Dance has the power to enrich and enhance meaning, or even to provide meaning where words may fall short or fail altogether. In the fall of 2020, Noe Middle School's sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade Dance students combined their knowledge of movement, choreography, and language to examine Franciso Pino's poem "Esta Tierra," as well as its choral performance by the Noe Middle School Chorus. Using the poem and song as their foundation, students used literary analysis and the choral interpretation to drive decision making with their movement, costume, and setting to bring both a deeper understanding and a personal connection to the work.

Many thanks go to Amberly Simpson, dance teacher, for her collaboration and our incredible dance students for their submission.

"Rise" speaks to a number of issues, and we wanted to ensure that the voices of our students were the focus of this performance. In the fall of 2020, sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade Visual Arts students from Noe Middle School created photo/text mash-ups that pertained to issues important to them and were inspired by the call for art "In Pursuit of ..." from the Amplifier Foundation and J. Paul Getty Museum. More information about the open call for art can be found here.

Many thanks go to Samantha Brooks, art teacher, for her guidance and to all of our wonderful art students for their submissions.