A DOCUMENTARY FILM by Josh Donovan, 11th grade /
INTERVIEWS conducted by Ella Frey, 11th grade and Esha Venkataraman /
ESSAY by Esha Venkataraman, 11th grade
This past April, Heritage Hall hosted the yearly arts festival for independent schools, ISAS (Independent Schools Association of the Southwest). The (usually) annual event failed to take place for the past two years due to COVID-19. Even the possibilities of the festival taking place this year seemed quite slim, but thanks to our ambitious faculty, Heritage Hall managed to recreate the long-awaited occasion. A sort of showcase of the arts, ISAS hosts schools from all over the Southwest on one high school campus. Students involved in any arts elective congregate in one location to show off their talents and to appreciate those of others. Heritage Hall took advantage of our large gymnasiums, two dance studios, art galleries, and performing arts venues to host every art discipline. Along with that, workshops over miscellaneous sectors of art were provided for anyone to attend, and the Coffee Shop allowed time slots for each school to take the stage with stand up comedy, music, and more. Coupled with other creative opportunities for students to enjoy, Heritage Hall certainly put on a great show. Everyone appreciated our school’s efforts to provide us with this experience, yet there is no denying that this year’s festival looked different from the rest.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions and simply the awkward state of readjusting to “normal” life, ISAS 2022 stands unique amongst festivals of past years. Only five schools attended ISAS 2022, miniscule in comparison to the amount of ISAS-registered schools (92). Not only did the pandemic shrink our numbers, but it also left a dead gap--two years of isolation and thus a pause on grand gatherings such as ISAS--for Heritage Hall to suddenly revive. A huge undertaking, our admirable faculty started planning for the showcase quite in advance, and the school as a whole continuously anticipated the event throughout the 2021-2022 school year. Hosting ISAS proved to be a difficult yet rewarding task, and we (Ella Frey and Esha Venkataraman) decided to journal the experience as it was lived. Throughout the two-day celebration, we interviewed students from every school and various arts divisions to get their input on the festival. What was everyone expecting from us? How does ISAS 2022 compare to those of past years? Are you happy with the overall outcome? These questions, among others, were placed upon students wandering the campus. Thanks to Josh Donovan, student filmmaker and expert cinematographer, a video compilation of our interviews is provided below. And of course, thank you to the Heritage Hall faculty and staff for providing arts students with such a wonderful, truly fun experience.
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