33 years and counting: talented young artists grow their skills at Tri-District Arts Consortium

The arts make a difference. That has served as the theme of the Tri-District Arts Consortium (Tri-DAC) for over 30 years.

Formed in 1985, Tri-DAC has offered fi

ne arts summer programs to rising sixth through rising ninth grade artistically gifted and talented students in Lexington-Richland School District Five, Lexington School District One and Richland School District Two. This year, the program was hosted by the Palmetto Center for the Arts at Richland Northeast High School from July 2 – 21, 2018.

“I could cry just thinking about how m

uch this program means to me. I’ve been involved with it since the beginning and it has evolved so much,” said Tri-DAC director Donna Wilson. “It gives students, who may not even know, talent and opportunity to discover it. We find that our students are multi-talented. So many students have benefitted from the

program and have gone on to have careers in the arts. We are thrilled to continue this tradition!

Over 500 students were admitted into the program this year after going through a selection process. For three weeks, students had the opportunity to choose from creative writing, dance, music, theatre and visual art.

William Davis, a rising seventh grader at Dutch Fork Middle School, is spending his summer learning new music on saxophone and said the Tri-DAC experience has given him confidence as he enters a new school and band class next year.

“I have learned so much from professionals and the teachers here at Tri-DAC,” Davis said. “We have learned how to play more challenging pieces. I know for a fact I am already a better saxophone player from just a week of learning here.”

School District Five coordinator of gifted programs Tami Richardson says the reason Tri-DAC has become so successful is because of the family atmosphere.

“Tri-DAC has become synonymous with School District Five. It’s who we are,” Richardson said. “This is a program that our students are excited f

or every year. When I go through the car rider line, I have parents tell me how excited their children are to attend a program like this. We are fortunate tha

t our district has been a part of Tri-DAC since the beginning and we look forward to many more years to come!”

The student’s final showcases in dance and vocal m

usic will begin Thursday, July 19 at 6:30 PM at the Irmo High Center for the Arts.