By Leslie Kilgore EBS STAFF
Students, families and community members recently gathered at Lone Peak High School and the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center for an evening celebrating student creativity, as the school’s annual art show and a cappella performance highlighted the growing strength of the arts in Big Sky schools.
Led by art teacher Kate Riley, this year’s showcase combined visual art, Theory of Knowledge projects, and a musical performance into one collaborative event designed to spotlight student expression.
“This year’s event was really inspired by the idea of celebrating student creativity across disciplines,” Riley said. “We wanted to create an experience that highlighted not only the incredible visual artwork our students have been developing throughout the year, but also the energy and vulnerability that come with live performance and sharing ideas through Theory of Knowledge projects.”
Artwork filled the WMPAC gallery with a wide range of mediums and concepts, reflecting both technical growth and personal storytelling from students across grade levels. Riley said bringing the art show together with a live performance created a special atmosphere where students could share different forms of expression in a collaborative evening.
She explained that events like the art show allow students from different disciplines to support one another while sharing their work with the broader community.
“I hope attendees left the evening with a deeper appreciation for the time and emotional investment students place into their work,” Riley said.
For Riley, the event also reflected the distinct creative culture that has developed at Lone Peak High School.
“Lone Peak has a very unique creative culture because our students are incredibly driven, not only as scholars and athletes, but also as artists and performers who are willing to take creative risks,” Riley said. “Especially for a small school, students here consistently push themselves through visual art, music, theater, design and so many other creative outlets.”
Katie O’Connor, a tenth grader at Lone Peak High School, shared her experiences with the school’s art curriculum in an email to EBS.
“Participating in the arts has overall changed my worldview. As a person who participates in and respects theater, music and art of different media, I have been trained to notice smaller details in the world around us,” O’Connor said. “This can be a natural small feature that is a part of a bigger landscape, or it can also be picking up and noticing people’s emotions at a direct view.”
Riley added, “Art allows students to communicate experiences and perspectives that sometimes cannot be expressed in other ways,” she said. “I also hoped the show would remind people how important creativity is in education and in building strong community connections.”
According to Riley, the arts program at Lone Peak has continued to evolve in recent years as students become more confident in their artistic voices and increasingly willing to experiment creatively.
“This year, we had more students than ever before choose to submit their work to the art show, which was incredibly exciting to see,” Riley said. “We’ve also worked hard to bring in more contemporary and diverse artistic perspectives, helping students see art as something relevant, living and connected to the world around them.”
The evening also featured a performance by the school’s a cappella group, led by music teachers John Zirkle and Tim Sullivan. The student singers rehearse before school four days a week, selecting their own songs and arrangements while preparing throughout the year for performances.
Students involved in the group shared that singing together has strengthened their connection through listening, collaboration and harmony, helping them support one another both musically and personally.
According to the group, starting each morning focused on listening and working together creates a positive environment that carries into the rest of the school day.
“Sharing artwork with the Big Sky community is important to any student,” O’Connor said. “It allows us to showcase our personalities, as well as our artistic style and creative minds. Seeing people appreciate the arts, including mine, is somewhat refreshing, as an alternative to staring at a screen.”
The combined showcase served as both a celebration of student achievement and a reminder of the important role the arts continue to play within the Big Sky community.
“That willingness to take creative risks and support one another is what makes this community so special,” Riley said. “It’s incredibly rewarding to watch students discover new ways to express themselves through the arts.”
