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Fifteen-year-old Ulanda Haynes says sometimes, the process required to complete a work of art -- making improvements here and there until it's just right -- is tiring.
"I find sometimes, yes, it can be difficult, but it's worth it," the Calhoun County High School student said.
This summer, she joined some 130 students in grades four through 11 for five weeks of intensive artistic instruction as part of the Orangeburg-Calhoun Consortium for the Arts.
"It helps you better yourself," she said of her time with the consortium. "Sometimes, you might be tired of looking at your work, but in the end, you can say, 'I did that.'"
Since 1990, the Orangeburg-Calhoun Consortium for the Arts has given artistically gifted and talented students in Orangeburg and Calhoun counties the chance to hone their skills and gain experience in other expressive areas through hands-on instruction in art, dance, drama and music.
This year's program was held June 16 through July 18. A finale, complete with an art show, musical presentations and a production of Disney's "Aladdin Jr." was held Thursday, July 17, on the campus of South Carolina State University.
"I've never done anything like this," said first-year consortium student and rising seventh-grader Megan Yessler, pointing out her colored tissue creation and oil pastel pieces, which included a self-portrait. "But I did enjoy it."
Yessler, a student at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler in Norway, said she was surprised at what she got to do in the summer program. Mom Leslie Yessler said she didn't realize her daughter could draw so well.
"I'll tell ya, when she was doing her picture, she was getting frustrated," Victor Yessler said. He would send his young daughter to get a soda so she could take a break from her work. The result? "Bea.jpgul," Megan's dad said. "A miracle came out."
Dr. Jerome Brown, OCCA director, said students representing Orangeburg Consolidated School Districts Three, Four and Five, Calhoun County School District and Felton Laboratory School gather each summer for intense instruction in visual art, dance, drama and vocal and instrumental performance.
The program, originally established through a grant to better prepare area students for the S.C. Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities audition process, is funded by school districts with money received from the S.C. Department of Education.
"Each district receives funds for the number of slots they are responsible to fill," Brown said, adding that students incur no out-of-pocket expense. "There are some districts that find out they have more students who are gifted and pick up the tab for those students."
Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five Superintendent Melvin Smoak said he enjoys seeing the students' efforts on display.
"It is great just to walk around and see what the kids can do," he said. "So often you hear the negative things. ... but these kids could compete internationally. ... I'm just amazed. I have a hard enough time drawing a box," Smoak added, with a laugh.
Consortium students must be nominated and make it through three rounds of auditions to be chosen for the program, which Brown said meets state requirements for gifted and talented education for artistically gifted students. Those achieving 80 percent or higher in the audition stage are qualified to attend the summer program, and once a student is accepted, they keep their spot for as long as they are eligible, unless they do not pass an end-of-summer assessment or choose not to attend.
Brown said he has seen a change in the young artists, actors and musicians who attend the consortium.
"The students are becoming more confident and know what they need to do to be successful," he said. As for faculty and staff, Brown said, "We try to get the best for the children that will challenge them, take them to a new level."
One such instructor was Malissa Wright, who teaches art at William J. Clark Middle School. In addition to standard paintings, Wright had her middle school-age students create sculptures using wire, masking tape, plastic strips and aluminum foil.
"It's an idea I was playing around with in my mind," she said. "I wanted something unique, and I thought about the aluminum foil sculpture."
Students took pictures of themselves to use as a reference for the sculptures. Overall, Wright said she was impressed with the outcome.
"You really have to be dedicated to create works like this," she said, adding that many of her students stayed up long hours to perfect their projects. "I'm so proud of them."
This is Wright's seventh year with the consortium, and she said she loves it.
"For me, this is fun," she said. "I think it's going to enhance their talent, and I believe for many of them, they are going to pursue a career in the arts. ... Here, you get to work with a small population, teach one-on-one to really enhance their talent."
During the five-week program, students were required to attend master classes in their respective disciplines and take part in the Consortium Chorus. Students are evaluated at the end of the summer, and that evaluation determines whether the student will be allowed to return the following year.
