By Cindy Peterson
Mount Dora Christian Academy Students Shine at Night of Stars Event
Mount Dora Christian Academy (MDCA) showcased the extraordinary talents of its students at the highly anticipated Night of Stars event held on April 12. With over 200 attendees, the evening was a celebration of the school’s commitment to nurturing creativity and excellence in the arts.
“Our goal at Mount Dora Christian Academy is to empower students to explore their passions and share their gifts with the world,” said Cheryl Abbate, Fine Arts Director at MDCA. “The Night of Stars event provided a platform for our students to showcase their creativity and dedication to the arts.”
The event featured an array of artwork created by students throughout the semester, including watercolor and acrylic paintings, as well as digital art pieces. Instructors like Maegan Benton emphasized the importance of art in fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills among students.
“One of the things that I tell my students is that art has this amazing component that is critical thinking and problem-solving,” Maegan says. “So as they’re working through the creative process, they come through all these stumbling blocks where maybe a material doesn’t behave the way they expected it to, and they have to figure it out. And that ability to problem solve transfers so much to other areas of their lives.”
The Night of Stars event also showcased the school’s growing band program, which recently added a marching band component. Director Banks Sewell emphasized the importance of teamwork and collaboration in band, noting that it fosters discipline and creativity among students.
“Band fosters discipline and mastery towards a finished product,” Banks says. “Whether it’s a show on a field, or a performance at a concert, or accompanying a theater play, or even just playing on the street. It’s working toward a finished product and that takes a lot of work.”
Looking ahead, Mount Dora Christian Academy plans to expand its fine arts offerings, with the addition of a choir department in the fall. Head of School Keith O’Neal underscored the importance of arts education in unlocking creativity and fostering new ways of thinking among students.
“Fine arts play a vital role in shaping well-rounded individuals,” Keith says. “By encouraging students to explore their creativity and imagination, we are preparing them to make a positive impact on the world.”
For more information about Mount Dora Christian Academy and its fine arts programs, visit https://www.mdcacademy.org/.
Originally from the small town of Berryville, Arkansas, Cindy has become a multimedia specialist in journalism, photography, videography, and video editing. She has a B.S. in Communications from the University of Central Arkansas and produces Style Magazine's Sports Hub Podcast and the Healthy Living Podcast. She also produces for Beacon College’s Telly Award-winning PBS show, “A World of Difference.” When she isn’t working, Cindy loves traveling the National Parks with her husband , Ryan, and son, David, photographing wildlife.
