By JULIE MEROLA

The various programs of the Visual Performing Arts academies had a packed winter filled with activities at Red Bank Regional High School, as well as around Monmouth County.

The Creative Writers and Studio Art majors began the winter with the annual Scholastic Art and Writing Competition. Creative Writers accumulated 27 awards in total ranging from freshman to seniors. Studio Art seniors, Robert Rainville and Corinne Costello won a gold and silver key respectably. In addition, Studio Art majors collaborated with the Memory Project, in which they created portraits for children in refugee camps.

The Creative Writers and Drama majors co-produced The Winter Showcase, a collaboration of original pieces written and acted by both academies.

The Photography majors participated in the Ocean County Photo Contest and are currently awaiting the results. The String majors traveled to Chicago for the Midwest Conference, an international orchestra and band leadership program. In addition, they also performed at the Monmouth Mall for a holiday showcase and hosted their own winter concert at RBR.

Vocal, Strings, Instrumental, and Piano held their senior showcase, Reverberations, this past month as well. The Piano majors held their own winter recitals and senior recitals, showcasing their growing skills. They also participated in the local Cecilian Music Society Master Class and traveled to Florida to participate in the Disney Master Class.

The Interactive Media majors are beginning their Distracted Driving video for the year, to spread awareness of the dangers in distracted driving.

The Red Bank Regional Theater Company produced Moby Dick this Fall and is in the beginning stages of the production of the spring musical, Beauty and the Beast.

The Black History Month Assembly was a great success, showcasing members of the Vocal, Drama, Creative Writing, Brass, and String academies, as well as the Jazz Band. Behind all of the in-house performances at RBR are the Interactive Media majors running the lighting, sound, curtains, and set construction.

As February comes to a close, we can expect even bigger performances from the Visual Performing Arts Academies in the months to come. The Visual Performing Arts Academy at Red Bank Regional is Monmouth County’s only certified CTE VPA program. In addition, RBR has been listed as a model school for the arts.