F.A.D.E.

Fine Arts Diploma Endorsement
(F.A.D.E.) Program

The Fine Arts Diploma Endorsement (F.A.D.E.) program is unique to the Bishop McNamara High School Community. This program serves to refine students' talent and skill, cultivate a community of respect, appreciation, and understanding of the arts, and acknowledge students' dedication to the Fine Arts throughout their high school career.

Students who graduate with the Fine Arts Diploma Endorsement receive a notation on their transcripts, a special certificate at the Senior Honors Convocation, and a F.A.D.E. Honor Cord to wear at graduation.

The F.A.D.E. Program requires specific Fine Arts coursework as well as attendance and participation in school and community performances and art exhibits. The students are also required to attend the BMHS Guest Artist Series; each Colloquium features artists of various art forms. During their senior year, students of F.A.D.E. will share their individual talents with one another, the underclassmen members of the F.A.D.E. Program, and members of the BMHS community at the F.A.D.E. Senior Showcase.

Throughout the three years enrolled in the program, students take time to meet artists of all backgrounds, experience performances and exhibits of all genres, and learn from teachers and peers at BMHS, broadening and enriching their fine arts experience.

For program Requirements - go to BMHS Fine Arts Diploma Endorsement Program Requirements

2023 - 2024 Guest Artist Series Dates

Soul in Motion - September 18, 2023

Soul in Motion

Monday, September 18, 2023

6:30 PM

BMHS Fine Arts Theatre

Soul In Motion is celebrating 39 years in the arts. For almost 4 decades, Soul In Motion has presented the beauty and richness of the African-American culture with diverse audiences. Soul in Motion was founded in 1984 by Percussionist Michael Friend (Executive Director) and is led by Associate Director Pam Lassiter.

Website: https://simpinc.org/about/

Khaleshia Thorpe-Price - November 2, 2023

Khaleshia Thorpe-Price

Thursday, November 2, 2023

6:30 PM

Mona Center, Bishop McNamara High School

Khaleshia Thorpe-Price is the Owner and Master Teaching Artist of Dramatic-Play. She has worked in the field of arts education for over 20 years. She is a versatile creator and educator. She aims to dazzle participants with the love of play and creative exploration. She is a Master Teaching Artist with Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning through the Arts and she is a Maryland State Arts Council Roster Artist. In addition, she has facilitated residencies and workshops for children and adults throughout DC, Maryland and Virginia. She has worked with many organizations including, Folger Shakespeare Library, Shakespeare Theatre Company and the Ford's Theater. Khaleshia is the Maryland Director for Teaching Artists of the Mid-Atlantic (TAMA), a network that advocates for, empowers, and supports Teaching Artists throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. She has a BA in Theater Arts from Morgan State University and an MA in Arts Management from the University of Central Florida.

Artist in Residency - November 27, December 4, 11, & 18

Artist in Residency - Khaleshia Thorpe-Price

Mondays, November 27, December 4, 11, & 18

3:00 - 4:00 PM

BMHS Fine Arts Theatre

Participants will explore a historical event and experience multiple theatre-based strategies that will differentiate the pre-writing activities and the overall narrative writing process as we create, refine, and perform original monologues.

This workshop will conclude with students performing the monologues they created. Other students will record the event digitally through video and photo. This colloquium brings everything together in the Arts: Historical Study, Theatre, Visual Arts, Media Arts, and Creative Writing.

The String Queens - January 18, 2024

The String Queens

Thursday, January 18, 2024

6:30 PM

BMHS Fine Arts Theatre

Praised for its authentic, soulful, and orchestral sound, The String Queens (TSQ) is a dynamic trio that creates stimulating musical experiences that inspire diverse audiences to love, hope, feel, and imagine! With an array of repertoire spanning from the Baroque era to the Jazz Age to today’s Billboard Hot 100 Chart, TSQ performs versatile programs that take listeners on a rousing musical journey through time and a multitude of musical genres.

Based in Washington, D.C., TSQ has been featured in performances at renowned concert halls and venues across America, including Carnegie Hall in New York City and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the nation’s capital. Notable appearances include a special performance dedicated to Vice President Kamala Harris at the “We Are One” Presidential Inauguration Concert in January 2021 and rendering a spotlight presentation of TSQ’s electrifying arrangement of Harry Styles’s hit song “Golden” for the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament “The Championships, Wimbledon” in June 2021. As an ensemble who frequents the D.C. jazz scene, other headlining performances include multiple appearances at the DC Jazz Festival and the Capital Jazz Fest.

In August 2022, TSQ released its third album titled “RISE”, which was made possible by a Sphinx Organization MPower Artist Grant. With this album, TSQ sought to sonically address the problems that are currently plaguing the world by creating unique arrangements of timeless classics rooted in hope, joy, peace, and love. Featuring original compositions by Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Richard Smallwood, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, and more, “RISE” takes listeners on a musical journey that starts in a field of loss and hopelessness and ends in a fortress of faith, triumph, and fortitude.

F.A.D.E. Senior Showcase - February 8, 2024

F.A.D.E. Senior Showcase

Thursday, February 8, 2024

6:30 PM

BMHS Fine Arts Theatre

This presentation will feature our current senior members of the F.A.D.E. Program as they showcase their primary focus in the arts. This is a wonderful evening to celebrate the hard work, dedication, and talent of our senior class. Enjoy a wonderful evening of Art, Dance, Music, and Theatre.

Mikayla Baumgartner - February 29, 2024

Mikayla Baumgartner

Thursday, February 29, 2024

6:30 PM

Mona Center

Mikayla Baumgartner, a 2011 McNamara alum, is currently based in New York City. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Visual Merchandising and Business from VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University) in Richmond, VA. During the spring semester of her junior year, she studied abroad at the University of Westminster in London to focus on International Marketing and Art History. There, she had an internship at a fashion showroom, where she learned a lot about the industry. After graduating in 2015, she began working in sales at Nordstrom. In 2016, she briefly left to help a friend expand their company. Once she returned to Nordstrom and realized she wanted to find a more creative position, she expressed her interest in the Visual Merchandising team. After becoming a Seasonal Merchandiser, she earned her full-time spot in the spring of 2018. A year later, she moved to Nashville with the company to take on her new role as Topshop/Topman Specialist. When COVID hit and the store shut down, Mikayla moved back home to be closer to family. In the spring of 2021, she moved to New York for her current position on the Visual Production team at Nordstrom’s flagship store.

Outside of her full-time job, she does freelance work as a Stylist and participates in a work-study at a local ceramic studio. She also focuses on her own creative work, from painting and sculpting to conceptual art and fashion design. In her free time, she likes to do yoga, dance, and explore the city.

Guest Artist Series

The Fine Arts Department is proud to present this series of guest artists each year. We invite visual artists, dancers, instrumentalists, singers, actors, and/or other artists to come and perform for and talk with our community. This series also serves as our Fine Arts Diploma Endorsement Program Colloquia.

This series is open and free to all members of our community. Each evening will consist of a performance, presentation, and/or discussion, followed by a question and answer period for our community.