Winter Guard Promoted to SAA Class!

The winter guard had an exceptionally successful weekend, taking First Place in the SRA class at the Naperville North competition, and besting their score from the previous week by 10 points!

Additionally, the winter guard reached new heights with their most monumental achievement yet.  Their high score propelled them into another echelon of competition.  The team has competed in the Midwest Color Guard Circuit for for the past ten years in the "SRA class," but their high level of achievement this weekend led to their promotion into the more competitive "SAA class."  

Advancing to the next class up is an impressive affirmation, yet it also means a harder score sheet and tougher competition is ahead for the team. 

Congratulations to the members of the DGN Winter Guard, and best wishes as you embrace new challenges and refine your competitive show this season! 

Upcoming Winter Concerts: DGN Choirs & DGN Bands

The DGN Choirs will be in concert this coming Tuesday, February 8, and the DGN Bands will follow with a concert on Thursday, February 10. Both concerts will begin at 7:00 PM in the Clarence Johnson Auditorium of North High School. 

Out-of-town family and friends may view the concert, live-streamed, on the DGN Fine Arts YouTube Channel, HERE, or by visiting: www.youtube.com/DGNFineArts

Pep Band Season Finale / Parent Night!

Thank you to the volunteer musicians of the DGN Pep Band for providing energetic music and lots of school spirit during the 2021-22 basketball season. Well done!

And, thank you to those parents and guardians that dusted off their instruments and joined us for the season finale. It was great to have you with us!

National Black History Month Spotlight: Sidney Poitier (1927-2022)

February is Black History Month, and @DGNFineArts is pleased to spotlight the pioneering work of Black artists.

Sir Sidney Poitier, (1927 - 2022) is a Bahamian-American actor, film director, author, and diplomat. In 1964 Poitier became the first black actor to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field. The significance of these achievements was bolstered in 1967, when he starred in three successful films, all of which dealt with issues involving race and race relations: To Sir, with Love; In the Heat of the
Night; and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, making him the top box-office star of that year. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Poitier among the Greatest Male Stars of classic Hollywood cinema. Poitier was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974. From 1997 to 2007, he served as the Bahamian Ambassador to Japan. On August 12, 2009, Poitier was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama. In 2016, he was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship for outstanding lifetime achievement in film.

Arizona State University named its new film school after him. The Sidney Poitier New American Film School was unveiled at a virtual ceremony on Monday, January 22, 2021. The decision to name the school after Poitier, 93, is about much more than his achievements and legacy, but because he “embodies in his very person that which we strive to be — the matching of excellence and drive and passion with social purpose and social outcomes, all things that his career has really stood for,” said Michael M. Crow, president of the university.

D99 Jazz in Clinic and Concert with NIU Jazz Orchestra

Northern Illinois University Jazz Orchestra

The student musicians of the DGN and DGS Jazz Bands participated in an educational clinic and concert with the internationally acclaimed Northern Illinois University Jazz Orchestra. Led by Professor Reggie Thomas, the NIU Jazz Orchestra performed an exciting set that kept the audience engaged and cheering for more.

Congratulations to the members of the DGN and DGN Jazz programs for their outstanding performances tonight at the Tivoli theater in Downers Grove. It was a pleasure and honor for our students to open for the great Northern Illinois University Jazz Orchestra!

DGS Jazz Workshop

DGN Jazz Lab Band

DGS Jazz Lab Band

DGN Jazz Ensemble

DGS Jazz Ensemble

NIU Jazz Orchestra with D99 Jazz - Tuesday Night @ Tivoli!

On Tuesday, February 1, at 7 PM, the Northern Illinois University Jazz Orchestra makes their return to Downers Grove for the first time in two years. Don't miss the chance to hear this critically acclaimed ensemble while also supporting the Downers Grove North and South High School jazz bands!

Tickets, available at the door (cash only) are $8 for adults and $5 for students. 

