Shaping Future Stars in Johnston County Schools

Sarah McLamb: [00:00:00] My motivating factor to just try was, arts education is so important to me as a person. it really helped me all the way through my life. My grandfather is a musician, so I’ve been involved in music my entire life. It’s so important. Like, I said, the executive function that you learn. And So, I started looking around and it gets harder and harder for teachers to keep the motivation, to feel like there’s somebody there on their side, somebody to help them that they can call. And I was like, I want to love teachers. So in this role, I get to love teachers and I get to love arts educators.

And, That really is my why. I wanna be able to be there for them. I want to give them support that they need to do what they do, because I think that what they do is so important. It’s so much more important than anything I’m ever gonna do. I just want them to have the opportunity to do it.

Right,

Narrator: Welcome to another episode of Best of Johnston County, brought to you by Breeden Law Office. Our host, Jonathan Breeden, an experienced family lawyer with a deep connection to the community, is ready to take you on a journey through the area that he has [00:01:00] called home for over 20 years. Whether it’s a deep dive into the love locals have for the county or unraveling the complexities of family law, Best of Johnston County presents an authentic slice of this unique community.

Jonathan Breeden: Hello and welcome to another episode of The Best of Johnston County podcast. I’m your host, Jonathan Breeden and today we have the Johnston County Public Schools Fine Arts Specialist and my neighbor, Sarah Fawn McLamb here to talk to us about what is going on in the Fine Arts of the Johnston County Public Schools, the different programs they have, how your child may can get involved if they’re interested in this, and some of the partnerships that the Johnston County Public Schools has made with the other arts. and other community programs in the Johnston County and even in Wake County and how your family can get maybe involved in some of those as well. Welcome, Sarah.

Sarah McLamb: Thank you for having me.

Jonathan Breeden: No problem. So [00:02:00] hopefully I got that kind of a long title. You do a lot of things. So let’s start with your name and what you do.

Sarah McLamb: All right. So I’m Sarah Fawn McLamb. I am the K 12 fine arts teaching learning specialist for Johnston County public Schools and so mainly my role is just knowing the North Carolina arts ed curriculum and helping facilitate it with our arts ed teachers in the classrooms.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. I didn’t know there was an arts ed curriculum, but what is involved in the North Carolina arts ed curriculum?

Sarah McLamb: I am so glad that you brought that up. So a lot of people don’t realize we do have state standards. I’m actually lucky enough and blessed enough to be on the writing team for one of the ensembles team for the North Carolina standards, we are getting new arts education standards that will be implemented more 25, 26, but it’s so important. I think, that people know that we do have arts ed standards. So we have music standards, dance, theater, and visual arts standards. They tie in literacy components. So I know a lot of the things that are going on right now, we’re hearing [00:03:00] about LAS and we’re hearing about letters. And the great thing is that in the arts education standards, a lot of those things are already inherent.

So a lot of what we’re doing in our classroom is supporting what those students are doing. I spent the bulk of my career as a music teacher and music is math. My kids all the time. We’re saying, oh, my gosh, I understand fractions now. So we’re learning about rhythm. They’re learning how to read music.

They’re making the connection between time signature note value and, just that arts are great on their own. But theater dance, visual art does a lot with learning how to look at spatial design and the value of the color, the saturation. So arts are just great. We have high standards, rigorous standards in high school.

We have 2 proficiency levels that are inherently honors. So if they have arts ed, elementary and through middle school, they can potentially start freshman year in an honors level arts class, depending on you know, conversations with their feeder school teachers and where they are in those standards.

So, Yeah we’re academic.

Jonathan Breeden: Yeah, well, I knew it. I mean, you know, growing up in the North Carolina Public Schools, I always [00:04:00] had music all the way through elementary school and I was in the middle school band in Laurinburg, North Carolina. And I didn’t want to practice. So I decided to be a tuba player because I couldn’t take the tuba home.

I probably was the worst tuba player in all of Laurinburg, but it was fun and I learned a lot and let it go with that. But my sister was in the marching band and if you follow Scotland High School and marching band, they wear the kilts and they’ve been in the Macy’s parade.

And I’m definitely familiar with how well that was. And of course my office and I’ve been Sponsors of the bands around here for many years, Cleveland High School Band, West Johnston’s Band. We sponsored the Cleveland has not had a Cleveland High School has not had a acting program or really a course program the last few years. it’s kind of been,

Sarah McLamb: They do. but

Jonathan Breeden: Was there a time they didn’t have a course teacher?

