Carroll Arts Celebrates High School Talents

HUNTINGDON (April 30) — Thursday night’s High School Celebration of the Arts, hosted by Carroll Arts, Inc., gave local students the chance to showcase their visual and performing arts skills at The Dixie Carter Performing Arts Center.

“Tonight is a celebration of not just talent, but of creativity, dedication and, ultimately, the future of our community,” said Carroll County Mayor Joseph Butler. “The arts play a vital role in that — a vital role in shaping who we are. It tells our stories. It preserves our heritage. The arts give voice to ideas and emotions that, sometimes, words alone can’t express.”

The event began with an art show from 6:30-7 p.m., displaying art pieces students had created in their high school art classes.

At 7 p.m., attendees moved downstairs to the Hal Holbrook Theatre as seven high school students — representing Hollow Rock-Bruceton, Huntingdon, McKenzie and Henry County high schools — prepared to take center stage. Jesse Turner emceed the event.

But first, Mayor Butler addressed the performers, “To our students, our artists, our creators: Tonight’s about you. You’ve chosen to invest your time and energy into something very meaningful, whether you’re performing or creating… The arts bring people together. They create shared experiences. They foster pride in your schools and in our community. They truly help make Carroll County not just a place where people live but a place where people want to be and be a part of.”

Isaac Stephen Walker kicked off the night’s performances with a cover of Radiohead’s “Creep.” Walker, an 18-year-old senior at Hollow Rock-Bruceton Central High School, is the drum major and a trumpet player in the school band. He is in numerous school clubs and also writes, directs, produces, edits and hosts his school news program. He plans to attend the University of Tennessee at Martin and pursue a three-and-three program. He will use his double-degree through this program to pursue a juris doctorate and work in Knoxville as a defense attorney.

Sophie Cole and Isaac Pierce then performed a duet to Josh Baldwin’s “Made for More” and Hillsong Worship’s “Here I Am to Worship.” Cole is a 15-year-old sophomore at McKenzie High School, where she is football manager and a member of the Beta Club, DECA, FBLA and Student Council. Her future plan is to become a physical therapist. Pierce is a senior at Henry County High School, where he participates in football, the madrigals choir and various Christian-based clubs. He plans to become a worship leader in the near future.

Cole and Pierce are both members of Long Heights Baptist Church in McKenzie, where they sing with the Praise Team on Sundays and lead youth worship on Wednesday nights. They also lead worship music for YoungLife McKenzie.

Matthias Pierce was next on the lineup, performing “Loyal, Brave, True” from “Mulan” on the piano. Pierce is a tenth-grade student at McKenzie High School, where he pursues several arts activities. He is a member of MHS Theatre Rebels and Harmonix at the Krider Performing Arts Center in Paris. He studies piano with Ms. Sheila Hart.

Next up was Rose Crowley, a 14-year-old sophomore from Hollow Rock-Bruceton Central High School. Crowley performed an acoustic cover of Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees.” She is a member of the school band, in which she serves in the color guard. Her future goals include obtaining a degree in music education and becoming a band director.

McKenzie High School senior Carlton Townes then took the stage, delivering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech. Townes is president of his senior class and the MHS Minority Council. He is a manager for boys and girls basketball, cross country and volleyball. Townes serves on the mission board of First Baptist Church - McKenzie. After graduation, he plans to study nursing and hospitality with the goal of becoming a Certified Nurse Midwife.

Maddie Brinkman closed out the night’s show with a performance of “Pure as the Driven Snow” by Rachel Zegler and The Covey Band from “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” Brinkman is a junior at Huntingdon High School. She enjoys art, singing and caring for her many animals. Her future plans include attending college, where she will major in cell and molecular biology. She hopes to become a marine and exotic veterinarian.