Education

For students involved in theatre across Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, what happens under the stage lights is only part of the story.

There are lines learned after school, sets built and rebuilt, technical cues practiced until they are second nature and plenty of moments when students have to trust one another enough to make an entire production work. Along the way, they are also learning how to speak up, solve problems, take creative risks and become part of a team.

That larger picture of theatre education has now earned CFISD statewide recognition for the third year in a row.

Cypress-Fairbanks ISD has been named a District of Distinction by the Texas Educational Theatre Association (TxETA), placing the district among just 28 school districts statewide recognized by the association as an “Exemplary District.”

For families throughout the Cy-Fair community, the honor offers a glimpse at something audiences may not always see when they take their seats for a school play or musical: the years of instruction, resources and opportunities supporting students long before opening night.

More Than Putting on a Good Show

The Texas Educational Theatre Association District of Distinction recognition looks beyond individual productions. Districts were evaluated across 26 categories, including theatre courses offered to students, participation in University Interscholastic League competitions and the technology available for theatre programs.

For Kelley Hughes, CFISD coordinator of secondary fine arts, that distinction is an important one.

“Receiving the Texas Educational Theatre Association District of Distinction Award is recognition that a district is doing more than producing successful shows; it recognizes a sustained commitment to raising the standards of theatre education,” Hughes said. “Our theatre programs are frequently recognized at the highest levels of UIL competition, with students and directors advancing through Area, Region, and State contests, as well as earning recognition such as Tommy Tune nominations. Those accomplishments are something we are incredibly proud of.”

Those competitive accomplishments are one measure of the program’s success, but inside CFISD theatre classrooms, much of the work is harder to capture with a trophy.

A student who was once reluctant to speak in front of a classroom may eventually walk onto a stage. Another may discover that their place is not in the spotlight at all, but designing scenery, operating lights, managing sound or helping an entire production come together backstage.

And for many students, the friendships and confidence developed there may last considerably longer than the final curtain call.

CFISD Theatre Teachers Help Students Find Their Voice

Hughes credits the district’s theatre educators with creating those opportunities day after day.

“Our district has highly dedicated, professional theatre educators who come to work every day with the goal of doing much more than putting on a great production,” Hughes said. “They teach students how to collaborate, communicate, create, take risks, solve problems, persevere, and find their own voices. They build communities where students feel seen and valued, while challenging them to become better artists and better human beings.”

That emphasis on the student experience helps explain why recognition of a school theatre program can resonate beyond the performing arts department.

The skills students practice while preparing a production — communication, teamwork, problem-solving, persistence and the willingness to try something difficult in front of others — can follow them into college, careers and other parts of their lives.

For parents watching from the audience, meanwhile, the finished performance is often only the most visible result of months of work.

Third Consecutive TxETA Recognition for CFISD

Earning the Texas Educational Theatre Association District of Distinction honor for a third consecutive year gives CFISD another statewide acknowledgment of the consistency behind its theatre programs.

It also puts the focus on an arts community made up of far more people than those audiences see on stage: student actors and technicians, directors, teachers, families and others who help school productions come to life across the district.

CFISD will formally be recognized for its Award of Distinction on Oct. 2 in Galveston during the TxETA TheatreFest.

By then, back in Cy-Fair, another season of rehearsals, technical work and performances will already be underway — with a new group of students learning that theatre can be as much about finding their own voice as performing someone else’s words.

Stay tuned to My Neighborhood News for more news about CFISD students, schools, fine arts programs and accomplishments throughout the Cy-Fair community.

By Tiffany Krenek, My Neighborhood News 

Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.

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