The Performing Arts Booster Club (under the leadership of Mark Waisner and Megan Chamblee) applied for and received a grant from the Timken Foundation for $14,380 to purchase a new piano and vitally needed microphones and headsets for our performing arts program.
The Southwestern Randolph High School performing arts program is made up of the choral, instrumental, and theatre arts programs of SWRHS under the artistic direction of Mrs. Kaitlyn Cline. While the performing arts department has suffered under recent and continued budget cuts, they serve roughly 20% of the student population of SWRHS. The performing arts program has been and continues to be one of the largest student organizations on campus for decades. The mission of the SWRHS performing arts program is to provide a comprehensive and engaging experience in the arts that will foster creativity, confidence, and life skills that will serve them throughout their lives.
Yearly, the performing arts program presents roughly a dozen concerts and stage performances throughout the school year. Additionally, they perform as a pep band for home football games and participate in various community events including Christmas on Sunset and the Seagrove Fiddler's Convention. In the 2024-2025 school year, SWRHS returned to performing full score musicals after a 10-year hiatus with "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" and looks forward to continuing with a new show in the spring of 2026.
The Southwestern Randolph High Performing Arts Program has been seeking funding to purchase a new piano and updated sound equipment for their shared choral and performance space. Current resources are outdated and increasingly unreliable, limiting the quality of instruction, rehearsal, and performance opportunities available to our students. The existing piano has to be moved from the classroom/practice space into the performance space for each performance which has caused significant deterioration and will soon be beyond regular maintenance, and the sound system—comprised of aging microphones, control board, and amplification components—fails to meet the basic demands of modern performance and instructional settings.
The performing arts space serves as the central hub for the high school’s choral program, theatrical productions, instrumental concerts, and community events. Over 150 students utilize this space throughout the school year, engaging in collaborative, performance-based learning that requires dependable musical and audio support. Without functional equipment, both the student experience and audience engagement are compromised.