The quad at La Jolla High School (LJHS) will transform into a vibrant Mecca of visual and performing arts for its “Celebration of the Arts” festival on April 21 from 1 to 4 p.m. as part of the high school’s 90th anniversary celebration. Interactive art, like a community chalk la strada, musical and theater performances, and a tented art village will entertain guests at every turn with activities for all ages. “We have not had an event of this kind for 15 years,” said event chairwoman Beth Penny. Penny said the event was designed to be part of the 90th anniversary celebration of La Jolla High School “to acknowledge the gift of the arts in our schools.” Proceeds from event purchases and donations will fund the school’s departments of visual and performing arts (VAPA) to help offset the cost of supplies. Students and instructors have been hard at work over the school year rehearsing theater and musical performances, readying art pieces for the show and spearheading collaborative projects for showpieces to be displayed on the school grounds. “During the eight months of planning, we have been impressed by the joy and energy and creative thinking we have experienced while working with the faculty and students in the visual and performing arts departments,” Penny said. Here are a few of the activities to enjoy at the festival: • Kids and adults alike can help fill the sidewalks surrounding the quad with vibrant color in the community chalk la strada, an Italian-inspired, collaborative street-chalk creation. • Guests can try their hands at the pottery wheel with ceramics instructor Paul Marcus at the Mud Fest pottery station or channel their inner artists at the Collaborative Abstract Painting Station. • Community talent will be put to the test at the festival’s Gong Show, a mini-talent show where people will showcase their abilities in short, one-minute contests at the festival’s outdoor stage. • Thespians can express themselves by reciting their own poetry or prose by their favorite poet at the Orator’s Soap Box. • Musical performances by the Madrigals, Jazz Vocals, Varsity & Jazz Band, highlights from “Grease,” and tunes by the top three winners of the LJHS air band will liven up the afternoon, as will street buskers and strolling entertainment from the drama department. • The La Jolla Alumni Association will display an extensive collection of alumni memorabilia in the school’s library, showcasing decades of historic photos, yearbooks and school newspapers dating back to 1925, old sport and academic team trophies, and books authored by LJHS alumni. School supplies and alumni apparel and gifts will also be available for purchase at the Viking Store to help raise funds for the school’s beloved programs. • The festival’s tented Art Village will feature a wide array of the latest works from studio art, woodshop, photography, ceramics, auto shop classes and the robotics club. • Prizes in the festival’s art raffle include coveted artistic treasures, like a handmade Adirondack chair created by woodshop instructor Jerry Mattio. To sign up for the Gong Show or Orator’s Soap Box, email Penny at [email protected]. For more information or to contribute to LJHS’s VAPA department, contact the Foundation of La Jolla High School at www.ljhs.sandi.net/foundation or call (858) 551-1250.