Sarah McLamb: So, the course program did not open when the school opened. Okay.

That’s okay. It was pre COVID. But now they have Mr. Miller there and he’s fantastic. He [00:05:00] serves on the North Carolina state choral board with me through NCMEA.

And he’s also our district three president. So he’s doing a great job. They’re growing that program. it kind of got off the ground right before COVID. And then you have to rebuild. We’ve all had to go through some rebuilding but he does amazing things. He’s doing a choral showcase coming up where he’s going to give an opportunity to a lot of feeder programs.

He’s collaborated with the elementary and middle school programs that feed into him to have concerts together. So I think you’re gonna start hearing a lot more about it.

Jonathan Breeden: Well, yeah. I know, I, I was asked to sponsor their play last spring, I think. They did a musical and I don’t remember the name of it. Legally Blonde, I think.

Sarah McLamb: I think so.

Jonathan Breeden: I think it was legally blonde.

Sarah McLamb: I try to remember all eight high schools and all the shows they do, but they all do such a good job at all the different shows. I know Beauty and the Beast was at West this year. Clayton’s getting ready to do high school musical. I know that there’s more, and I’m so sorry if I’m not saying all your names, but you can go to the fine arts website and all of our school shows [00:06:00] are listed there so that the teachers are able to send their dates in to me. So, if any parents are watching, or if you’re in the booster club and you don’t see your dates on the calendar, there’s a little link at the top.

Make sure that the teachers click that link and send me their dates.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. And so what is that website?

Sarah McLamb: So, if you go to the Johnston County Schools website, departments, you’ll click on fine arts.

It doesn’t really have like,

Jonathan Breeden: Yeah. Right. It would be,

It’d be like a hundred letters.

Sarah McLamb: Or if you search JCPS fine arts, we also have Twitter, Instagram, Facebook.

Jonathan Breeden: Yeah. I was so happy that they were doing a musical at Cleveland High School when they asked me if I wanted to sponsor. I’m like, yes, because they’ve not done very many there. And I know you said they had to rebuild the program and my wife and daughter went and they had a great time and said it was very good and a lot of talent.

It was in that show. So I was happy to be able to support those things. And as I am the bands, I love high school bands, even though I was not in a high school band, I love watching high school bands and I know somebody has to do it. Yeah, you know what I mean? because they’re doing so much.

Sarah McLamb: It’s a lot, [00:07:00] right?

And not just chorus and band are, phenomenal. And Chorus is where my heart is because I did chorus for so many years, but I tell you what, our theater and our dance and our visual art teachers, they’re also doing so much and for so little. And I just think, sometimes they’re getting their own paintbrushes.

They’re getting their own paint. And I am excited. We’ve watched our dance programs double in the last few years. So we just had two dance teachers for a long time. We now have four of our eight high schools have dance programs. So Corinth holders West Johnston, Smithfield-Selma and Clayton high school all have high school dance programs now. Oh,

Jonathan Breeden: That’s great and I, sponsored the triple S band and Spartan thunder, which is awesome.

Sarah McLamb: They just performed at showcase.

Jonathan Breeden: Oh my goodness. Spartan thunder is great and they did the Michael Jackson show last year. And I got to go see that at their big showcase event they did in May.

And that was phenomenal. Brian Jones extremely talented band director and his team there at triple S and if you’ve not seen Spartan [00:08:00] Thunder, go to YouTube, search Spartan Thunder while you’re searching for Best of Johnston County podcasts and find that Michael Jackson show and some of the things they’ve done.

I’ve seen drum shows in Scotland at the tattoo and all this stuff. And I will put Spartan Thunder’s drum show against any drum show I’ve seen. And I’ve seen some great thumbs drum shows. It is phenomenal. The talent at triple S and what they do there. And they get a lot more publicity than some of the other ones because they’ve been around a long time and they’re flashy and all that, but it’s really amazing to watch Spartan Thunder and the triple S band.

And of course the Cleveland high school band and all of its awards and national awards that they win and a lot of talent there too.

Sarah McLamb: And we did have the Corinth Holders band just went to London. They marched in the New Year’s day parade in London. So we have a lot. The Princeton High School Band, they do just about every parade and South Johnston.

