a fact that performing arts builds self-confidence,” Simmons said. “My kids are not always recognized. I have seen that even though my kids have not hit the stage yet.”
Simmons said she prepares her students by focusing on the recitation of works of arts, and teaches enunciation and pronunciation. People need to speak clearly and project when they are on the stage.
“Students work diligently to have a great finished product,” Simmons, who worked for the Dollarway School District from 1986 to 2010 and returned in 2014, said. “We are excited. Enunciation is very important every day.”
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“It is an all-school event,” Simmons said. “We have done fine arts nights before but not included all the schools in the district. I am really excited about it. I am sure our kids will do a great job.”
Simmons teaches from the poem “The Ballad of Birmingham” and from the movie “A Raisin in the Sun.” These works of art allow the students to channel a particular character or mood.
“We have used different strategies,” Simmons said. “I include special-needs students in my shows. It is a big extravaganza to showcase student talent.”
Another work of art that she uses is a poem called “You do not live on my street,” which is a metaphor for one’s struggles. Simmons said this poem’s context is bitter. It explores life experiences with themes of disappointment, hardships, sexual molestation, drug abuse, an alcoholic father and teenage pregnancy.
Simmons looks forward to a night of lively engagement and expects her students to develop life skills.