Dedication Day 2024

The annual Dedication poster, signed by all students

September 16, 2024

Dedication Day 2024 was September 16. Dedication is a Perpich tradition where new students and faculty/staff are welcomed into the Perpich community. The ceremony featured speeches from seniors in all art areas: Alma Soave and Ana Kol-Balfour, Dance; Starr Anderson, Literary Arts; Thomas Thro, Media Arts; Audrey Flug, Music; Ian Garrido-Lavender, Theater/Musical Theater; Houts, Visual Arts.

Alma Soave (Dance 2025) said, “Arriving with whole-heartedness and vulnerability is vital in producing artwork that is genuine, yet showing up like that every single day can be challenging. Something that helps remind me to appreciate being a student here- with all these excellent studio spaces, teachers, and resources- is reflecting on the person I was when I arrived. She chose to apply to a school she had little qualifications for, but made a promise to educate and discipline the amateur artist she was.”

Ana Kol-Balfour (Dance 2025) added, “Perpich gives you an environment where you can discover more about yourself while pursuing your love and passion to your why. Whether you decide to take your art area to the outside world or not, the education you receive here is no less important than expanding your knowledge of your art area.”

Starr Anderson (Literary Arts 2025) said, “This is our place to express ourselves and dedicate time to perfect our love of writing together.”

Student speakers at Dedication 2024: Alma Soave and Ana Kol-Balfour, Dance; Starr Anderson, Literary Arts; Thomas Thro, Media Arts; Audrey Flug, Music; Ian Garrido-Lavender, Theater/Musical Theater; Houts, Visual Arts.

Thomas Thro (Media Arts 2025) said, “What dedication means to me is applying yourself. Applying yourself to meeting new people, picking up new ideas and mediums, and to working outside of classroom assignments that are comfortable. I believe in taking on new ideas and ambitious projects, even if it means working outside of school, going out of your comfort zone, or learning new skills. This is what it means to apply yourself to your art.”

Audrey Flug (Music 2025) said, “I feel dedication towards fulfillment in my art by finding joy in my creations no matter the process. It takes dedication to work through the fear of judgment and criticism to showcase the art you’ve created. Music has taught me that performance takes confidence, but more importantly passion and commitment to improvement.”

Ian Garrido-Lavender (Musical Theater 2025) said, “Being dedicated to others is an effort you make for yourself. We do a lot of introspection in theater, we’re often known to be quite self absorbed but we do that internal work to better understand and eventually represent a human experience. We each have a complex inner world that deserves acknowledgement and appreciation.”

Houts (Visual Arts 2025) said, “I encourage you to push yourself and be the best version of yourself. Perpich has taught me to become a better person, artist, and friend not just through my teachers but through my peers as well. I hope all of you dedicate yourself to what matters most to you and what you want to do with your life.”

The faculty speaker, Derek Debrauske (Science Instructor), shared his passion for science, the arts, and our students’ connection to the greater value and appreciation for the environment and the Perpich campus. “Teaching is a means for me to get closer to mother nature while spreading my love and excitement about her. My goal as a teacher is to try to reach and inspire every student to be a steward for future generations of life on earth. In the few years I have been here, I have dedicated my teaching to improving the campus ecosystem. My students have sent water-advocacy letters to local governments, removed invasive species, estimated the population of every plant in our main pond, planted native pine seedlings, and created a composting system to create and restore our campus soil. Without our constant stewardship and persistent labor, the suburban pond ecosystem behind our school will continue to devolve into a web of invasive buckthorn and barbed burdock. Our dedication to this space is the only way to restore its natural ecological harmony…Become a steward, tend to something you love, and dedicate yourself to it.”

L to R: Bob Frey, Emcee and Social Studies Instructor, Valentine Lowry-Ortega (Theater 2018), and Alison Bergblom Johnson (Literary Arts 1999) pose together after the Dedication 2024 ceremony.

Our alumni speaker, Alison Bergblom Johnson (Literary Arts 1999), was beyond thrilled to be invited to share her poetry. “It’s so beautiful to be reminded how much of Perpich is in my creative DNA, whether it is the emphasis on community or the emphasis on the work process over status. So grateful to get to be with students, and to hear from them how much it means to have an alum visit who is a practicing disabled artist.”

Our alumni performer, Valentine Lowry-Ortega (Theater 2018), sang several original songs and wove them together with storytelling that was deeply personal and powerful. Lowry-Ortega is a singer-songwriter, electronic producer, actor, playwright, and apprentice sound engineer. Their band, Oceanographer, is a four piece “Midwest Dreamo dorkpop band” with several shows happening this fall.

During his emcee speech, Bob Frey said, “I believe Perpich Dedication is a very cool and very unique event, one that has occurred here every fall for many years. So, what is Dedication? In short, Dedication is a ritual, Dedication is an opportunity, and Dedication is a promise. Dedication is when we, as the Perpich community, come together to publicly state our commitment – both individually and collectively – to our art, to our time, to our community, and to all that is Perpich.”

Perpich Arts High School Principal, Rebecca Bullen, said, “[Dedication] is a beautiful connection to the core values and opportunities Perpich provides and holds close within our community. It was inspiring to be in the space, to feel the energy of the group, and the hope for where our young artists will take their dedication to themselves, their arts, and Perpich.“