It was a star-studded evening at the Greene County High School auditorium Monday as the second annual Fine Arts Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony took place.
Four individuals and one acting ensemble were inducted. Penny Johnson Hogan was a 1976 Scranton High School graduate who was a two-time all-state performer as a vocalist. She will be retiring from being a vocal professor at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor on May 10th. She has also directed and performed professionally and has been named on the Outstanding Young Women of America list.
Ryan Van Gilder was a 2001 Jefferson-Scranton graduate and was a two time all-state selection his junior and senior years for trombone. He is currently a lecturer in trombone and jazz studies at Colorado State University Pueblo. Dan Rasmussen was a 2006 J-S graduate who qualified for all-state choir four times. He is the choir director at Liberty Public Schools in the Kansas City, Missouri metro. The other individual inductee was Michael Hoskins, who is a 2011 J-S graduate. Hoskins qualified for all-state six times with five individual events and group improv. After serving in the Iowa National Guard for 12 years, Retired Captain Hoskins talked about his reaction to being notified about being a Hall of Fame inductee this year.
“Last year when I saw them release that they were going to be doing a Fine Arts Hall of Fame, I was really excited for all the people and the inductees that I saw come through with Teresa Lawler (2023 Hall of Fame Inductee), I didn’t get her as a teacher but I saw her come through and I thought that was well deserved, and man maybe, just maybe would I get to be a part of that with what I did for speech? When (Activities Director) David Wright called me a couple of months ago, I didn’t think it was true.”
Finally, the acting ensemble of Sara Vantaggio, Matt Morain and Andrew Hoyt was officially inducted for having earned the Critic’s Choice Award at all-state for large group speech, which is the highest honor in each of the speech categories at all-state. Hoyt described the larger picture of what the Fine Arts Hall of Fame is about and that he is now a part of.
“Celebrating the arts and the great arts education that has happened here in this county. We’ve had so many incredible artists come through here and so many incredible teachers and coaches who have helped to cultivate that sense of artistic appreciation and creative expression. This is great that this is going on.”
Hoyt is currently the founding head of school at Portage School of Leaders, which is a public charter school in South Bend, Indiana where he earned his doctorate degree. Vantaggio was a missionary, Bible teacher, a children’s minister and worship leader for 19 years in Rome, Italy after high school. She currently works at Siouxland Christian School in Sioux City. Morain has a doctorate degree in communication, rhetoric and professional communication from North Carolina University and is the Associate Creative Director of Copywriting for Red Hat Inc.
Following the induction was the senior music awards and concert where the band and choir performed their respective songs that earned each ensemble a Division I-rating at the Iowa High School Music Association State Large Group Festival. Click the link below to see the YouTube recording of the livestream induction program.