Visual and Performing Arts - OCPS

05/14/2026

Applause is certainly in order! Congratulations to all the OCPS Theatre programs who participated in the Applause Awards this year. And an extra congratulations for the 110 awards OCPS programs earned this year! 2 of the 8 Outstanding Musical Winners (Timber Creek HS & Horizon HS), 17 of the 41 Outstanding Lead Winners, and 6 of the 9 Outstanding Orchestra Winners are all from right here in Orange County Public Schools! Watch the Leads perform for a chance to go to New York at the Jimmy Awards on May 30th at 7pm!

https://heyzine.com/flip-book/878b6d4eab.html

05/14/2026

Congratulations to Bay Lake Elementary School's Shakhina Mirzamatova for being selected as the state winner for 4-5 Grade in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's statewide poster contest.

This year’s theme, “See the Seafloor: Discover Florida Beneath the Waves,” highlighted the Florida Seafloor Mapping Initiative, a statewide effort to create complete, modern, high-resolution maps of Florida’s coastal seafloor.

A finalist from each of the three grade-level categories (grades 4-5, 6-8 and 9-12) was selected from each of DEP’s six district offices. These finalists' posters were then reviewed by DEP staff in Tallahassee, where one statewide winner was selected for each category.

05/13/2026

Congratulations to Freedom High School's Jazz Ensemble for being selected to perform at the 80th Annual Midwest Clinic: International Band & Orchestra Conference in December 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. This invitation is a significant honor, recognizing the exceptional artistry, preparation, and educational impact of the ensemble.

05/11/2026

Congratulations to Freedom High School and Lake Nona High School's Band Programs for receiving the Otto J. Kraushaar Award. This award is presented to band programs that earn Straight Superiors at Marching Band MPA, District Concert Band MPA, and State Concert Band MPA in the same academic year.

05/04/2026

04/23/2026

Attention students! As you wrap up your spring productions and head into this three day weekend take a minute to check out this year’s first ever OCPS Summer Production. This is your chance to join other theatre students from across OCPS to put on what is sure to be an amazing production of In The Heights! Apply today so you don’t miss the May 1st deadline!

This June, through generous funding provided by Phoenix Foundation of Central Florida, we will be embarking on our very first OCPS Summer Production Series, with a production of In The Heights on June 25-27 at Edgewater High School!

We will need students to fill all areas of the production: leads, ensemble, designers, technicians, and musicians in our live orchestra.

For more information and to sign up, go to:

https://www.ocps.net/summerproductionseries

04/22/2026

Last night we were able to celebrate 3 amazing student artists at the Orange County Public Schools School Board Recognition Meeting.

Congratulations to Cason Backhaus from Orlando Gifted Academy and Alisa Andrievskaya from Dr. Phillips High School for their art being selected as part of the 2026 Magnet Schools of America Poster Contest.

Also receiving recognition last night was Reese Meyer from Blankner K-8 who was chosen to represent Orange County in the 2026 Art in the Capitol Competition. Representative Anna V. Eskamani took Reese's work for display in Tallahassee for the 2026 Legislative Session.

04/14/2026

Last week we were so excited to host current Visual and Performing Arts Interns at our annual Intern Breakfast. These future educators were able to hear from OCPS Certification and from the District Arts Team about the hiring process and career possibilities in arts education. Their future is bright!

03/31/2026

As Arts In Our Schools Month 2026 comes to a close, we celebrate the incredible standards-based arts instruction that our students receive in OCPS – not just this month – but throughout the year! YEAR AFTER YEAR!!! This is only possible because of the collective advocacy efforts, passion, and excellence that is brought to bear every day, in every arts classroom across this district.

Here is a snapshot of SOME of the amazing OCPS Arts achievements that occurred just during this month. This incomplete list (which we’re sure only scratches the surface of our March activities) multiplied out over the course of the year really makes you marvel at how awesome our VPA Family is!

Selected OCPS VPA Highlights – March 2026

Music Performance Assessments: 61 HS Bands, 48 MS Orchestras, 53 HS Orchestras, and 65 MS Choruses performed for District MPA; 128 Overall Superior Ratings across all 4 events

Florida Thespians Senior State Festival: 11 Top Honors, 6 Judges’ Selections, 4 OCPS One Acts, 1st & 2nd Place in Backstage Challenge

Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival: Participation from 34 Elementary, 19 Middle, and 22 High Schools; 27 MS Awards; 51 HS Awards (including HS 3D Best in Show)

Masterclass with Dance Captain from Hell’s Kitchen National Tour

Appearances at StarQuest Dance Competition (Tampa) & Regional High School Dance Festival (Texas A&M University)

6 Stories in The Slice, Several OCPS Social Media posts, and a Deputy Superintendent Sunday Message focused on the Arts

Over 11,000 OCPS 6th graders from 52 MS/K8 attended the 6th & Jazz Concert at the Dr. Phillips Center for FREE

27 Elementary Music teachers received scholarships for this year’s Orff Schulwerk Teacher Education Course

20 Band directors received scholarships for this year’s Florida Band Director Workshop

Over $100K in Phoenix Foundation Grants & Over $10K in Teacher Impact Grants awarded

2 OCPS Marching Bands from performed in the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Orlando Philharmonic and Bach Festival Society recognized OCPS schools as HS Orchestra of Distinction, MS Orchestra in the Wings, and Choir of Distinction

56 School Performances across the district on the VPA calendar

40 Student Works on display at the Peggy Crosby Student Gallery at the Orlando Museum of Art

286 Student Works on display at the AIOSM Gallery in the RBELC Lobby

AIOSM Student Performances at the RBELC:
Apopka HS Jazz Band
Blankner K-8 Steel Band
Forsyth Woods ES Bucks Choir
Oak Ridge HS Choir
SunRidge MS Theatre
University HS Theatre
Wekiva HS Dance
Winter Park HS Strings

03/27/2026

📢 Calling All OCPS High School Performers and Technicians! 🎭

This June, through generous funding provided by Phoenix Foundation of Central Florida, we will be embarking on our very first OCPS Summer Production Series, with a production of In The Heights on June 25-27 at Edgewater High School!

We will need students to fill all areas of the production: leads, ensemble, designers, technicians, and musicians in our live orchestra.

For more information and to sign up, go to tinyurl.com/OCPSVPASPS

01/29/2026

Congratulations to the OCPS Middle and High School All-County Band students for their exceptional concert on Saturday!