Tara Rooks brings dance instruction back to Jordan-Matthews this fall

SILER CITY, N.C. — Dance classes return to Jordan-Matthews High School this fall for the first time in decades, with Tara Rooks being appointed last week as the school’s new dance teacher.

As currently structured, the new faculty position will be shared with Chatham Central High School, with Rooks teaching both semesters in Siler City and Bear Creek.

Though this will be her first full-time faculty position in schools, Rooks taught residencies for K-12 students over the past year as a dancer and instructor with Annex Dance Company in Charleston, S.C. Before that, she served as a dancer, choreographer or instructor with Burlington (N.C.) Dance Center, West Virginia Dance Company and Infinite Dance Studios in Australia.

She received her Bachelor in Fine Arts in Dance Choreography and Performance in 2019 from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

A native of Lexington, S.C., Rooks describes herself as a professional dancer with a passion for creating and performing. Her strength is in jazz and modern dance, she says, and that has been the focus of her professional performance. But she also loves musical theater and is interested in incorporating Latin dance into the curriculum.

“When I interviewed, I liked the feel of JM, and the idea of building a program from the ground up is very exciting,” she said. “High school dance was where I got inspired to study dance in college and make it my career. I want to bring this vibrant option to JM students, especially those who’ve never had a chance to study dance. Maybe they can discover a passion they never knew existed.”

JMArts President Rose Pate said this semester begins a new era for arts education at Jordan-Matthews, with theater and dance classes returning for the first time in many years. It comes at a time when students have been showing a real passion for the arts.

“With the start of the Dance Club last year, it was clear we had students who are interested in learning more about this art form,” she said. “I’m very excited that Ms. Rooks will be joining the Jets family and getting our dance program off to a flying start.”

JMArts is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization providing what JM students need to succeed in dance, music, theater and visual arts. All money raised through individual donations, admission fees, fundraising events and grants goes directly to providing performance showcases, educational opportunities, instruments and supplies for students.

The nonprofit is best known for JMArts Scholars. Scholarships are awarded each year allowing returning JM students to pursue intensive study over the summer, usually at weeklong, residential workshops offered on university campuses. Other major projects include the school’s annual musical, a variety of public events and the New York Arts Adventure, where eight students travel to New York City for five days over spring break to experience the best in the arts and learn directly from several world-renowned professionals.

More information about JMArts, including a schedule of all upcoming arts events and information on membership, is available online at JMArts.org.

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Tara Rooks has been named dance teacher at Jordan-Matthews and Chatham Central high schools, bringing dance classes back to JM for the first time in decades. (Photo courtesy of Tara Rooks)

THEATER RETURNS TO JM! Sawyer Shafer selected to guide JM’s new theater curriculum

SILER CITY, N.C. — Theater classes return to Jordan-Matthews High School this fall for the first time in decades, with stage professional Sawyer Shafer being appointed this afternoon as the school’s new theater arts teacher.

As currently structured, the new faculty position will be shared with Chatham Central High School, with Shafer teaching both semesters in Siler City and Bear Creek.

His arrival as teacher and artistic director is a major milestone in JM theater, a program revived by JMArts, the Jordan-Matthews Arts Foundation, more than a decade ago — initially with shows written in-house to raise enough money and develop enough student talent to produce Broadway musicals. From the beginning, nearly all school theatrical productions, acting instruction and trips to experience regional and touring shows have been funded almost entirely by JMArts through private donations and grants.

Shafer, a theater professional living in Greensboro, became interested in the new teaching position after being hired by JMArts to direct the school’s spring production of “Oklahoma!” Though he spent two years as director and producer of Finneytown High School’s musical theater program in Cincinnati, Shafer said he hadn’t really considered moving into full-time teaching until his experience here.

“I am beyond excited to finally be joining the teaching staff in a full-time capacity,” he said. “From day one, it was clear to me that the students here at JM are some of the most enthusiastic and talented kids that I have ever met, and I cannot think of a student body more deserving of the opportunity to engage with the theatre arts on a daily basis.”

Shafer has a broad and distinguished history in professional theater and theater education.

In addition to his work at Finneytown High School in Cincinnati, he has served in various roles at Creative Greensboro, Virginia Repertory Theatre and in Ohio for Mechanicsburg High School, Marietta College and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. He currently oversees the performance space and facility for Creative Greensboro.

An Ohio native, Shafer received his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Studies magna cum laude in 2018 from Wright State University.

