Youth Art Month: Where imagination takes center stage.
Art is more than just colors on a canvas. It’s a way for young people to express themselves and explore the world. We celebrate the power of art to inspire and transform.
#YAM #StudentArt #StudentCreativity #StudentVoice #ArtsEducation #EmpowerCreativity
Whether you are a student, educator, parent, or principal, you can find a way to celebrate the arts in education during National Arts in Education Week.
The arts are an essential part of a complete education, no matter if it happens in the home, school, or community. Students of all ages—from kindergarten to college to creative aging programs—benefit from artistic learning, innovative thinking, and creativity. Celebrating National Arts in Education Week is a way to recognize this impact and share the message with friends, family, and communities. This week @charmeckschools will be highlighting some of our exciting arts teachers and their programs in Dance, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts! Stay tuned and reach out to get involved! •
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#artsineducation #arted #arteducation #danceeducation #musiceducation #theatreeducation #charmeckschools
A huge Charlotte SHOUT! out to our CMS performing artists!! The talents of our musicians, singers, dancers, thespians, and our fabulous arts educators all were on display today for CMS Performance Day – the capstone of our district’s first ever collaboration with Charlotte SHOUT!
Standing O’s all around for our exceptional arts department and to our partners at Charlotte SHOUT! for a show stopping joint effort! #cmsartsed #cltshout #artseducation
After receiving more than 600 submissions from across the district, the Board of Education has selected the works to be displayed on the 5th floor of the Government Center. Congratulations to our winners!
The Arts Education Department will contact winners with next steps. Thank you to the students, parents, and teachers who made this a success. The talent in our schools is amazing!
📣Calling all artists! Share your creativity inspired by the music and era of the Beatles! With just a couple weeks left of the school year, here’s early notice to students and teachers to get started on artwork for Beatles Art Contest taking place Oct 3, 2026.
🎨🎶#BeatlesArtContest is open to professional, amateur, student and youth artists — all ages and experience levels #cometogether. Artists can choose to enter the contest, or only exhibit your art. Option to sell your art either way! Separate cash prize categories for ages 13-17 and 12 and younger artists — and Youth Best in Show Award is $200!
🗓️While adult art is due Sep 16, youth artists have an extra week — due Sep 25 — to help students and teachers coordinate student entries and art collections for #FabFestCharlotte after school starts this fall.
🖼️👀Get inspired! Check out online galleries including past Youth Art Winners, and see full guidelines at
#artcontest #beatlesart @cmsartsed
Last night we honored all we are capable of. Thank you to everyone that came together. •
“As we’ve seen over this past year, you don’t just teach “subjects.” You teach students how to see, how to listen, and how to connect with the world around them. In a society that often prioritizes quick answers over deep questions, you remind our children that curiosity is a superpower, that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that their unique voices are vital.
You are the ones turning our gymnasiums into sacred performance spaces and our hallways into vibrant galleries. You move our students’ past “participation” and into a realm of self-actualization where they finally realize who they are meant to be.
So tonight, we honor you. You are:
The heartbeat of every school building.
The spark behind every creative breakthrough.
And let’s be honest—the reason your colleagues across the hall are constantly jealous of your classroom’s “aesthetic” and lighting.
Thank you for spending your year tending to the souls of our students. You make CMS a place where “possibility” isn’t just a word on a poster, but a lived reality for every child who walks into your room. @charmeckschools@charmecksupt@cmsboard@blumenthalarts
Yesterday, we gathered at the Stage Door Theatre for the 2nd Annual CMS Arts Educator Awards. It was a privilege to honor the incredible teachers who inspire creativity and excellence across our district every day.
Congratulations to all of our honorees! Thank you to the Arts Education department for a wonderful evening, and to Board member Cynthia Stone for joining us to celebrate these outstanding educators.
In a culture that feels increasingly “instant,” the work you are all doing is a rare act of resistance. While the world chases shortcuts, you’re in the trenches teaching the grit, the vulnerability, and the patience it takes to actually create something from nothing.
It often feels like a thankless job in a society that forgets art is the heartbeat of humanity, but please know - you aren’t just teaching a subject; you are keeping our humanity moving forward. Thank you for all that you put forward into our community! Thank you Arts Educators!!! @ncaea@ncmea@ncdeo@ncthespians #artsed #artseducation #musiceducationmatters #danceeducation #theatreeducation
THANK YOU to every student, parent, and teacher who submitted to The Crown Collection! With 600+ entries, the competition showcased the immense artistic talent in our schools. Winners will be announced on Wednesday, May 13. Stay tuned!
Creativity meets humanity at Charlotte SHOUT! 🎨✨
This past weekend, the Wells Fargo Atrium was buzzing with the incredible energy of our CMS students. From show-stopping drama performances and soulful singing to a gallery featuring 125+ stunning works of art, our students didn’t just show up—they took over the heart of the city!
As Justin Pierce, Director of Arts Education, put it: "These kids have so much to show us and so much to teach us." We couldn't agree more.
Watching our K-12 creators bring their talents out of the classroom and onto the big stage was a reminder of the power of student voices.
🔗 Want to see more student masterpieces? Tap the link in our bio to read the full recap!
#CMSArt #CharlotteSHOUT #StudentCreativity
Have you heard of the #purplebaton movement? 💜🪄
As part of the global campaign to champion greater representation for women on the podium, @stephrhodesrussell helped us honor women conductors in orchestra, band, and chorus from @charmeckschools with purple batons at Saturday night's performance of Beethoven's Emperor Concerto.
Congrats to our honorees:
-Katie Kilroy
-April Oster
-Kati Shives
-Sarah Stertzbach
-Amanda Turner
-Whitney Vincel
-Maxine Williams
-Julia Winegardner
📸 @genesiseventphoto #cltsymphony #charlottesymphony #womenconductors #womenshistorymonth
It’s the second to last day of spring break. These 8 phenomenal ladies showed up at @cltsymphony this past Saturday to be honored as women conductors with Marin Alsop’s Purple Batons by David Fisk - CSO President & Chief Executive Officer, Aram Kim Bryan - Vice President of Community Relations & Learning, and Stephanie Rhodes Russell - Conductor.
Thank you to Quinten Wrenn for the fabulous idea to do this for our women conductors. Thank you to Aram Kim Bryan, David Fisk, and Maestra Stephanie Rhodes Russell for making this presentation so special!
The woman conductors represent Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and include:
Sarah Stertzbach - Band/Orchestra Director at North Academy of World Languages
Katie Kilroy - Band Director at Providence High School
April Oster - Orchestra Director at South Mecklenburg High School and J.M. Alexander Middle School
Kati Shives - Band Director at Community House Middle School
Amanda Turner - Orchestra Director at Ardrey Kell High School and East Mecklenburg High School
Whitney Vincel - Band Director at University Park Creative Arts Elementary School
Maxine Williams - Band Director at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School
Julia Winegardner - Orchestra at Piedmont IB Middle School @charmeckschools@charmecksupt@piedmontibptsa@upcastars@ardreykellhs@eastmeckptso@nawlpta@providence.panthers@smhssabres@mlkjrms@communityhousemiddle
