1. The Arts Educators at Penn-Griffin School for the Arts

2. Christina Jones
Holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has performed with the UNC-G Wind Ensemble and Greensboro Community Band. She has taught privately and has had students participate in All-County, All- District, and Honors Bands. She is currently a member of the National Association for Music Education and the Central District Bandmasters Association.

3. Jennifer Gee
Is currently in her 4th year as Choral Director at PGSA and in her 11th year of teaching. She serves as the Director of Music at Christ United Methodist Church in High Point. She earned her Bachelor of Music from East Carolina University and Masters of Music from Louisiana State University. Mrs. Gee enjoys focusing on vocal technique in her teaching method to ensure students get the most out of their voices. She enjoys performing for community events and teaching private lessons during the summers.

4. Amelia Renee Byrd
began her studies in dance at Peggy Holden Armstrong’s School of Dance. Upon graduating high school, Amelia continued her studies in dance at The University of Memphis; obtaining a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Theatre and Dance and a Bachelor of Professional Studies in Dance Education. Amelia graduated from UNCG receiving a Masters of Fine Arts Degree in Dance/Choreography and has worked as an adjunct lecturer in ballet and modern dance at NC A&T and UNCG. Amelia also performs and tours with JOYEMOVEMENT; a North Carolina based dance collective. Amelia is excited to be the Dance Instructor at Penn-Griffin School for the Arts and looks forward as she continues to teach children the fine art of dance.

5. Mike Connors
Teaches high school guitar and harp. He holds a Master of Music Degree from the University of South Carolina. He has studied guitar in Spain, and harp in Scotland and Ireland. He has been teaching classical guitar at Penn-Griffin since its inception in 2003, and started a traditional harp class in 2010, available as an honors elective for all high school students. He was awarded the High Point Mayor’s Award for Arts Educator of the Year in 2012, Guilford County Arts Educator of the Year 1st runner up in 2010 and 2015, The National Character Educator Promising Practices Award in 2015, and a North Carolina Regional Artist Grant to study harp and tour Ireland in He has won prizes in at least 18 harp competitions including 2nd prize in the US National Scottish Harp Championship in 2010 and Mr. Connors served on the board of directors of the High Point Community Concert Association, has been a featured guitarist in the Piedmont Artists Concert Series, serves regularly as guest clinician and adjudicator at guitar and harp festivals, and recently presented workshops at the Somerset Harp Festival in New Jersey and the National Character Education forum in Atlanta. He and his students maintain an active performance schedule and have made several live television and radio appearances. His first CD Castles, Caves, and Stones; Scottish and Irish Music for Solo Harp was released in 2012 and is available worldwide.

6. Jane York
Has been the orchestra director at Penn-Griffin since She graduated from UNC-G with a degree in Music Education with a concentration in violin and viola performance. She is certified as a Suzuki violin instructor and received her National Board Certification in She has been a member of the Greensboro Symphony, Winston-Salem Symphony, Charlotte Philharmonic and the Philharmonic of Greensboro where she served as concert master for 19 seasons. She performs regularly as a violin and viola soloist and as a member of many ensembles. She was a violin and viola teacher at The Music Center of Greensboro, taught violin at Arts and Basics Pre-School, and has been a string orchestra director in New Hanover County Schools and Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.

7. Stan Grady
Is currently Director of Advanced Piano Performance at Penn-Griffin School for the Arts, where he has taught for 11 years. He is also the Director of Music at Forest Hills Presbyterian Church, where he has served for 34 years. He has a Bachelor of Science in Keyboard Performance and a Masters of Science in Computer Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He also spent 3 summers at Julliard School of Music in New York. For 30 years, prior to coming to PGSA, he served as Chairman of Information Systems at Forsyth Technical Community College. He has concertized as both a pianist and organist, and has served as adjudicator for numerous musical competitions. Mr. Grady is married and has a son and a granddaughter. He enjoys swimming, tennis and gardening, but his passion is teaching students to play the piano and organ.

8. Devan Ward
A twenty-five year veteran teacher, is the Theatre Arts Teacher. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English, Theatre Arts, and a Master’s in Education in Theatre Arts from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Ms. Ward has built two award winning theatre programs at Morehead High School in Eden, NC, and Asheboro High School in Asheboro, NC. She directs over thirteen shows a year at Penn-Griffin including NCTC competition plays, full length shows and musicals, student written original plays and Children’s Theatre. She has also been employed by the Randolph Youth Theatre Company for eight years. After winning the CC Lipscomb Directing Award in 2000, she was asked to sit on the committee to design the theatre arts curriculum in NC. She has served as a judge for theatre students at NC Governor’s School for nineteen years. Her recent addition to teaching middle school classes and sponsoring a middle school drama club has reinvigorated her career.

9. Richard O’Hara
Graduated from Clemson University in 1994 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Sculpture. He graduated from the University of North Texas with a Masters in Fine Arts in Printmaking. He attained his teaching licensure from Eastern New Mexico University in Portales in He taught in Alamogordo, New Mexico until He is a working artist in several Media venues and has taught at PGSA since the spring semester in the school year.

10. Growing
Scholars
and
Artists