Georgetown ISD Fine Arts

Congratulations to our GISD musicians on their outstanding performances at the Texas State Solo & Ensemble Contest (TSSEC)!

Students from East View High School and Georgetown High School represented GISD with excellence, earning top ratings and recognition at the state level.

Highlights include:

• EVHS Band earned 9 Division I (Superior) ratings, including two Outstanding Performer designations awarded to Alex Guerra for "Three Pieces" and Cody Severson for "Morceau Symphonique, Op. 88."
• EVHS Orchestra earned 1 Division I rating.
• GHS Band earned 5 Division I ratings.
• GHS Choir earned 5 Division I ratings, including an Outstanding Performer designation awarded to Tristan Guy for his solo performance of "The Vagabond."
• GHS Orchestra earned 1 Division I rating.

Earning a Division I rating at the state level is a tremendous accomplishment, and Outstanding Performer recognition represents an exceptional level of musical achievement.

Congratulations to these talented students and their directors for their hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence. We are proud of the way they represented GISD Fine Arts on the state stage!

What do Fine Arts teachers do in the summer?

This week, our GISD Elementary Art and Music Curriculum Refinement Team has been hard at work behind the scenes preparing for the upcoming school year.

Over the course of the week, teachers have meticulously reviewed, revised, updated, and reorganized the K–5 art and music curriculum to ensure it is aligned, relevant, and easy for teachers to use. Their work has included refining learner attributes, exemplar lessons, unit overviews, Year-at-a-Glance documents, standards-aligned resources, and instructional supports to ensure teachers have the tools they need to deliver engaging, high-quality learning experiences for students.

It's been an intensive week of collaboration, problem-solving, and careful attention to detail—all with one goal in mind: providing the most up-to-date curriculum and resources for GISD elementary art and music teachers.

The school year may be on pause, but the work of supporting student success continues all summer long.

What do Fine Arts teachers do in the summer? We’re glad you asked!

This summer, we’re kicking off a behind-the-scenes series highlighting how GISD Fine Arts teachers continue planning, learning, and creating opportunities for students long after the school year ends.

Today’s spotlight: our GISD Elementary Music teachers are already hard at work planning the 2027 GISD Elementary Honor Choir! This week, teachers met to begin designing the annual concert experience—brainstorming the concert theme, selecting music, planning special performance elements, and dividing tasks to work on throughout the summer in preparation for rehearsals beginning in mid-fall and the concert in February 2027.

Great performances don’t happen overnight—and neither does the planning behind them. We’re excited for what’s ahead!

Follow along this summer as we share more of what Fine Arts teachers are doing to prepare, create, learn, and grow for students across GISD.

Celebrating outstanding achievement in visual arts across GISD!

At the VASE (Visual Arts Scholastic Event) State level, our students from Georgetown High School and East View High School earned top honors, showcasing incredible talent, creativity, and dedication.

GHS student August Michealis received the Dr. Jim Henderson Memorial Scholarship ($600) for her digital artwork “Beside the Mudsunk Bay.” This recognition was awarded at the State event in San Marcos on April 25, 2026. Congratulations also to her teacher, Michael Yentzen.

Out of all entries that advanced to State VASE, only about 150 artworks were selected as Gold Seal recipients, representing the highest level of achievement in concept, technique, craftsmanship, and creativity. These works are featured in a traveling exhibition across Texas and highlighted at the annual TAEA Fall Conference.

GISD proudly celebrates three Gold Seal recipients:

De’aric Jones, GHS – “Wishing Whale” (Kiley Mitchell)
Iris Blanton, EVHS – “How Many Buttons Could A Button Button If A Button Could Button Buttons” (Rebecca Hall)
Lola Nicklason, GHS – “Fleas” (Michael Yentzen)

These achievements highlight the excellence of GISD visual arts and the dedication of our students and educators. We are incredibly proud of each of you!

An incredible honor for GISD Fine Arts!

Congratulations to Hannah Harvey, a junior at East View High School, whose artwork “Myself In Transit” has been selected for the First Lady of Texas Governor's Gallery.

Hannah is one of only 13 students across the state of Texas selected for this prestigious recognition. Her artwork will be displayed in the Texas Governor's Mansion for one year.

This outstanding accomplishment highlights the talent, creativity, and dedication of our GISD student artists and the impact of our visual arts programs. Congratulations also to Jon Hanna, EVHS Art Teacher, for supporting and inspiring student excellence.

We are incredibly proud of Hannah and this remarkable achievement!

A fantastic week at UIL for our GISD bands!

Students from EVHS and GHS delivered outstanding performances at the UIL Concert and Sightreading Evaluation, showcasing their hard work, preparation, and musicianship.

At EVHS, all ensembles earned strong ratings, with the Wind Ensemble receiving Superior ratings on stage and in sight-reading, earning a Sweepstakes.
At GHS, all three bands earned unanimous Superior ratings, marking the first time since 2009 that every ensemble received straight 1's—an incredible milestone.

We are proud of these students and directors for representing GISD Fine Arts with excellence.

Mark your calendars and come support these incredible musicians:
• GHS Spring Concert – May 13 at 6:30 PM (PAC), featuring music from Star Wars with a full audio and visual experience
• EVHS Final Band Concert – May 19 at 7:00 PM (PAC)