On stage, under the bright lights of the auditorium, freshman Keegan Washington battled the Beast in his first role as Gaston in the school’s production of Beauty and the Beast. Looking out into the vast audience, Washington realized that he had found a new passion.

Through the support of staff and the school’s extensive arts programs, students are able to pursue artistic passion both in and out of school hours.

Now a junior, Washington was a member of choir throughout middle school but followed the path he discovered his freshman year.

“I think what pushed me to get into theater at Central is just Mrs. Williams asking me to,” Washington said. “She asked me to be in my first show when I was in ninth grade, and I think the teachers really do a lot to try to get you to stay and do what you love.”

Washington’s theater involvement at school not only built his character and strengthened his self-morale, but also inspired him to seek opportunities off campus.

“I think it’s made me feel more confident and happy about what I’m good at and who I am,” Washington said. “It’s inspired me to do musicals, audition for things, and also get paid jobs outside of school.”

Washington is a member of a pre-professional theater program called Stage 13 and has participated in productions through that program such as Mean Girls.

“It’s just some of the best artists in Little Rock, and we all come together and perform our pieces in front of each other, and the teachers guide us and tell us what direction we can take our pieces in,” Washington said. “It’s really kind of like a family. We’re all just helping each other grow, and [we’re] friends with each other.”

Along with the sense of family present among off- campus extracurriculars, members extend their relationships beyond just the organizations. Sophomore Gray Gibson explains how his experience as a violist in the Arkansas Youth Symphony (ASO) influences his social and academic life at school.

“Other kids from the [Arkansas Youth] Symphony take similar classes like [AP] Music Theory, and we are all kind of friends,” Gibson said. “I’ve taken orchestra too, just to make time for practice and to be able to keep up my progress.”

Gibson’s role in the Symphony allows him an opportunity to get insight into how it feels to perform as a professional musician. However, with considerable workloads from both school and the Symphony, Gibson often finds it hard to create a productive balance.

“Well, it’s really difficult to practice with constant schoolwork and exams, and it’s really difficult to make time to practice and rehearse, especially with deadlines and essays,” Gibson said. “[I] often have to prioritize one thing over the other, and that can lead to not making progress, or getting worse grades on assignments because you have rehearsal.”

Despite the challenges Gibson faces in keeping both his academics and musical abilities on track, he has learned many important lessons through his struggle.

“It’s given me some life skills that I’m really going to need later, and I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to do it,” Gibson said. “I think that if anyone’s interested in becoming a part of a program like ASO, I think that’s great.”

Additionally, dance can also bring a real sense of belonging for students like junior Susana Conti, who has grown up in the studio. For Conti, the lessons she’s learned from dance have shaped not just who she is as a dancer, but her attitude towards school.

“I’ve been in dance since I was like, two or three, so I didn’t really have much inspire me [to join], but I remember hating it a lot when I was, like, 10,” Conti said. “After COVID, I just kind of decided that I needed something to be passionate about or, I don’t know, maybe even be good at. So I started working harder at it, and I learned to love it just out of how much joy it brought me to make progress.”

Conti is a member of the Shuffles and Ballet II studio and also participates in Ballet Arkansas productions throughout the year. Though she is dedicated to her role in these organizations, her commitment often requires many hours outside of school.

“The biggest thing for me is trying to compartmentalize my time and not mix dance with school,” Conti said. “So when I go to school, I try not to think about my dance stuff at all. And then when I go home, I designate like 4 p.m. to 8 or 9 p.m. as just dancing time.”

As Conti learned to adjust to her busy weeks, she created a way to channel the lessons she learned from dance into school. Not only does she participate in theater productions on campus, but Conti applies the work ethic she learned from dance into her academic classes as well.

“I think for sure, for me, it’s having the discipline to work at things and especially having to work on things on your own, because at dance, after we’re given choreography, you’re expected to train,” Conti said. “So it’s homework, but it’s not like you’re getting a grade for it. So I think that’s helped studying, because you know you’re making progress and it’s helping you, but you’re not getting a direct achievement or award from it.”

Students that participate in arts programs beyond just the school’s hallways gain unique skills that extend throughout their academic and artistic careers, and for the rest of their lives.

“I’ll probably never forget my first show here, ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ just because that’s what got me into theater and encouraged me to pursue it. It made me feel confident in my abilities and like I was kind of made for doing musical theater,” said Washington. “In the end, I was satisfied. And I get to look back on that and see all my growth.”