They really [00:09:00] are there for their communities. North Johnston High School as well. One of my favorite events that y’all can watch for in September is all of the bands come together and they all do their halftime show and it’s open to the public. So the Joko Expo that triple S hosts and all of our Choral and bands at elementary to high school level.

We do have all counties as well that are open to the public. So we do in November high school chorus and band and high school art gallery. So that’s the all county honors events in the fall in the spring. This weekend, we have the middle school, all county honors chorus. It’ll take place and then in may we have the elementary all county honors chorus, and they will have the all county art gallery there as well.

And then we already had in February, the middle school band and all county art gallery. So we added the art galleries this year. Previously, it was just band and chorus that we’re doing all counties. And now we have it all three grades spans and we’ve added the visual art. I talked to the strings teachers this morning.

We were at the North Carolina symphony with the fourth graders. I know many of [00:10:00] you probably have taken that trip.

Jonathan Breeden: is a trip. That’s been a thing Johnston County has done forever.

I know COVID stopped, but I talked to people that have been around. I didn’t go to school with Johnston County, but like people have been doing that for a long time.

Sarah McLamb: We went as a county a lot in the 90s and then it fizzled out. And then, so last year we brought back that it’s like a whole county we try to go and the schools are able to opt in. A lot of times it just depends on dates, but we’re so large now, we don’t fit on one date. So we have one big date that we just fill the whole.

Jonathan Breeden: Oh, my goodness.

Sarah McLamb: And then We’ve got four satellite dates where three to four other schools go. We’ve grown so much. So it’s awesome to get to see the kids and they do such a great job. They teach them some of the conducting patterns and they teach them the elements of music and the different Sections of the Orchestra.

So I just love what I, you know, When I was in fourth grade, I went with Millbrook Elementary, I was the Wake County kid. That’s when I knew my job had to be music. Like, I knew I loved music. I knew my job had to be music there. I didn’t figure out what my job would be until I got older and into high [00:11:00] school.

So it’s really cool for me to see the kids go to this event. And I’m like, this is that’s why I’m here.

Jonathan Breeden: Oh,

that’s great. That really is great and I think it’s good for children to get exposed. But maybe concert hall is extremely nice. It’s as nice a concert hall or a theater as I’ve been in you know what I mean, I’m fortunate enough that I get to go to theaters and Deepak and you know, I’ve been to a fair number of Broadway shows and stuff, but I would put my Mandy. It’s as good as any theater that I’ve had a chance to be in.

And for children to be able to go in there, like a lot of kids would not get that opportunity just to go in there, be in that theater. The ornateness of it and see some of the greatest musicians in the world. North Carolina theater is comparable to anything. I mean, The North Carolina Orchestra is one of the top orchestras in the entire world.

I don’t know if people realize that, but they really are. You don’t know what that may spark for a 9 or a 10 year old.

And

Sarah McLamb: the The education series is phenomenal. There aren’t a lot of [00:12:00] state orchestras that go to the extent that they do to provide the education series. So that’s really awesome.

Jonathan Breeden: Yeah. They really do and then they’ve done that forever. That’s been part of the calling of the work on sympathy for a long time and I still enjoy for as long as I can remember on July the 3rd, they play at the Garner fireworks. Yep. At Lake Benson Park.

It’s always on July the 3rd and that’s a free concert that you can go and see them every year, 99% sure they’re probably doing it in this year. So, if you don’t want to buy a ticket, which can be a little expensive, they do a free concert on July 3rd at Lake Benson park in Garner.

so what are some of the. programs we, the bands, I think get, they’re the highest profile. They play the games, they go to the competitions, they’re out raising crazy amounts of money for their bands. We know Spartan thunder and stuff like that. What are some of the more unsung programs that are in Johnston County that are doing well that people might not have heard of?

Sarah McLamb: I don’t think we have a single [00:13:00] arts educator or program in our county that isn’t just giving everything they have to run their programs. All 8 high schools of the traditional high schools. They all have a choral program as well. About half of the middle schools do. We have middle school bands. One of the middle school band directors just did like, a 20 year reunion concert and had kids come back from all the years and play.

Like I said, we have. our visual art students are winning state competitions left and right. And we try to put all this on our social media. Sometimes the algorithms don’t algorithm. So I’m like, tag us so we can share you. Right. Right.

Um,

but you know, even our elementary programs.

