Each year, de Toledo chooses a theme, whether it be “The Golden Age of Spain” like last year or this year’s idea of “Fringe.”

The Arts Department bases its curriculum on the theme of that particular year, allowing for students to learn more about this topic and teach their peers about it in art form.

This year’s theme encourages students to take risks and dare to do something they haven’t done before. Taking a risk does not mean doing something totally out of the ordinary, but rather something that is unusual for one’s self.

Mr. Keer, the Visual and Performing Arts Chair, said, “The arts are very often about pushing ourselves past the norm. In other words to look at things either more deeply or differently. We go through our life and we don’t stop much to reflect, and art can help us do that.”

This theme will be seen in the first upcoming Arts event, the Classical Music Salon. It is one of the smaller, “intimate” events and will be held in the music room.

Mr. Keer acknowledged that “classical music sounds very established and might not be considered fringe or edgy, but to the average, modern, or contemporary student it is pretty unexplored territory.”

“We would like to ask our student body to push their own boundaries and try things that are different,” he said.

de Toledo prides itself on its Arts curriculum and offers classes in categories such as Media Arts, 2D Art, 3D Art, Modern Dance, Musical Theater, and Instrumental Ensemble.  These classes let students express themselves and portray the year’s theme through various works, whether they be on a canvas or on the stage.  

The de Toledo Dance Team coach, Modern Dance teacher, and Arts Coordinator, Dina Nelson, said that “the Fringe is basically about how to get outside of yourself and how to be different. How to be someone you want to be, not someone society wants you to be.”

Mr. Ferdman, former teacher and now Artist-in-Residence, is in the midst of setting up his first display of the school year. The name of this exhibit is “Beynish Mocher Vunder.” The title translates to “Beynish the Peddler of Wonder.” “Beynish,” actually, is Mr. Ferdman’s original name.

This display features objects and photographs that the faculty and staff have collected over their summer breaks.

“This is a way for students to see another facet of their teachers’ lives,” said Mr. Ferdman.

“They are multidimensional. They also go to Yosemite and sit by the river.”

Mr. Ferdman then mentioned, “In our day-to-day lives we often forget that the key and essence to life isn’t how many papers you grade or how many rocks you can move from one side to the other… But it’s finding extraordinary in the ordinary. We do not realize how everything is extraordinary.”

With great talent, passion, and “fringe,” the Arts Department will inspire the community like it does every year. The Performing Arts students will have the spotlight shone on them and the Visual Arts students will have their works displayed as they, themselves, live on the fringe.