Fine Arts

Odenton Christian School (OCS) is pleased to announce the OCS Fine Arts Invitational. This event will be hosted at OCS on two separate dates in March. Competition for High School students – Grades 7 through 12 – will be held on March 7, 2014. Competition for Elementary students – Grades 1 through 6 – will be held on April 4, 2014. Competition will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. Students need to arrive by 8:30 for opening devotion in the gym area. It is our goal to have preaching and awards ceremony conclude no later than 3:00 p.m. (Lord willing). Lunch will be provided and is included in the student’s entrance fee.

We would like to offer Fundamental Independent Baptist Christian schools an affordable and quality opportunity to compete in a wide variety of categories in a godly atmosphere with high Biblical standards. Friendly competition, scriptural emphasis, and rewarding Christian fellowship for staff and students is also our goal. We realize this is a very difficult task, and ask for your patience, participation and prayers as we undertake this endeavor.

The cost of the competition is minimal. Each participating school will pay an entrance fee of $50.00 per event day to cover costs such as postage, duplication and printing. Each participating student will pay an individual fee of $5.00 for Elementary students or $6.00 for High School students. These fees are intended to cover the cost of the noon meal and student award ribbons. All fees are due prior to competition, and participating schools are to provide one payment (i.e. check) sufficient to cover fees for their school and all of their students.

Competition will be held at Odenton Baptist Church and Christian School, 8410 Piney Orchard Parkway, Odenton, MD 21113. OBC recently completed construction of a new education building with 14 classrooms, and an auditorium capable of seating 400 with a paved lighted parking area for over 170 vehicles. To facilitate competition we also have a gymnasium, second assembly space, music room, twenty five classrooms, five pairs of restrooms, and ample office and administrative space. We are excited to be able to use our facilities and staff to the glory of God in fine arts competition.

Competition is open to Fundamental Independent Baptist Christian Schools by invitation only, and to home school students who are members in good standing of a Fundamental Independent Baptist Church operating under the umbrella of a qualified church or school. We trust that any school wishing to compete will be able to do so, but reserve the right to accept or deny schools on an individual basis. This competition is not affiliated with any state or national organization (i.e. AACS), and does not qualify participants to compete at a higher level.

The schedule for the day will be as follows. Arts, crafts, and sewing entries should be delivered to OCS the day before the competition by 4:00 p.m. for judging that evening. Judges and Coordinators will meet at 8:30 a.m. on competition day. Schools may arrive between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m., a devotion in the gym for the students will start the day off at 8:30. Competition will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. Upon arrival, schools will be given a schedule for the day with times and locations of each event. Students are responsible for finding their way to their events. Lunch will be available to participating staff and students at noon, and an awards assembly with preaching will take place at approximately 2:00 p.m. It is our desire to conclude the final assembly no later than 3:00 p.m.

Each participating school must be willing to make staff and other individuals available to serve as judges, monitors, helpers, etc. OCS will oversee the organization and conduct of the overall competition. In general, each school is asked to make one staff member or qualified adult available for every eight to ten participating students.

Standards are important to us, and while we sometimes find it impossible to assure that every person in our buildings are properly attired, we ask that your students, staff, and parents working in the competition agree to comply with the dress standards found in the competition Guidelines. We also insist that any decision that we make regarding dress standards be adhered to graciously.

A rule book with judging forms (Guidelines) has been published for both days of competition and is posted on this website. These Guidelines have been adopted from competition which has taken place for many years in a Christian school group in the West, and will continue to be modified to meet the needs of our competition. If you have questions, find something unclear or missing, or see a need for adjustments, please bring these things to our attention as soon as possible.

If your school would like to participate in the 2014 OCS Fine Arts Invitational, we need to be notified of your intention to compete. At that time we ask that you would indicate which dates you plan to attend (High School on March 7 and/or Elementary on April 4), approximately how many students you expect will compete each day, and the number of staff members and helpers you could provide to assist in judging each, monitoring students, etc. Once you have declared your intention to compete, registration deadlines and other information will be provided.

You may contact Debra Shafer, the OCS Fine Arts Invitational Coordinator, in one of the following ways:

Email: Dshafer@ocs1.org Phone: 410-305-2380 (church/school office) Phone/Text: 443-538-2038 (coordinator’s cell phone) Mail: 8410 Piney Orchard Pkwy, Odenton MD 21113

The time is short. Act today to promote the competition among your students, and make plans to attend. This event is an opportunity that we hope you will eagerly accept. If we can do anything to help, please let us know.