Music and ArtDAVID ORTH
Mr. Dave Orth is an accomplished musician and long time music teacher. Having
played with touring musical groups for many years Mr. Orth has developed an
amazing ability to teach and play a huge range of instruments. While percussion
is obviously Mr. Orth's forte, his skill at direction and composing make him a
very valuable member of our staff. Mr. Orth has earned a Masters Degree in Music
and is currently composing a series of works for his band.
ALLISON JONES
Mrs. Allison Jones provides art instruction to students ranging from
Kindergarten to Grade 12.
The Art Program spans the entire range of the student
population at Kenston Forest School. Elementary students grades K-6 attend class
weekly. The curriculum closely resembles the Standards of Learning for art
education found it public schools. The added benefits of freedom to express and
explore concepts and to extend the teaching of art beyond the most basic core
information is the facet of our Art program that makes this school the best for
many miles.
Upper School students enjoy several course offerings that further their artistic
development and expose the merely curious students to a variety of expressive
art forms.
Exploratory Art for 9th Grade provides the high school students a chance to
decide for themselves if they have an interest or ability that could be further
developed in subsequent course offerings.
DAWN WILHELM
Mrs. Dawn Wilhelm provides instruction in the area of Performing Arts for
students ranging from Pre-School to Grade 7 and Grades 10 - 12. The Performing
Arts program includes instruction in dance, music, drama and public speaking.
The Lower School works on programs such as Grandparents'
Day, Christmas and May Day. They learn to read music and project their voices
along with dance terms and steps. Lower School students attend class weekly.
Upper School Students are offered elective courses in
Drama and Public Speaking.
Drama students learn
improvisation, stage direction, production, costuming, stage setting and
lighting,. They attend live plays as well as produce their own live
performances.
Public Speaking class focuses on
speech writing, oral delivery, Forensics and debate. They learn to have
confidence speaking in front of an audience, as well as interpersonal
communication. The class learns to conduct academic research, think critically
through problems, listen analytically to arguments, understand current social
and political issues, and develop writing skills.
Mrs. Wilhelm began dancing and performing at the age of
two and continued her education through the college level. She has a minor in
Public Speaking from Longwood University, where she was the number one ranked
competitor on their National Forensic Team. She has been the owner of her own
dance school for five years, which has won many awards including nine National
titles. Mrs. Wilhelm has also been a lead singer with a professional band for
over 10 years.