By Christy Brayton

North Rowan Middle School

SPENCER — What does it take to get students fired up in an early-morning assembly the week before spring break?

A demonstration of talented and artistic students can do the trick. From interpretive dance to “Hamilton” raps, live art creation and lip syncing, North Rowan Middle School students exhibited their talents in the arts in the school gymnasium.

Ebony Rivers, seventh-grade social studies teacher and cheerleading coach, wanted the week leading up to spring break to end with a bang. She and the School Climate Team, which is in charge of morale at the school, designed a Spirit Week from April 10 to 13. Teachers and students could dress up as their favorite teacher, represent their favorite college organization or sports team, dress as their favorite celebrity, and, on an early-release day, show their Maverick pride.

Blue and white filled the bleachers as teachers, parents and students cheered on classmates in the talent show. In between acts, Rivers asked students to answer trivia questions about their teachers.

Midway through the talent show, the North Rowan High School Marching Band, under director Sir Davis, marched into the gym to get middle school students’ spirits up.

Eighth-graders Shyanne Bryant and Marcayla McDaniel performed Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again,” with Marcayla singing and Shyanne rapping. They took third place in the talent show. Second place was seventh-graders Jaden Geter, Jabari Hogue, Justice Feaster and Joshua Byrd performing a lip sync to “Can You Stand the Rain?” by New Edition. The first-place winner was Michelle Cartwright, who did a ballet, hip-hop and gymnastics mashup. Haylee Williams, a sixth-grader, won the Student Choice Award singing Rachel Platton’s “Fight Song.”

The middle school recently partnered with Fresh Artists, an arts program that helps underfunded and poor schools obtain art supplies and local and national recognition. The first musical, “Aladdin Jr.,” will be presented May 19-21 at North Rowan High. The show will combine the dramatic, artistic and musical talents of students under the direction of art and drama teacher Leigh Ann Alexander and chorus teacher Michael Brooks.

“North Rowan has an amazing number of students with a variety of artistic and musical talent that needs to be cultivated and displayed not only in their classrooms, but also to their peers and the entire community. I’m so proud of North Rowan Middle School students,” said Rivers.

Christy Brayton is the media center coordinator at North Rowan Middle School.