Broken Arrow (Oklahoma) High School Named 2024 NFHS Performing Arts School of Excellence

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has selected Broken Arrow (Oklahoma) High School as the 2024 NFHS Performing Arts School of Excellence. Broken Arrow is the ninth high school in the United States to receive the award, which has been given to one school annually since its inception in 2016.

The celebration of the NFHS Performing Arts School of Excellence is one of the marquee events during National High School Activities Month in October, an initiative designed to remind students, parents, coaches, administrators and others in school communities about the values and benefits of high school activity programs.

“We are incredibly grateful and excited that Broken Arrow High School has been selected as the national Performing Arts School of Excellence by the NFHS,” said Darrin Davis, BAHS Executive Director of Fine Arts. “This prestigious recognition is a testament to the exceptional dedication, talent and hard work demonstrated by the performing arts educators and students in our band, choir, orchestra, drama, speech and debate programs.”

Dr. James Weaver, NFHS Director of Performing Arts and Sports, led a live presentation of the award October 1 at Broken Arrow High School, where Davis, associate director of fine arts Adam Foreman and other department staff members received a commemorative plaque in recognition of the school’s outstanding achievements and exemplary leadership in performing arts.

“Presenting the prestigious Performing Arts School of Excellence Award to Broken Arrow High School is a true celebration of the remarkable talent, dedication and passion displayed by the students, teachers and administrators,” Weaver said. “Their impressive accomplishments at the local, state and national levels speak for themselves, and are a testament to Broken Arrow’s unwavering commitment to nurturing the arts and providing a platform for young performers to shine.”

Founded in a tradition of excellence that dates to 1929, the Broken Arrow High School band program continues to solidify itself as one of the nation’s best under Dr. Kelli Pence (director of bands), Scott Tomlinson (associate director of bands), Kyle Hamrick (assistant director of bands) and Adam Wiencken (percussion specialist).

The school’s marching band, the “Pride of Broken Arrow,” is a four-time Bands of America Grand National Champion (2006, 2011, 2015, 2021) and has claimed 30 Oklahoma Bandmasters Association 6A state championships – including the last 21 in a row. It’s also the only high school marching band in the country to be a three-time recipient of the Sudler Shield, an award presented by the Sousa Foundation for international excellence in marching band. Broken Arrow added another Sousa Foundation accolade this past year – the Sudler Flag of Honor for excellence in concert band – and has developed 76 students into Oklahoma all-state performers over the past three years.

BAHS bands have also been featured prominently on several renowned performance stages, including a stand-alone appearance at Carnegie Hall in 2014, as well as at the Midwest Clinic in 2015 and 2016 and the 2023 American Bandmasters Association Annual Convention.

The vocal music program is coordinated by director of choral activities Justin Rosser, associate director of choral activities April Martin and high school collaborative accompanist Christy Stalcup and leads the state in both Oklahoma Music Educators Association (OkMEA) All-State and Oklahoma Choral Directors Association All-State jazz performers.

Broken Arrow choirs have also won multiple Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) Sweepstakes awards over the past decade and have earned hundreds of ‘Superior’ ratings at OSSAA solo and ensemble festivals, while consistently recording first- and second-place finishes at competitions around the United States. The national level of BAHS’ choir resume includes 15 grand championships, along with numerous caption awards for best vocals, best choreography, best ballad, best show design, best band and best soloists.

The choir had its own performance at Carnegie Hall in 2014 and has been the vocal accompaniment for several celebrity artists including Patti Lupone, Sandi Patty and Broken Arrow alum Kristen Chenoweth, who featured the choir on her “Coming Home” album released in 2014.

Under the direction of Kim Ricard, the Broken Arrow orchestra has claimed several OSSAA Sweepstakes awards and achieved ‘Superior’ festival ratings with regularity, while also producing a number of all-district and all-state solo and ensemble medalists.

An OkMEA Honor Ensemble in 2023, Ricard’s orchestra has performed memorable concerts at venues big and small. In addition to playing at Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House, the orchestra held its first-ever “Give-Back Concert” this past year for the community’s assisted-living residents, who were greeted and escorted by the students to the school’s performing arts center. Due to the success of the inaugural event, the “Give-Back Concert” lineup is expected to be expanded for 2024-25.

The BAHS orchestra also plays a key role in mentoring the Broken Arrow String Academy (BASA), a group of more than 50 interested middle school students. High school orchestra members craft the lesson plans and rehearse alongside the BASA students, who also have the opportunity to receive individual tutoring from their senior-high counterparts.

Jeremy Stevens and David Eversole oversee a theatre cohort that has won five OSSAA One-Act Play state championships since 1989, including three titles in four years from 1993 to 1996. Aside from the championship hardware, the theatre troupe entertained the crowd at the 2000 Scotland Theatre Festival in Edinburgh with its production of “And They Dance Real Slow in Jackson.”

Robert Walters heads the speech and debate program, which was recognized as a “Debate School of Excellence” at the 2024 National Speech and Debate Tournament in June and most recently made headlines this past month when it was named to the National Speech and Debate Association’s (NSDA) prestigious “100 Club” for its combination of competitive results, program leadership and service to the discipline.

During the 2022-23 school year, the BAHS speech and debate team qualified for 40 different events at its regional tournament and qualified more Lincoln-Douglas debaters than any other school in the state. The team also won district championships and produced national qualifiers in the Congressional, Public Forum and “Big Questions” debate categories that year, and sent additional qualifiers to the national tournament for the Lincoln-Douglas and US Extemporaneous events.

The success of 2022-23 set up another major achievement the following year, when all Broken Arrow debaters placed in the top 23 out of 400 students in the National Civics Debate Championship all-around individual sweepstakes.

On the merit of his leadership exploits, Walters was unanimously voted NSDA Eastern Oklahoma Coach of the Year in March 2023 and was recognized as an influential teacher by the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics this past year.

“Each of these groups has continuously exemplified creativity, passion, and a commitment to excellence that truly identifies Broken Arrow as a premiere institution for thriving arts programs,” Davis said. “We are immensely proud of all they have accomplished and look forward to continuing this tradition of artistic and academic excellence.”

Broken Arrow High School joins eight other high schools as recipients of the NFHS Performing Arts School of Excellence, including:

2023 – Waterville Senior High School, Waterville, Maine

2022 – West Anchorage High School, Anchorage, Alaska

2021 – Salem Hills High School, Salem, Utah

2020 – Cleveland High School, Portland, Oregon

2019 – Oak Grove High School, Hattiesburg, Mississippi

2018 – Washburn Rural High School, Topeka, Kansas

2017 – Friendswood High School, Friendswood, Texas

2016 – Denver School of the Arts, Denver, Colorado