It is no exaggeration to say art literally filled High Shoals Elementary School last Thursday evening.

Drawings and paintings covered every available inch of wall space, while hallway tables displayed colorful clay masks. In the cafeteria, kids crowded around clay, crayons, paint and Legos. Even the refreshments were an experiment in color, with drinks of yellow, blue and red, and an invitation to mix the primary colors and fruity flavors to create a unique punch in a whole, new hue.

This is the second time High Shoals has had an Art Night. Bess Carter said, just like last year, this year’s Art Night was an opportunity for every High Shoals student to shine.

“Every single student has art displayed tonight,” said Carter, the art teacher at High Shoals.

The night was more than just one gigantic and elaborate art display. It was a celebration of all the school’s fine arts programs, including a performance by the High Shoals chorus.

“We strive to provide a well-rounded education for our students, and the arts help to make a student well-rounded,” said Billy Heaton, High Shoals’ principal.

Heaton said one of the neatest features of this year’s Art Night was the silent auction. While each student created art for display, each class also made a collaborative piece of art. Those works were up for auction, with all the money raised going to the school’s fine arts programs.

Each piece of class artwork had a starting bid of $15. Within the first hour, the bids for some of the art had already jumped up to $50.

One of the parents checking out the bids was Robyn Lofton. Lofton lauded High Shoals for devoting a night to the fine arts.

“This teaches an appreciation for the arts,” she said. “Art is so important because it allows children to use their imaginations to come up with new ideas.”

Lofton’s daughter, Pryce, said she was enjoying looking at all the artwork, but was also glad for the chance to spend some time with her classmates.

“I like tonight because I think it is fun to have time with my friends,” said Pryce, 10.

While the older HSES students enjoyed an opportunity to socialize, it was the activity tables that drew the most attention from the younger students. Carter DeLoache was busy painting at one of the many tables set up in the cafeteria. Nearby, other students colored furiously with an abundance of crayons and folded colorful paper into origami shapes.

Carter’s parents said they were impressed with the many activities and displays set up at High Shoals for the special evening.

“I just love it,” David DeLoache said. “It’s really a cool idea.”

“This is a great way for a school to encourage artistic expression,” added Amy DeLoache.

Carter, 5, probably did the best job of summing up what made the night so special. Asked why he seemed to be having so much fun, he stopped painting for few seconds to give a simple, but concise, answer.

“I just love making art,” he said with a smile.

photos by AMBER COSSIO/Oconee Leader

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