I know Riverwood Elementary, they go and sing at the Mudcats. They open the game with National Anthem. All the time we’ve got a couple elementary groups that they do bucket drumming, or they have recorder choirs, hand belt choirs, and like I said we have the dance programs, and theater is really starting to take hold.

We now have two middle school programs that are active all the time, and then we have a third one that just started this year that he’s starting to build. So really we’ve got all four areas now. Growing about 130 arts [00:14:00] educators in the county.

I mean,

Jonathan Breeden: that That’s great. I know Cleveland middle school just did a play, which is great.

Sarah McLamb: Yeah, and their chorus teacher is their theater teacher. So she is pulling the load for both courses does a fantastic job. They just did Willy Wonka.

Jonathan Breeden: Right. They did Willy Wonka and the

Cleveland middle school got a new band director about 18 months ago, I think.

Sarah McLamb: maybe two years.

And

Jonathan Breeden: They’ve done a really good job at the previous mayor director had done a great job there too. And I’ve been fortunate enough to be a sponsor, maestro sponsor of middle school. I really believe in what you’re trying to do and these programs and what they do for children. Because, not every kid is going to be 6’1 and playing on the football team.

You know what I’m saying? Like, they’re not right and this is just more opportunities for children to find their passion to be able to excel whether they’re physically big enough to play football or basketball or there’s something for every child has a talent.

And those talents need to be [00:15:00] nurtured and the fine arts gives them so many different ways to do that. That’s why I’m so happy that Johnston County Public Schools has embraced this and it’s put as much money into it. Because a lot of your funding is not state funding. You get some local funding too, to make this possible, right?

Sarah McLamb: We’re creative in how we find ways to bring opportunities to the students. I think, the more opportunities that we can provide and work toward the more partnerships that we can make. We’ve been lucky like for The Symphony this morning, the curriculum department was able to help with the admission.

And Then we got a grant from The Symphony for the transportation. I work with Martha at the Clayton Center. She helps provide opportunities for K 12 experiences in the theater as well. So, if the students can’t get into. You know, If they’re not 4th grade and they don’t go to The Symphony, there’s other opportunities there.

Johnston County Arts Council does a lot for us. They actually just did a teacher gallery to remind them that arts educators are artists too. Most of us when you major in [00:16:00] an art, you have to double major in education and whatever your discipline is. So we’re all either musicians or artists in our own right. So just reminding the kids, your teachers are experts in this field and it’s not just learning an art or a skill, but it’s the executive function that comes with it. You’ve seen the, mean with the iceberg and you’ve got the show and then you have all the prep. So, having the kids on the journey of the logistics, how do you make a program?

How do you do the word processing to create that little fold? What about copyright law? We learn about that. We learn about licensing. It’s college and career prep on top of the art and they’re learning all of that. But yeah, I wish I could shout out every single teacher that’s in Johnston County doing art.

They do so much. Like they just support being human and being productive and that’s why I love it. No,

Jonathan Breeden: No, that’s great

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Jonathan Breeden: I mean, and through COVID and everything, y’all have had some turnover in the arts. With all other teachers, right? Have you filled all the positions you have to fill or are, are you still got some openings you’re trying to fill?

Sarah McLamb: We would love a new art teacher. We do have a position at one of our middle schools, and they can find that on the Johnston County website at careers. But we pretty much have kept our positions filled. Sometimes somebody has to move away because of a spouse or something.

And that’s the same similar situation there where it was a moving away situation. But we’ve added some art positions, we have the new arts ed graduation requirement coming up. It went into effect with last year’s 6th graders where all students grade 6 through 12 will need an arts ed class to graduate.

So I think we’re in good track for that. Everybody is supportive in my office. We’re able to talk about, okay, this is what’s coming down. What are the logistics of making it happen? Becasuse it’s not just, we have to do this. It’s [00:18:00] how do we do it? Where do we do it? What order? Does it need to happen? So I’m really lucky.

I I love my CIA team. I’m in awe of all the specialists, no matter what subjects we have math, science, reading specialists, and that just, I like to watch them give their PD to, I learn a lot. We do have a countywide PD where the arts educators come together too. And it’s just, it’s a family,

family.

Jonathan Breeden: What is PD?

Sarah McLamb: Professional Development.

Jonathan Breeden: Right.