DGN Winter Guard - 1st Place at Steperettes Contest (Naperville North)

After a nearly two year hiatus from in-person competitions, the DGN Winter Guard came back stronger than ever this weekend.  They have been working hard to make up for lost time, and it paid off.  The Winter Guard finished in first place with an impressive score of 56.49 at the Steperettes contest hosted at Naperville North High School on Sunday!  The team is feeling rejuvenated and excited to have the opportunity to experience in person competitions again.

Congratulations, District 99 All State Musicians!

Congratulations to the student musicians from District 99 who participated in the 2022 Illinois Music Education Conference as All-State Musicians. During a four-day trip to Peoria, IL, students worked with inspirational conductors and teachers to prepare and present a concert of challenging repertoire. With two days of limited rehearsal time, each ensemble presented a stunning performance of challenging music to capacity crowds at the Peoria Civic Center Arena and Theatre.

Our students and staff in District 99 extend a heartfelt "thank you" to the ILMEA State Office staff and volunteers of ILMEA who contributed to creating this experience for our student musicians.   

Scholarship Alert (Seniors): DGN-FOFA Senior Scholarships

What is the Senior Scholarship?

The Downers Grove North Friends of Fine Arts (FOFA) are pleased to announce our Senior Scholarship Award Program. FOFA will award scholarships to seniors who are planning to continue their education in the fall following their high school graduation and who plan to participate in some capacity in the fine arts. The FOFA Senior Scholarship Committee reviews the applications in a blind format.

Who may apply?

Current DGN seniors may apply for a scholarship if they are planning to be both involved in the fine arts and continue their education in the fall of 2022. To be eligible, the student must be enrolled in a Fine Arts course during their senior year and have completed 6 semesters of Fine Arts courses upon graduation from Downers Grove North High School.  

• At least one scholarship will be awarded to a senior attending a college in the fall where they will be pursuing a degree involving Fine Arts.

• At least one scholarship will be awarded to a senior who is pursuing an area of study outside of the Fine Arts but plans to continue a Fine Arts activity in college during their freshman year.

To what may the award be applied? 

Recipients will use this one-time award towards tuition at an accredited two or four-year institution of higher learning. The FOFA Senior Scholarship will be administered and awarded in compliance with the DGN Student/Parent Handbook and Code of Conduct Policy.

How do I apply?

First, READ THIS DOCUMENT. Complete the application (fillable Google Form), which can be found HERE or at https://tinyurl.com/DGN-FOFA-SeniorScholarship2022.  The application requires a typed parent/guardian acknowledgment signature. Applications must be submitted electronically via the Google Form no later than 11:59 pm, Wednesday, March 23, 2022.  Mr. Brayer Teague, Fine Arts Department Chairperson, will then accept all applications, remove the student’s name from the application, assign the application an ID number, and submit it to the Scholarship Review Committee for blind review.

What are the criteria for selecting winners?

The Scholarship Review Committee will review the applicant’s grades in the Fine Arts, school activities involving the Fine Arts, activities outside of school involving the Fine Arts, other extracurriculars at DGN, civic/community service, work experience, and essays about the applicant’s future plans and growth as an artist/musician/thespian.  All of these components will be judged blindly and relative to other applicants with similar future plans. Semi-finalists may be required to attend an interview with the Scholarship Review Committee in April. The recipients will be presented with the scholarship at the DGN Senior Awards Night (currently scheduled for Wednesday, May 4th, 2022), or by a phone call from the FOFA President.

Please note: If you are the recipient of a full Fine Arts or full academic grant/scholarship for college, we ask that you do not apply for the FOFA Scholarship as you will not be eligible.

Checklist for completion:

1. Complete the Google application form in its entirety, including student and parent electronic signature and date.   We suggest you use Google Docs or another tool to create your essay responses, then copy these to the form.  

2. Submit the completed application by 11:59 PM, Wednesday, March 23, 2022. You will receive a confirmation email that your submission has been received. If you do not receive an email, please re-submit. 

DGN All State Musicians Depart for Peoria

Best wishes to our DGN All State Musicians, traveling today to Peoria, IL to perform with the All State Bands, Choirs, Orchestras and participate in the All State Music Composition track.

