The Pageant of the Arts is a combination of four competitions for high school students in the areas of art, dance, music, and speech. The competitions are held simultaneously in a building complex at Loyola Marymount University which includes an art exhibit space, a music auditorium, a dance studio and an adjacent building for the speech contest. Individuals and teams compete for 1st, 2nd, 3rd place and Honorable Mention in each contest.
Each club in the District can enter one student in each area of competition. Some clubs conduct their own competitions in order to send the top winner to the Pageant. However, it is not necessary to host a competition. Clubs may have their local high school, boys & girls club, or YMCA nominate a student to compete in any one of the areas of competition. Attending the Pageant is an awesome experience as you see the wonderful talent that is brought to the event.
District Rotarians are strongly encouraged to attend this dynamic event. We also invite the top winners to attend either the District conference or a District breakfast to showcase their talent. It is important for clubs to begin the process now to identify possible high school students for these competitions.
In 1911, Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary, wrote an article entitled “Rational Rotarianism” which can be summarized as follows: “Life in Rotary should be a rational mixture of business, civic activities, and good fellowship.” Rotary Means Business Fellowship was created to encourage Rotarians to network among themselves and to find ways to do business and support each other. An original intent of Rotary was for like-minded business professionals to amplify their fellowship and through association strengthen businesses as well as their communities.
