Representatives from 34 colleges and universities from across the country recently visited Nassau BOCES Long Island High School for the Arts (LIHSA) and were impressed with what they saw. This year, for the first time, LIHSA combined its Inter Arts Festival with its annual College Fair, making a profoundly positive first impression on college reps.
More than 150 teen artists and their families met with the reps from a number of prestigious colleges and universities, including Berklee College of Music, New York Film Academy, University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music, James Madison University, Carnegie Mellon University, Eastman School of Music and several SUNY schools.
Seniors from all five disciplines—art, dance, film, music and theater—demonstrated their talents through a variety of performances that ranged from song and dance solos to jazz ensemble pieces and show-stopping theatrical numbers. Stylized exhibits featured select artwork, and there were exclusive screenings of student films.
“LIHSA has such talented students,” said a representative from SUNY Purchase. “It was great being able to see them showcase their work.” And a colleague from Stony Brook University enthusiastically agreed, “This was an amazing show of talent. Extraordinary!”
At LIHSA, college preparation is serious business, and students put a lot of work into it. They are guided through the process every step of the way by their program directors, guidance counselors and teachers, who help them with everything from college applications and essays to portfolio reviews and prescreening of performance recordings.
Once all the applications have been submitted, the process of individualized scholarship searches begins. Last year, college-bound graduates earned more than $6 million in scholarships, and this year LIHSA plans to surpass that number.
“We coordinated the Inter Arts Festival with the College Fair to show the college representatives in attendance the extraordinary talent of our students,” LIHSA Principal
Jack Lenson said. “We wanted them to experience firsthand why our students should be considered for admission to their schools. The fair is designed to target the needs of our students, allowing them to evaluate their options and make informed decisions about college applications. Deep, strategic thinking goes into all of our programs and events. That’s what makes LIHSA so exceptional and what affords our students unique opportunities that cannot be matched anywhere else in the state.”
Visit www.nassauboces.org to learn more about the school and its programming.
