Film Sweeps The University of Idaho's Fall48 National Competition (HS Division)
IFAA film majors represented at the University of Idaho's Fall48 Film Competition, "The Fall48 is a film challenge open to all high school students nationally, current University of Idaho students, UI alumni and local filmmakers in the Pacific Northwest. Teams are given 48 hours to produce an entire short film from start to finish; they write, pre-produce, shoot, and edit their original content within the assigned 48-hour window." (https://www.fall48.com/).
The first-place team, an Idaho Fine Arts Academy (IFAA) submission, included William Day, Alan Morrill Cardenas, Stratton Ralphs, Lauria Robertson, Julian Torres. The second-place team was an independent submission featuring Jack Scofield, Alexandra Sprague, and students from across the Valley.
Jack Scofield emphasized his commitment to high standards in filmmaking, stating, “When I make films, I prioritize professional quality in camera work, sound design, editing, color grading, and VFX.” This dedication was evident in his team's second-place finish. Stratton Ralphs reflected on the experience, describing it as “empowering” and added, “It feels good to know that our efforts paid off.”
We are incredibly proud of these students and their achievements—be sure to congratulate them if you see them!
We are thrilled to announce that Christian Housel, Principal of the Idaho Fine Arts Academy, has been honored with the 2024 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Arts Administration!
This prestigious biennial award, presented by Governor Brad Little and First Lady Teresa Little, recognizes outstanding contributions to Idaho’s cultural fabric. With an impressive 33 years of service as an educator, mentor, and arts advocate, Christian has profoundly shaped arts education in Idaho. As a pianist, musician, composer, performer, and recording artist, Christian collaborates with both local and nationally recognized talent, enriching the arts community at every turn. In 2017, Christian took on the visionary challenge of designing and overseeing the construction of a new public 6–12 performing arts school facility for the Idaho Fine Arts Academy. Thanks to his dedication and leadership, the school was completed in 2020, providing an inspiring space for young artists to learn, create, and shine.
Dante Puleio from Limon Dance Company visits the Idaho Today studio along with some of IFAA's high school dancers! Check out the Idaho Today show YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyvB4DXH2nI
This year's IFAA T-shirt and hoodie, designed and sponsored by the visual arts department, are now for sale. Merchandise order forms and merchandise information sheets are in the IFAA office. All orders must be completed and turned into the front office by Wednesday, December 4, 2024. We will have a limited number of shirts in the office this week and next for sizing purposes, but not for purchase. Orders will arrive before the holiday break begins on December 21. These can only be ordered using an order form; there is no online purchase option at this time. These are great designs this year! Get yours now!
Congratulations to all who participated in the 2024 IFAA Pumpkin Decorating Contest!
IFAA students Emma Peik, Collin Lyles and Claire Scofield spent a week with IFAA instructor Shannon McNall at Gonzaga University for the Varsity Yearbook Pacific Northwest Yearbook Camp. They should rename the event the "Yearbook Intensive Workshop" since it was as hard as a college intensive! 39 schools from Washington and Idaho spent their days learning and their nights creating. The end product was concept designs for next year's yearbook. Our kids competed against schools with years of experience and groups of up to ten kids. We are so proud of them; they received the award for "It's a Whole Vibe" (Best Visual Book Design).
Idaho Fine Arts Academy Earns Arts Schools Network Exemplary School Designation
Houston, Texas (May 25, 2024) – The Arts Schools Network Board of Directors has named the Idaho Fine Arts Academy an Exemplary School in recognition of its commitment to excellence. The five-year designation is awarded for 2024-2029.