CHORUS

Bridget Callaghan (12) – Soprano II

Cora Lingenfelter (12) – Soprano I

Ian Stagaman (12) – Bass I 

 

ORCHESTRA STRINGS

Stephen Cecil (11) – Viola 

Melissa Parkinson (12) – Double Bass

 

WINDS and PERCUSSION

Penny Ham (12) – Piccolo (Orchestra)

Cameron Hejny (11) – Clarinet (Orchestra)

Zachery Heppner (12) – Clarinet (Band)

Tabitha Irvin (11) – Bass Clarinet (Band)

Francesca Korbitz (12) – Flute (Band)

Ethan Martin (10) – Tuba (Band)

Kyra McComb (12) – Percussion (Orchestra)

Aarush Palli (10) – Flute (Band)

Ethan Weingust (10) – Bassoon (Band)

 

COMPOSITION

Sophia Hamelka (10) 

DGN Visual Artists Honored - 2022 Scholastic Art Awards

Aiden Robinson "The Inventor" - American Vision Nominee

Jack Oakes "Eclectic Anatomy" - American Vision Nominee

The Fine Arts Department at Downers Grove North High School is proud to announce the results of the judging from the 2022 Scholastic Art Awards. 948 student artists representing 186 arts educators submitted 2,351 works of art for adjudication. 657 total works were honored with recognitions. North High artists won a total of 99 awards, including 27 Gold Key Awards, 27 Silver Key Awards, and 43 Honorable Mention Awards.

“District 99 looks forward to hosting the Chicago-area regional exhibition at North High,” said Brayer Teague, Fine Arts Department Chairman. According to Teague, the art teachers from both North and South High School play an important role in putting the exhibition together.  “Our District 99 art teachers are the engine behind this regional affiliate of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.  Their dedication and tireless commitment enables student artists from all over the suburban region to have their work evaluated by professional artists. The collection and adjudication of work, in the midst of a pandemic, was a Herculean task. I'm immeasurably proud of our District 99 faculty for their efforts to coordinate this regional exhibition, assuring this important opportunity for students and art educators all over Chicago."  

Two DGN Visual Artists garnered prestigious American Vision nominations. "The American Vision designation is the 'best of show' award for a Scholastic Regional Exhibition," said Teague. "Only five of these awards are given by the judges, in total, placing the works in the top one-quarter of one percent of all adjudicated pieces.”

CLICK HERE to view a portfolio of all DGN award winning artwork.

AMERICAN VISION - Best of Show (2)

John Oakes (Digital Art) Eclectic Anatomy

Aiden Robinson (Jewelry) The Inventor

GOLD KEY AWARDS (27)

Julia Arnold (Comic Art) Sleepover

Ethan Bell (Art Portfolio) The Ignored

Eva Conti (Jewelry) No Strings Attached

Zoey Etheridge (Drawing & Illustration) Fading Fall

Rylee Fox (Jewelry) Dizzy

Ali Hackett (Painting) A Connection Fred By Passion

Ali Hackett (Drawing & Illustration) Mood Swings

Ali Hackett (Drawing & Illustration) Self Reflection and Reconstruction

Eleanor Harris (Ceramics & Glass) Mod or Rocker

Ashley Hixon (Photography) Soulful

Ohana Jeron (Drawing & Illustration) Danger

Claire Meyers (Sculpture) Caged In

Charlie Michaels (Jewelry) Regal

Joni Murphy (Digital Art) Dear Diary

Emily Nemeth (Jewelry) Burning Blossom

John Oakes (Art Portfolio) Surreal Engravings

John Oakes (Digital Art) Eclectic Anatomy

Haley Phillips (Ceramics & Glass) Koi Pond

Matthew Poe (Photography) As the Day Fades

Christina Powell (Photography) Inverted

Makena Presson (Drawing & Illustration) A Fall Walk

Aiden Robinson (Jewelry) The Inventor

Aiden Robinson (Jewelry) Morning Coffee

Aiden Robinson (Jewelry) Moving On

Benedikt Strempfer (Digital Art) Supply

Molly Svoboda (Drawing & Illustration) Out of Body

Elena Tomchek (Sculpture) Contaminated Holy Water

SILVER KEY AWARDS (27)

