On January 26th 2017, the Nanakuli High and Intermediate Fine Arts department will team up together and hold their first ever Fine Arts Showcase, which will feature eight of the fine arts programs in Nanakuli.

According to Blythe Emler, band and guitar teacher, “The Fine Arts Showcase is a new thing that we’re trying where all of the fine arts teachers are actually going to team together to have one performance that features all of the groups. It will be a fundraiser so we can sell tickets so we can try and bring some money back to the departments.”

Although the showcase will raise money for the school’s Fine Arts departments, the main point of the show is the students in the the following Fine Arts programs at NHIS: Band, Guitar, Dance, Ukulele, Chorus, Visual Arts, Digital Technology, and Performing Arts.

Randall Shiroma, High School Visual Arts teacher said, “I hope to achieve that we actually get to show off and showcase some of the talent that we have here in Nanakuli.”

Fine Arts has helped a lot of students. Weston Oliva, a sophomore at NHIS, said, “The arts has helped me be more responsible and sociable. Being in NPAC has helped me make friends and take action. It helped me be more out there and involved.”

Kelekolio Roberts, Japanese Language and Creative Dance Teacher, said, “The Fine Arts department came up with this idea in order to promote the classes but also to show not only the school but the community what Fine Arts can do for our schools.”

Emler said, “We’re also hoping to get more of the community aware of what all the different Fine Arts groups have to offer and in addition trying to get more visibility for the Visual Art teachers. Since Ms. Ohashi and Mr. Shiroma don’t really have shows, they all don’t really have any ways to showcase the student’s art besides in their classrooms, so this is going to be a really cool opportunity that their students are going to get way more exposure than they normally would on their own.”

According to Randal Vause, ukulele and chorus teacher, the plan for the showcase is, “The performing classes will do a concert for the showcase and the visual art classes will showcase their artwork in a gallery.”

Here’s what to expect for the showcase; two to three songs done by ukulele and choir, a performance by NPAC, a new arrangement of the Nanakuli alma mater done by guitar, a few songs by band, some dance performances, and an art show done by students.

Tickets will be on sale by students in the respective classes in early December.