Two minutes after the clock strikes noon each Friday, the static facade of the Durham School of the Arts is swarmed by a sea of movement. Although seemingly chaotic during this weekly frenzy, within the walls of DSA, where the students become ordered and directed, a symphony of talents emerges. Julia and Sauncia are both seventh graders at DSA, and participate in theater, orchestra, and for Sauncia, dance. It is this combination of diverse interests and opportunities, that make the experience of a single day at DSA both intensely challenging and uniquely gratifying.

I deeply enjoyed photographing both Julia and Sauncia, and getting to know them as people. Both are incredibly kind and intelligent. Moreover, they are fully engaged in a school that pushes them to explore a curriculum that reaches far beyond the simple. Through their singular voices, I enjoyed witnessing the dynamic stretch of their days as they pushed themselves to embrace the improvisation of risk taking, the cacophony of exchange, the stillness of reflection, and the choreography of friendship.