Sarah McLamb: So continuing education, just to keep our teaching license and keep it active. We have so many credits we have to obtain on our cycle. Like a lot of other professions we’re lifelong learners. So, we work together to create those opportunities and each of the disciplines meets at least quarterly. Most of them meet monthly. And then we meet at the beginning and end of each year as a whole team and just kind of celebrate each other, support each other, share best practices and collaborate. I love the collaboration. Even at showcase, when the art teachers came to hang their work, they were walking around.

Oh my gosh, I love this. How did you do this project? What did you tell your students to do [00:19:00] for this project? And just right there, I was like, I need to write this up for Professional Development, the best practices, the sharing, supporting each other. Were so blessed in Johnston County to have the arts educators that we have.

Jonathan Breeden: I don’t disagree. I there, All the ones that I’ve interacted with have been really phenomenal and I enjoy watching the bands and seeing the artwork that’s around if you go to the state fair, Johnston County always has a lot of winners at the state fair. You see the art there.

Sarah McLamb: Clayton Women’s Foundation or Center, they do an art show every year. And some of the kids that go into that, they go on to state level competitions as well.

Jonathan Breeden: Right. That’s phenomenal. So if you have a child who might be interested in this, I mean, how should they get in?

What’s the first thing a parent should do to maybe get their child into these different programs. Whether it be the band or chorus or any of that. What’s the first thing a parent should do?

Sarah McLamb: Every single elementary school has music and visual art and they have that anyway.

Most of our middle schools have at least two to three different arts education courses available. [00:20:00] So I would say, when they go to registration, talk to the teachers, talk to your school counselors, when you’re signing up for classes, there are novice and beginning levels for any of the disciplines.

I had a senior one time who was in beginning chorus. He had never sung before and I had, a lot of athletes. Athletes are really good dancers and show choir. Those football and soccer players, their footwork, they’ve got, and guess what? Coaches will help them with their footwork. and show Claire too.

But, I think that’s the most important thing for parents to know you can do both. You can take AP classes and arts ed classes. You can be an athlete and a performer and an artist. And I loved that we used to collaborate together. The band and the chorus would do the National Anthem at homecoming.

We would wear whatever our uniform was, but the football players stayed in their uniform. The cheerleaders stayed in uniform. The ROTC cadets stayed in their uniform. If we had girls that were also in band and in chorus, they would hold their instrument and sing so that the community can see.

You can do more than one thing and we collaborate, we talk to [00:21:00] each other. That’s the most important that you can do both and communicating and just letting them know. And like I said, there’s a beginning level for anything. If you are a junior right now and you were like, maybe I should have sung in chorus, go do it, go sign up.

We have beginning chorus for beginners. You never know. Same thing with band. I’ve never heard a band director say, no, we’re not going to help you find an instrument to play. Like They will find a way and dance theater. There’s a beginning level at any course. Go try.

Jonathan Breeden: No,

Sarah McLamb: no, no doubt.

Jonathan Breeden: It’s never too late to start and you can continue on with it. And There’s tons of even when you get out of school, or if you want extra help, there’s tons of private teachers in and around Johnston County. That’s the one good thing about being in a fairly large county like Johnston County and being right next to Wake County with a million people or whatever, is that, there’s other people, there’s voice teachers, there are dance instructors, dance academies there’s gymnastics.

There’s so much, you know, anything you want and you want to spend your money on, you can find in Johnston County. If Johnston County doesn’t [00:22:00] have it, Wake County for absolutely sure has it. So, I guess when did you transition in Israel? I know for a long time you, taught at Corinth Holders High School.

When did you become this director?

Sarah McLamb: So, I was at Corinth Holders for about a decade. I started there in 2011. I was the choral director there and they posted this position and several arts educators that I know we were all like, what should we do?

and so, you know, there were all, you know, some of us that, that decided to go for it.

I just, for me, My motivating factor to just try was, arts education is so important to me as a person. It helped me all the way through my life. My grandfather is a musician, so I’ve been involved in music my entire life. It’s so important. Like I said, the executive function that you learn. So, I started looking around and it gets harder and harder for teachers to keep the motivation, to feel like there’s somebody there on their side, somebody to help them that they can call. And I was like, I want to love teachers. So in this role, I get to love teachers [00:23:00] and I get to love arts educators.

