Two Edwardsburg High School students have been invited to participate in the 55th annual Michigan Youth Arts Festival at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Natalie Rarick, a sophomore, and Caitlin Wyant, a freshman, have been named distinguished scholars in creative writing by Michigan Youth Arts. They are two of nearly 1,000 Michigan high school students invited to attend the festival, which is taking place May 10-29.
Rarick and Wyant were chosen from a pool of more than 250,000 students from across the state. The invited scholars represent multiple artistic disciplines, including creative writing, dance, film, instrumental and vocal music, music composition, theatre and visual art.
Rarick is active at EHS, participating in varsity chorale and theatre, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. She was recently selected as the first place winner of the 2017 Law Day Essay Contest sponsored by the Cass County Bar Association.
As a member of the teen group from the Michiana Writers’ Center, Rarick has also participated in Art Beat, as well as playing ukulele and singing with The Music Village. She has participated in local theatre for many years, appearing on stage in over twenty productions, and is currently working on the role of Belle in Beauty and the Beast for the Musical Mission Tour, presented by Clay Church in June.
Caitlin Wyant is the EHS freshman class treasurer and a member of student council. She sings in Bella Voice, EHS’s advanced choir, and participated in the recent EHS production of Fiddler on the Roof.
The three-day Michigan Youth Arts Festival will feature workshops and master classes for the students, alongside more than 20 student performances and exhibitions that are open to the public.
“Michigan Youth Arts is honored to host this annual event because it not only encourages artistic excellence at the high school level, but also creates an awareness of the importance of art in the lives of Michigan residents,” Festival Manager Alison Pruitt said. “The extraordinary talent of our distinguished scholars, whether as vocalists, actors, dancers, musicians or artists, is something of which the entire state can be proud.”