"It's intense," Brown said of the summer coursework. "Of course, they take a break, but most of the time, they're in their master class.
"We do have some that are multitalented. If the teachers agree to swap off the children on certain days, we do that. But most are in one discipline."
Students gifted enough to make it to the program have reaped its rewards, Brown said.
"It has increased their confidence, it has made them more aware of what they should do," he said. "They now realize what it takes to become a real artist."
Karyn Johnson, who taught drama at this year's OCCA, said she likes that the consortium recognizes students' special talents and encourages them to use those abilities. The instruction students receive during the summer program most often is well above and beyond what they receive during the school year, she said.
Also, "They get to apply the skills they learn in class for a production for the public," Johnson said.
In addition to acting skills, Johnson said students involved in "Aladdin Jr." also learned important research, social and teamwork skills.
For the production of "Aladdin Jr.," students had to go through a real audition. Students from all disciplines were welcome to audition -- but they had to complete the requirements from their main course of study and be able to devote time to the rehearsals.
"I saw in specific students where their personality just blossomed," she said. "They developed self-confidence ... and learned some techniques they could use in their everyday life."
"I saw the kids come out, take risks and grow, which was awesome to see," said Johnson, who will be teaching drama at Carver-Edisto Middle School in the fall.
Students with a love for the arts should share their interest with a teacher or other adult who can encourage and help them achieve their goals, Johnson said.
"And any opportunity they have to perform, do so," she said.
"It (the consortium) has been wonderful to be a part of," Johnson said. "The spirit of collaboration worked extremely well this year.
"The kids were awesome. It's been an honor to work with them."
Kareeme Walley, 16, who played Aladdin in this year's consortium production, said he had a great first-year experience.
"It was very interesting," the vocal performance student said. "I learned a lot. It was a new experience ... and at least I wasn't bored this summer."
The tenor said he didn't know he could act and dance and was surprised when those talents came out on the stage.
"Maybe this has opened a new door for me," the Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School student said. "I would like to be a singer, but I like acting also.
"I'm very happy that I attended."
High school vocal student Heather Cochran, an O-W student, said her first year at the consortium was tough because she had to learn proper singing techniques that were new to her.
"A lot of people don't realize the effort and time it takes to be a singer. ... It takes discipline," the 15-year-old said, adding that she also enjoyed learning about other artistic disciplines while at the OCCA. This was her fifth summer in the program.
"There are so many talented kids there, it's phenomenal," said Cochran, who played the Genie in "Aladdin Jr." "I am going to miss it, but I know for a fact I am going to take all I have learned and use it.
"For any young person out there ... if you have a dream, as long as you put forth the effort, you can pretty much be anything you want to be. Don't let anybody tell you you can't do something."
Justin James, a 12-year-old student at William J. Clark Middle School, said he learned how to use oil pastels at this year's consortium.
"I learned how to paint and different methods to make artwork," he said. "It's really quite easy, actually. ... Anyone can do it, they just need to try their hardest and have a love for it."
James said he was more of a drawer before attending the consortium, which he has done for the last three summers.
"I really haven't experimented with paint before," he said. Did he enjoy it? "Yes ma'am," he said.
"I hope one day to be a famous artist," James said. He said the summer program is good "because instead of lying around the house all summer, you could be here."
Matthew Jones, a rising sophomore at O-W, has taken part in the Orangeburg-Calhoun Consortium for the Arts since fourth grade.
"It expands my skills more, it improves my skills, just taught me how to do better artwork," he said. "They introduce you to a lot of new stuff, new techniques. That's one of the requirements -- how you adapt to a new situation."
Mom Rhemell Jones, whose daughter, Esther Jones, also took part in the consortium for elementary vocal performance, said it's an awesome program.
"It helps the students improve their skills," she said. "All of these students are naturally gifted, and I really appreciated this program because it gives them discipline, and you can see it in other parts of their lives. ... This gives them the opportunity to show the community what they can do."
T&D Features Editor Wendy Jeffcoat Crider can be reached by e-mail at wjeffcoat@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5546. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.