And, That really is my why. I wanna be able to be there for them. I want to give them support that they need to do what they do, because I think that what they do is so important. It’s so much more important than anything I’m ever gonna do. I just want them to have the opportunity to do it.

Right, right, right.

Jonathan Breeden: I know that they started doing these community days at the high schools in the fall. Mm-Hmm. . Mm-Hmm. .

And,

um. Celebrate the community and, I’ve been to those definitely want to Cleveland High School several times and you get to see what the elementary school courses would be there.

The middle school courses would be there. The middle school bands would play. and That’s another way for the community to interact with the fine arts and school. you know, I have kids at school go in the fall, every high school has one they’re in September, October, they’re from like 9 to 1.

They’ll usually have the fire trucks out there too and things for the kids to do, but I would encourage anybody to just go get involved. Even if you don’t have kids in the schools, like to see what’s going on in the fine arts and see the talent. And it’s [00:24:00] really enjoyable. And you will not go to that event and watch those courses or the middle school band or any of that and not leave a smile on your face.

it’s impossible,

to go and not, and my kids have not been in, those programs, but I still go and watch and support them and leave a big smile on my face. Every year, I try to go to the one at Cleveland High School if I can. It’s really a good thing. You’ve done a great job. The school system, school board, Dr. Bracey, everybody in Johnston County, at least from my perspective, seems to be committed to find us the fact that this position exists and that you’re in it and they invest in you to have this position to create a coordination among the 32 schools, I guess there are, I think is important too.

Sarah McLamb: I definitely feel like it’s a blessing and a dream every day. I’m so thankful. Like I said, we just did showcase and that’s a partnership with the Johnston County Ed Foundation and JCC and Dr. Bracey even comes and he’s our emcee and the kids love seeing him and it’s [00:25:00] just very special.

To have all of that support and to have those events and to have sponsors like you, thank you. And I’m going to say, you know, sponsor our groups. A lot of them have booster clubs. You don’t have to be a parent to help their programs out. That’s how they’re able to provide a lot of these opportunities to the students.

Even my elementary teachers that have courses put together, that’s all volunteer hours, that’s all outside of school. So when you go out and you see them perform, Just have that in the back of your mind that teacher either got there early or stay late to make that happen. And that’s happening with a lot of the teachers, chorus, dance, theater, all those musicals, that’s all volunteer time on the teachers too.

So I just think it’s really special that we have people that love it. You know, and sponsors are always right.

Jonathan Breeden: No, that’s awesome.

and Sarah Fawn has used the word showcase several times. That is the showcase of the stars. It happens every March in Johnston County. And that is where all of the schools send their fine arts programs were at chorus and stuff.

Every school participates in some level and [00:26:00] it’s almost like the world’s biggest talent competition. They do it here lately. Now that COVID is over and the Johnston County Community College auditorium is now remodeled and is now completely modern. And When I was on the, you may not know this.

I was on the board of trustees of the community college when we had to decide, could we raise the money to remodel the auditorium? Or were you going to have to tear it down?

And literally that because it was in such bad repair, there were safety issues with it. Fortunately Dr. Johnson, the former president was a visionary and came up with an idea for us to get a bond that the commissioners agreed to the county approved, the voters approved, and we were able to redo the auditorium and build the student success center as part of that same complex there on the community college campus. But I know y’all do that every year. This year, it was three separate shows to get all the kids in there. And I think it’s, is it free?

Sarah McLamb: No, they do sell tickets. So the Ed Foundation sells tickets [00:27:00] and the proceeds to help it all goes right back to Johnston County schools. Some of the grants, some of the scholarships that they’re able to provide come through that. There’s also ways that the performing ensembles are able to earn a little bit as well.

They do the t shirt sales and then we have the broadcast network. Copyright is very expensive. I know you probably know a lot about licensing law. So just to sell a DVD, you almost can’t afford to sell it when you pay all the licensing. So we have the broadcast network now that’s linked and we’ll be able to put all of the shows on there and let the teachers know so you can watch them there and stream it.

And then that helps with the licensing and it helps go back to the programs that perform, but I tell you the real show, the best seat in the house is backstage.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Sarah McLamb: So First of all, you have the outstanding staff at JCC and all those lights and all the fog and all the colors, but seeing the kids, especially the littlest ones, when they come around the screen and they see like all the pulleys and the ropes and all the people running around in headsets, making it all happen.

