Arts Education Department
Our Arts Education Program is designed to enrich students' lives with diverse learning and participation opportunities. Young learners in elementary school explore visual arts and music as core subjects, nurturing their artistic and creative potential. Starting in fifth grade, our String Orchestra program offers a continuous instructional path (grades 5-12) for interested students, helping them build fine motor skills, develop their hearing, and prepare for instrumental music success. As students progress to middle and high school, they can also specialize by selecting courses in Band, Choral Music, Visual Arts, Theatre Arts, and Dance.
For students seeking advanced artistic challenges, the program sponsors numerous opportunities, such as All-County Middle and High School Band, Chorus, Dance, and Theatre Festival events, the Cumberland County Youth Orchestra, and the Cross Creek Mall Visual Arts Exhibit. Our students and ensembles consistently achieve high recognition, including awards, scholarships, and advanced placements in a wide range of competitions, festivals, and performances at the local, district, and state levels.
Arts Proficiency Endorsement
The North Carolina Arts Endorsement is an optional high school diploma endorsement that students can earn by completing a minimum of four arts credits with a 3.0 GPA or higher in each arts credit, and participating in at least 40 hours of approved arts-related extracurricular (non-graded) activities. You can learn more about this diploma endorsement by reading the Arts Proficiency Endorsement Quick Guide.
Extracurricular activity can be recorded on the Arts Endorsement Extracurricular Activity Form.
Independent Study
Our new Honors Independent Study Orchestra/Band course is designed for students who do not otherwise have access to a traditional, in-person school ensemble. This hybrid course combines online guided study in music theory and history with an in-person rehearsal and performance experience through one of our partnering community organizations.
Please note: This course is a local arts elective and cannot be counted toward the state arts requirement for graduation. For more information, please contact the choice program school counselors.