Arts Schools Network (ASN), the nation’s largest professional membership organization of specialized arts schools, awards Exemplary School designations to members that follow A Guide to Assessing Your Arts School in strategically evaluating their school’s purpose, operations, and educational programs. The Guide is a collaborative effort by ASN and the Accrediting Commission for Community and Pre-collegiate Arts Schools (ACCPAS). ASN will honor the school at the Awards Ceremony during the ASN 2024 Annual Conference, in Washington, DC. The conference theme is Arts at the Forefront of Change and will be hosted by the Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
The Idaho Fine Arts Academy (IFAA) in Meridian, Idaho proudly celebrates its continued excellence and outstanding achievements in fostering artistic, academic, and civic excellence. IFAA is a free, public, audition-based, school of choice in the West Ada School District, the largest public school district in Idaho. Renowned for its commitment to nurturing creativity and academic rigor, the academy stands as a beacon of specialized arts education in the Treasure Valley of Idaho. Established in 2014 in the West Ada School District, IFAA has consistently demonstrated exceptional performance across various disciplines, including visual arts, music, theater, film, and dance. Through a holistic approach to education, the academy empowers students to explore their passions while cultivating critical thinking skills and fostering a lifelong love for learning. IFAA is known as a top performer academically and regularly ranks at the highest levels in the state for academic achievement. IFAA recently moved into its new state-of-the-art facility in 2022. IFAA remains committed to its mission of “Building Lives Through Artistic, Academic, and Civic Excellence,” providing a transformative educational experience that prepares students for success in both their artistic pursuits and academic endeavors. With a focus on innovation, creativity, and collaboration, the Idaho Fine Arts Academy continues to inspire and empower the next generation of artists and scholars. For more information about the Idaho Fine Arts Academy, visit the website at https://www.westada.org/o/ifaa/.
Dr. R. Scott Allen, Managing Director for ASN, said, “We offer guidance, inspiration, and incentives to arts school leaders who strive for excellence in their schools. When they demonstrate outstanding efforts toward this goal, as they do by following A Guide to Assessing Your Arts School, we recognize and reward their achievements with this designation.”
Dedicated to excellence and leadership in arts education, Arts Schools Network, a non-profit association founded in 1981, provides arts school leaders, innovative partners and members of arts education institutions with quality resources, support and networking opportunities. Visit www.artsschoolsnetwork.org to learn more.
Check out this cool story about Addison Mayes! Her mom sent this to us and couldn’t be more proud of her!
"Last January George and I were sitting at our dining room table working on finding some airline tickets for vacation. We watched out our front window as one of our neighbors was crossing the street and stepping up onto the sidewalk in front of our house. We watched him collapse as he stepped onto the sidewalk in front of our yard.
George and I immediately ran outside, and we found our neighbor unresponsive and without a pulse. We initiated CPR and dialed 911. A neighbor stopped while driving by and asked if he could help. He did not know CPR so I asked him to go inside our house and get my daughter Addison. Addison (14 years old at the time), decided to go with me when I renewed my AHA BLS Certification, so she could be certified and start babysitting. She ran out of the house and calmly knelt down opposite of me to take over compressions, while George continued to give updates to the 911 operator. I was so thankful that she was confident in her skills and able to remain calm in a high stress situation. We continued to provide high quality CPR for another 4-5 minutes until EMS arrived to the scene and took over. EMS worked on our neighbor for 20 minutes before obtaining ROSC and a sinus rhythm. It was a month later, in February 2023 that our neighbor was able to return home alive and well. Yesterday, my daughter Addison and I saw him again at the Meridian Fire Department during the award presentation. He was excited that he will be able to celebrate his 91st birthday coming up soon. We have enjoyed getting to know him and his wife even more now."
IFAA art students serve at the Chief Joseph Art Night! Face painting, lessons, art walk, and more!
Lily Olsen (IFAA Class of 2024) is a published author! Here is a description of her book: "Most have heard the tale of the Pied Piper, but none have heard it told like this. When the Piper creates an army of adults, the King recruits a young scholar, a reckless thief, an argumentative witch, and a trap-making necromancer to take him down. The only problem is that this ragtag crew of hooligans has no idea how to survive on the trail, let alone stop an advancing army led by a magician. Can these youth stop the Piper, interpret the perplexing actions of a dangerous cult, and avoid strangling each other?"
You can purchase her book on Amazon! ( https://www.amazon.com/Trauma-Traps-Impermanent-Tragedy-Hooligans/dp/1953743366/ )
The Idaho Fine Arts Academy’s segment on KTVB’s Idaho Today. Our IFAA Sabiduria Conectada arts event was highlighted earlier this week on the Idaho Today show with Mellisa Paul. Thank you for having us on your show. It was a wonderful experience. Mellisa Paul, Meridian Arts Commission, Idaho Today KTVB
Vote, Vote, Vote (every day) for Sienna Meuser through May 3rd! Congrats to Sienna Meuser (11th grade) Visual Arts Major, State of Idaho winner! This is a major accomplishment, and we encourage you to join us in celebrating Sienna Meuser’s amazing work. Sienna's piece shown, entitled "Red Tailed Hawk" has been entered in the contest among the twenty-two western member states of the Western Governors' Foundation. Let's help Sienna win the whole thing! Vote at https://pollunit.com/en/polls/2024ctwvotingforpeopleschoice .
