CCISD holds inaugural Festival of Arts
By BRITTANY FHOLER
Cove Leader-Press
The arts are alive and well in Copperas Cove, as was evident with the display of approximately 450 pieces of art during the Copperas Cove Independent School District’s inaugural Festival of Arts held Saturday in the Copperas Cove High School cafeteria.
Art plastered every wall in the cafeteria and covered nearly every lunch booth and tables. Other tables were covered in paper, with crayons placed nearby and notes encouraging guests to create their own art written on each table.
The sound of young voices singing filled the cafeteria as families sat and watched musical performances and others walked around to look at the different pieces of arts and crafts.
The Festival of Art is the brainchild of the Copperas Cove High School chapter of the National Art Honor Society.
Art Teacher and National Honor Art Society sponsor Crissy Bachie explained that the chapter was started at CCHS this year, marking the first year that CCHS has had an Art Society.
“With this event, we wanted to promote the arts and just be able to bring all of the arts together- our performance arts or visual arts- all together under one roof for the whole district,” Bachie said. “Not just like the high school and the Junior High and elementary to be able to pull them all together and kind of unify our district as well as kind of unify our community. We feel like that’s something that’s lacking within Copperas Cove, and we really wanted to be able to pull those together.”
She said it was super exciting seeing it come together and seeing people come out to view the artwork.
She added that she is currently working on earning her master’s degree in counseling, and she is a huge supporter of how art can help people mentally.
“I’m very big on mental health and how that affects people and how like just some of just the everyday stress as well as other traumatic events that might happen to people, how that affects their life,” Bachie said. “Art is one of those things that allows us to be able to express, whether it’s expressing it through visual arts or through a song or music that speaks to all of us…and just to know that there are 450 students out there that are creating art, that are expressing their emotions out on paper instead of something like vandalizing or something else. To have the majority of the elementary choirs, the junior high choirs, the bands coming in, performing and showing their talents and showcasing what their kids can do- that’s so exciting.”
Meagan Hunt, 17, is a junior at Copperas Cove High School and the Vice President of NAHS.
She said she had been “bugging” Bachie to start an NAHS chapter at CCHS since her freshman year.
“It’s gotten to the point where we can welcome everyone in our community and showcase how much passion everyone brings to the table, like our VASE (Visual Arts Scholastic Event) competitions,” Hunt said. “It’s not tied to NAHS, but we have a lot of students that do both, and the fact that we can showcase like the best of the best, some of the most talented kids and those that are in VASE, showing their expression through their projects and their pieces, both 3-D and 2-D is like…I have so much pride for this community.”
Hunt is one of the artists whose work was displayed in the high school cafeteria.
One was a print of the portrait that is headed to the state competition for VASE. She had a second portrait piece, and her third piece was her glass piece, where she hammered images into glass.
Hunt is a three-time state qualifier for the VASE competition, according to Bachie.
The Visual Arts Scholastic Event is put on by the Texas Art Education Association every year, and Hunt has qualified with two of her art pieces her freshman year and one piece this year.
Kylee LeRue, 17, is a senior at CCHS and the President of the NAHS. She also had two pieces on display, one being a really colorful painting named “Picasso’s Missing Face” and another featuring an image of Mother Earth with colorful curly hair.
She said she felt happy that so many people had come out to appreciate art.
“It’s such a big way that they take time out of their day, to make such beautiful pieces, and they want to share it, and they want to express themselves,” LeRue said. “I just like seeing everyone’s sense of self in one area, which is beautiful, and I love it and I love that we as a school get to have everyone come together once again.”
The full day event featured performances around the clock from different elementary school choirs, junior high choirs, school bands and even school improv groups.