JMArts President Rose Pate said she couldn’t be happier with the appointment. Though Shafer has directed just one show at JM, students loved working with him and their collaboration was rewarded this spring when the cast received a nomination for Best Ensemble in the Triangle Rising Stars regional musical theater awards. The Triangle Rising Stars is an annual competition for high schools in North Carolina’s Triangle and Triad regions, where top individual actors selected at the Durham Performing Arts Center advance to The Jimmy Awards, a national competition on Broadway.

”After watching his competent and compassionate work with our student actors during “Oklahoma!” rehearsals, I couldn’t be happier that Mr. Shafer decided to join the JM family,” Pate said. "I look forward to watching him collaborate with our other arts teachers to grow our theater program.”

After the successful spring production of “Oklahoma!,” Shafer agreed to direct JM’s upcoming production of “Shrek The Musical,” so he had already been thinking about where to take JM theater over the coming months. But now, he’ll have even more to keep himself busy as the new school year approaches.

“I have spent a lot of my downtime this summer brainstorming new and innovative ways to tailor the theater curriculum to this community, and I hope the students are as responsive to these new ideas as they were to the vision we had for ‘Oklahoma!’ last spring,” he said. “I never thought I would be this excited to go back to high school again, but the welcome I received in Siler City has me counting down the days until the school year starts.”

JMArts is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization providing what JM students need to succeed in dance, music, theater and visual arts. All money raised through individual donations, admission fees, fundraising events and grants goes directly to providing performance showcases, educational opportunities, instruments and supplies for students.

The nonprofit is best known for JMArts Scholars. Scholarships are awarded each year allowing returning JM students to pursue intensive study over the summer, usually at weeklong, residential workshops offered on university campuses. Other major projects include the school’s annual musical, a variety of public events and the New York Arts Adventure, where eight students travel to New York City for five days over spring break to experience the best in the arts and learn directly from several world-renowned professionals.

More information about JMArts, including a schedule of all upcoming arts events and information on membership, is available online at JMArts.org.

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Sawyer Shafer has been named theater teacher at Jordan-Matthews High School in Siler City. With his appointment, the school will be offering theater classes as part of the regular curriculum for the first time in decades. (Photo courtesy of Sawyer Shafer)

Just before the curtain rises on opening night, Sawyer Shafer, right, provides some final instructions and inspiration for the Jordan-Matthews High School cast of “Oklahoma!” — including, from left, Brady Andrew, Calvin Conroy, Buck Thornton and Laci Burt. (Photo by Chip Pate)

Cynthia Bredenberg honored with 2022 JMArts Community Hero Award

SILER CITY, N.C. — Cynthia Bredenberg, chair of the World Language department and Dual Language Program at Jordan-Matthews High School, has been named its 2022 Community Hero by JMArts, the Jordan-Matthews Arts Foundation. Given this year for the third time, the annual award was created to honor a volunteer from the community who has contributed significantly to the success of the arts at Jordan-Matthews.

The award was presented on May 23 in Bredenberg’s classroom by JMArts President Rose Pate and a group of student actors, musicians and visual artists.

Bredenberg has volunteered since 2013 as part of the creative team producing the school’s annual musical. As wardrobe director, she creates and curates all of the costumes, and she also has helped create and teach choreography for several shows, including “Footloose” in 2015 and “In the Heights” two years later.

“Without Cindy’s skills, creativity and commitment to excellence, we couldn’t put on a show,” said Pate. “She sets the tone and the standards — not only for how everyone looks on stage, but for how they treat each other backstage. I’ve never known an educator more committed to creating quality experiences for students.”

Bredenberg also has made a huge impact off the stage. In addition to leading the Jordan-Matthews Dual Language Program, she has worked with faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to develop capstone courses for Dual Language seniors — and, beginning next year, will be working on the same project with faculty at Syracuse University. She also serves on planning committees for both the Jordan-Matthews prom and graduation.

“The Community Hero Award is an honor and I am grateful to be able to work with our students and the other dedicated adults in our theater program.” Bredenberg said. “Thank you to JMArts for this award. I appreciate the recognition and hope to continue to contribute to the arts!”

All arts award winners over the last several years are listed online at jmarts.org/awards.

More information about JMArts, including its flagship JMArts Scholars program, is available at jmarts.org.

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Cynthia Bredenberg, holding her certificate, was surprised by students and JMArts President Rose Pate, who gathered in her classroom to present the 2022 JMArts Community Hero Award for her significant, ongoing contribution to the school’s annual musical. (Photo by Karsyn Vann)