Anna Bayasgalan (Ceramics & Glass) All of Life

Ethan Bell (Photography) Oops, Overexposed

Ethan Bell (Mixed Media) Put Together

Ethan Bell (Photography) How Did I Get Here

Sarisa Chulanon (Photography) Missed Connection

Eva Conti (Jewelry) Instability

Miguel Diaz (Jewelry) Seeds of Life

Henry Gwozdz (Jewelry) Luck is for the Optimist

Ali Hackett (Drawing & Illustration) A Moment of Sounder

Ali Hackett (Drawing & Illustration) Strung Out

Ali Hackett (Drawing & Illustration) Strangers Again

Ali Hacket (Drawing & Illustration) Intertwined Reality

Claire Meyers (Drawing & Illustration) Broken

Claire Meyers (Art Portfolio) Anatomy

Charlie Michaels (Jewelry) One Man's Trash

Mikayla Moran (Digital Art) Maya

Mikayla Moran (Printmaking) Dissolved

Joni Murphy (Digital Art) Strange Street

John Oakes (Digital Art) Unfortunate Desire

John Oakes (Digital Art) Demon High

John Oakes (Digital Art) Digital Age

Sarah Paul (Painting) Observe

Madeline Pearson (Sculpture) Golden Forest

Madeline Pearson (Jewelry) Resilient Oak

Harris Surrette (Photography) Undecided

Elena Tomchek (Jewelry) Unattainable Holiness

Ashley Wachel (Digital Art) Windows To The Soul

HONORABLE MENTION (43)

Anna Bayasgalan (Ceramics & Glass) Sesame Street

Ethan Bell (Mixed Media) The Experience is the Journey

Harley Blanchard (Drawing & Illustration) Red Rain

David Bromberek (Sculpture) Crystalized Fountain

Abigail Colucci (Ceramics & Glass) No More Stolen Sisters

Miguel Diaz (Sculpture) Viejitos

Miguel Diaz (Jewelry) Mother Nature

Christina Godar (Ceramics & Glass) The Storybook Cottage

Juliana Gomien (Photography) Woven Together

Henry Gwozdz (Sculpture) Subconscious

Ali Hackett (Drawing & Illustration) The Broken Maze Searching For Light

Ali Hackett (Drawing & Illustration) Time Stays Still

Ali Hackett (Drawing & Illustration) Subconscious Thoughts

Ali Hackett (Art Portfolio) Social Anxiety

Eleanor Harris (Ceramics & Glass) Mushroom Home

Madalyn Hyer (Drawing & Illustration) Lost

Ohana Jeron (Drawing & Illustration) Sun

Ohana Jeron (Art Portfolio) Sepia

Ohana Jeron (Painting) Serenity

Nathan Klasen (Jewelry) Time of Evangelics

Maura MacDonald (Painting) Portrait Painting Project

Gavin McCool (Drawing & Illustration) March On Main Street

Claire Meyers (Drawing & Illustration) Broken and Exposed

Charlie Michaels (Sculpture) Renewal of Spring

Joni Murphy (Digital Art) Cityscape

Joni Murphy (Art Portfolio) Memories

Autumn Neil (Comic Art) Fishing Isn't Worth It

Gretchen Nelson (Photography) Soulful

John Oakes (Digital Art) Silent Faces

Sarah Paul (Drawing & Illustration) Expression

Amelia Passero (Sculpture) "Journey Through the Night"

Haley Phillips (Ceramics & Glass) The Cycle of Life

Lake Ragnini (Digital Art) The Earth

Lake Ragnini (Digital Art) Venus

Chase Robinson (Drawing & Illustration) Aishite Aishite

Aiden Robinson (Jewelry) The Void

Aiden Robinson (Jewelry) Mechanical Marionette

Emma Salman (Jewelry) Polarized Energy

Madison Smith (Drawing & Illustration) Railside Attraction

Elena Tomchek (Jewelry) So-called Sinful Relationship

Jacob Tyszkowski (Drawing & Illustration) Fading away

Ashley Wachel (Photography) Through My Shattered Lens

Jayla William (Ceramics & Glass) Tink