Middle School Contemporary Jazz Festival Adventures!
IFAA MS Contemporary had a great day at the Jazz Festival! There were 8 bands in the division, and IFAA MS Contemporary was one of the two bands selected to return to play the evening showcase! In fact, they opened the show. The group grabbed lunch at Big Jud's, got rained out of the zoo, and passed some time bowling and playing pool in the Student Union Building.
Aidan Call and Jackson Hicks also represented IFAA as members of the featured Gene Harris All Star band (a group they auditioned for last fall). Aidan and Chris Nunn were involved in the second half of the festival. AND Aidan has even been playing with the BSU student jazz band!
Congrats IFAA Middle School Contemporary!
Rachel Swenson published again in national DaCi USA Newsletter! DaCi is the Dance and the Child International, USA Chapter. This is Rachel's third publication regarding Social Emotional Learning (SEL). DaCi member Rachel Swenson has been researching SEL as a doctoral student at Teachers College, and uses it as a pedagogical framework in her work. Each column focuses on one of the five domains in SEL.
Cocoa for Kenya was a great success again this year thanks to the generosity of our school community. Last Thursday, IFAA presented Dr. Vincent Kituku with a check for $3,900 to support the education of six high school students in Kenya for the next academic year at our sister school in Kenya, Caring Hearts High School. This is our eighth year providing financial support! Our goal is to support the school's mission of helping vulnerable orphaned children, and those from poverty-stricken families, in Kenya, who might be forced into early marriage, child labor, or destructive lifestyles and give them a quality high school and university education. I want to express my gratitude and the highest praise to our students, our families, Mr. Brendan Earle, IFAA Student Council and Interact Advisor, our Interact Club, and Dr. Kituku. Again, this year we purchased a lot of "Cocoa for Kenya" in December and also raised some additional funds for this cause. Dr. Kituku, a resident of Eagle, Idaho, is an author, public speaker, and corporate trainer. Beyond this, he is an inspiration. More information about Caring Hearts & Hands of Hope, an incorporated non-profit, can be found here: https://www.caringheartsandhandsofhope.org/
We are excited to perform our Rhythm & Roots concert at the Morrison Center this Thursday with guest artists Bill Evans, Justin Nielsen, and Shaun B. It is going to an amazing show. Get your tickets online through the Morrison Center!
The Idaho Fine Arts Academy and renowned guest artists Justin Nielsen (jazz composer and pianist), Bill Evans (choreographer and tap artist), and Shaun Brazell (jazz vocal artist and instrumentalist) present Rhythm & Roots at 6-7 p.m. art exhibit and performance at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 1, 2024, at the Morrison Center Main Stage.
The Rhythm & Roots concert has renowned guest artists and students performing famous and original music, dance, and spoken word, as well as exhibiting visual art. The artwork focuses on black history and the jazz era. The concert is inspired by the history of jazz music and celebrates tap, jazz dance, jazz music, blues, rock, and original compositions based on students’ and guest artists’ lived experiences.
Hey West Ada community! Tune in to the latest episode of the West Ada Podcast featuring an incredible journey through the arts with Principal Chris Housel from Idaho Fine Arts Academy!
Principal Housel shares insights into the vibrant world of arts education in West Ada and how students are creating their unique journeys through creativity. From visual arts to performing arts, our students are unlocking their potential and discovering the joy of self-expression.
Join us for an inspiring conversation that highlights the impact of the arts on education and personal growth. Learn how the arts empower students to find their voice, embrace diversity, and build a foundation for a successful future.
Listen now on West Ada Podcast: https://www.westada.org/page/podcast
Let's celebrate the arts in West Ada! Share this post, spread the word, and support our talented students on their artistic journey!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cegnIIcfGmE
Thank you Mellisa Paul for visiting and speaking to the IFAA student body today and sharing your unique experiences as a professional television broadcaster and career in arts and entertainment!
The Grinch was so well behaved delivering Holiday Candy Grams. Well... at least until the end! Luckily, Sydney was there to save the tree!
Mr. De Bie sure knows how to wrap up semester 1 and enter the holidays!
