After a graduating senior takes their final bow in Palmer Auditorium, the curtain doesn’t have to go down on their family’s support of the arts in Highland Park ISD.
Thanks to Encore, a new community being launched this fall by HP Arts, parents, former students, family, and friends can stay connected — both to each other, and to HPISD’s award-winning programs in band, orchestra, theater, writing, and other arts.
Membership in Encore is available to those who join HP Arts at any level; no minimum donation is required, said HP Arts Encore representative Becky Gould.
“We really wanted this to be a community that would serve as a bridge between the past and present,” she explained.
Encore members will connect at performances, exhibitions, or special events, stay up-to-date with the latest developments in HP arts, and have opportunities to continue using their time, talent, and resources to improve arts programming.
“Encore is for any community member who is passionate about the arts, and is interested in supporting the arts of HPISD,” Gould said.
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Encore has been years in the making, said former HP Arts president Carrie Martinez. The nonprofit organization started developing the idea during Martinez’s presidency in the 2023-24 school year.
“A lot of my friends in both choir and theater had graduating seniors,” Martinez explained. “I was looking at all these amazing, passionate parents whose children were done with the arts in Highland Park, but still very much cared about it.”
The arts are an integral part of education in HPISD from students’ first day in a pre-k classroom to their last as a high school senior, Martinez explained. Her own sons benefitted from music instruction at Bradfield Elementary before continuing to study choir and theater as high schoolers.
“There are so many bonds that are formed when our kids are in the arts,” she said. “They put in a lot of hard work, and the parents are there to support it. And I think that support never really, truly goes away.”
The positive influence that art has on students also doesn’t dissipate. Today’s young musicians may not bring their instruments to work, but they’ll come prepared with experience working as part of a team, responding to constructive criticism, and seeing the impact that diligent practice has on their ability to be successful, Martinez said.
“I would encourage anyone who cares about the arts in our community to join (Encore),” she added. “It’s showing our students that our community does care about the arts, and supports the arts, and it might encourage someone who was hesitant to continue with the arts or explore the arts to actually take that next step.”
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