And they’re like and then even [00:28:00] at rehearsal, one little boy said, is this for us? This is all for you. You are a star. I’d rather watch that. Like that backstage and they dance when the group before them is on and they’re living. That’s the best seat in the house is backstage.

Oh, that’s awesome.

Jonathan Breeden: That’s awesome. That’s a great program that they’ve been doing for a very long time and I know that’s going to continue. We’re recording this in March of 2024 and it has just happened. Be looking for that next year, come March of 2025 and just find one of the three shows that they do and go see those kids.

Because it really is amazing. I think people don’t realize is I’ve gone to my wife taught high school for a long time. You know that, and I would go to those performances that we recognize the talent of the football players and Amari Hampton is a Cleveland person. He’s now one of the nation’s leading rushers at Chapel Hill.

He’s probably going to NFL next year, but there are people that can sing and dance and act as good as he plays [00:29:00] football at Cleveland High School right now that I know, and I don’t think people are aware of that. So if you get a chance to go to one of these plays, you will see people that are just as talented. But this is their talent, not being able to run a football and run over people.

Sarah McLamb: Which is still talent.

Jonathan Breeden: Which is still talent.

Sarah McLamb: My sons are athletes and my husband coaches. So we love our athletics.

Jonathan Breeden: Right? But I think the public sometimes loses sight that the kids in the arts are just as talented in their own way. And should have people go watch them and support them and what they’re doing and developing their talents.

Sarah McLamb: Yes. I try to make it easy. Like I said, we have the date calendar. So we have a bitly link and it’s JCPS fine arts calendar, but it’s also linked on all of our social media. I try to post each Monday this week in fine arts. So you can always find a show just about every week of the year.

There’s at least one to two shows somewhere at one of our 49 schools.

Jonathan Breeden: That’s great. [00:30:00] All right. Well, I could talk to you all night, but we’ve been talking here for a while. So I’ll ask you the last question I ask everybody, which is what do you love most about Johnston County?

Sarah McLamb: The community,

you know, I,

your neighbors.

so we, you know,

our community area, just that my kids have a family of kids that come over. If they’re not eating out of my pantry, they’re eating out of yours. Sometimes we’ll just text each other. Okay, whose pantry are they in today? But just to have that, that the kids can grow up with that. The community within the school system.

I love that we have countywide, like I said, PLC is Professional Learning Community. So the teachers get to know each other. A lot of the teachers live in the community. I used to joke, I didn’t want to live in the same area as my students. But you know, more and more teachers do enjoy living in the community, seeing the kids.

And think that’s really special, And it’s really rare. I don’t think anybody that lives here day to day realizes how rare that is. That we’re proud of our community and of each other and we support [00:31:00] each other and it’s like a family.

Jonathan Breeden: Well, that’s awesome. That’s awesome. Well, We’d like to thank Sarah Fawn McLamb for coming on today to The Best of Johnston County’s podcast.

If this is your first time listening to our podcast, feel free to like, subscribe, or follow this podcast wherever you’re seeing it on Apple, Spotify, YouTube YouTube or any of our social media channels so that you’ll be aware of future episodes of The Best of Johnston County podcast. The Best of Johnson County podcast comes out every Monday.

So every Monday you should come back and look for new episodes where you will hear more interesting guests, like Sarah Fawn McLamb and if this is your first time listening, go back and listen to some of the previous episodes where we’ve had Patrick Harris, Johnston County Commissioner, Donna White, Johnston County State House Representative, Hanley House, Johnston County’s Miss Teen America have also been on this podcast as well as other people like Dr. Tim Sims, a dentist about what you can do to help your dental health. So [00:32:00] all of these things to let you know about what is available here in Johnston County and what is so great about Johnston County. So, please continue to listen and follow and like and subscribe and if you do enjoy this podcast. Please give us a five star review down at the bottom wherever you’re seeing it.

It will help us with our visibility. So more people will find out about The Best of Johnston County podcasts until next time. I’m your host, Jonathan Breeden. Thanks a lot.

That’s the end of today’s episode of Best of Johnston County, a show brought to you by the trusted team at Breeden Law Office. We thank you for joining us today and we look forward to sharing more interesting facets of this community next week. Every story, every viewpoint adds another thread to the rich tapestry of Johnston County.

If the legal aspects highlighted raised some questions, help is just around the corner at www. breedenfirm. com.