Congratulations to our arts programs and clubs for some very well-deserved recognition during the 3rd quarter. Thank you to all our students and teachers for your hard work and dedication! Great things are going on at DSA!
Band
MS and HS School Wind Ensembles and Symphonic Band all received Superior Rating at MPA’s
At the Carolina Jazz Festival DSA received the Outstanding Jazz Combo award
DSA had three students accepted to All-State Honor Band and two students to All-State Jazz Band
Battle of the Books
High School Battle of the Books teams won their regional competitions and are headed to the state
Chorus
DSA Chamber Ensemble – Superior Performance Rating at MPA
DSA Cantabile and Bass Ensemble – Excellent Performance rating at MPA
DSA Chamber, Cantabile, and Bass Ensemble – Superior Ratings in Sight Reading at MPA
DSA 8th Grade SA chorus Superior Performance and Sight-Reading rating at District MPA
20 High School students and 29 Middle School students participated in Evening to Shine
Creative Writing
The 2025-2026 edition of DSA's award-winning literary magazine, Portraits in Ink, is complete and has been sent off to the printer. The magazine features writing, art, and multimedia from over fifty students across all grade levels.
The 2024-2024 edition was recently recognized as "First Class," by the National Council of Teachers English, one of only five schools in North Carolina to receive this distinction.
Dance
DSA Middle School dance won 1st place in jazz, contemporary, and best dancer at the NCASA dance festival.
DSA High School dance was awarded 3rd place overall, 1st place in Jazz, 1st place in hip-hop, 3rd place in student choreography, and 4th place in contemporary
Film:
DSA filmmakers had 5 films accepted to the Running Bull Film Festival, sponsored by The Carolina Theater.
Two DSA films won for Best Narrative and Best Documentary.
Game Art Design
We had a student winning 1st place in the 3D Modeling Animation competition at the Camel City Game Jam this past weekend.
Guitar
Guitar earned a superior rating in the 1st state-sponsored NCMEA Guitar MPA.
Hosted Buffalo Nichols for a workshop that 50+ students were able to attend.
Orchestra:
Philharmonic, String, and Chamber – received straight Superior ratings from all judges at both Durham Orchestra Festival and Music Performance Adjudication.
10 Orchestra students were selected for Regional Orchestra.
Piano
We had a student in win the Elite International Piano Competition for the state of North Carolina and will be performing at Carnegie Hall on May 17th, 2026.
DSA Piano Department hosted Van Cliburn Bronze Medalist, Evren Ozel, in a Masterclass for Students. Students also participated in a Masterclass with Dr. Melinda Masur, Steinway Artist and head of the piano department at Stanford University.
Theater
We had 22 students score SUPERIOR at the State Thespian Conference and are eligible to compete at the International Thespian Festival. 2 of those 22 students were the BEST of their category in the State.
DSA's One Act score a SUPERIOR at the State Thespian Conference
DSA was 1 of 10 schools Nationally selected to perform in the Opening Ceremony at the International Thespian Festival. We will be performing Livin' It Up on Top from our Production of HADESTOWN: TEEN EDITION.
We hosted our first Mentorship production at the Durham Public Library. DSA theatre students mentored 30 elementary school students and created 4 15-minute productions with their group of students.
