About acGATEWAY

2023 acGateway is open to CURRENT Aiken County Public School students in grades 3-12.  It is an intensive summer arts opportunity for your child.  acGATEWAY is designed to serve students who excel in the visual and performing arts. The program offers theater, creative writing, dance, music, and visual arts. Creative writing is only open to middle and high school students. 

Students will spend 13 (elementary) & 15 (middle) days of their summer, Monday through Friday, completely immersed in their arts area.  Middle/High students outside of the Theater discipline may have the opportunity to participate in a theater “Production” as well.  At the end of the program, performing arts students will present their work in a showcase on stage, and visual arts students will have their artwork set up gallery-style for all to see. All students will receive a grade for their work in the program and must maintain at least a C average in the acGATEWAY program to continue to attend in following years. Students who have completed grades 8-11 will receive one honors fine arts credit for their work in acGateway. This credit can only be awarded once. 

acGATEWAY is a high-paced program, where students accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Classes are intense and require focus and dedication. In order to preserve the integrity of the program, the rules and policies laid out in this document have been established and are expected to be upheld by students and guardians alike. Please read this entire document carefully before completing an application to participate in the program.  

All students who were accepted into the program in past years will be eligible to participate this year and will not be required to re-audition. ALL students, returning or new, are required to submit an application.  If though, a student desires to change disciplines, re-auditioning for their new discipline is a requirement.

Please review the application, and contact Dr. Kimberly Fontanez with further questions.  KFontanez@acpsd.net

Program Details

Elementary-

Dates: June 12th - June 28th (Monday through Friday)

Times: 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM

Middle/High-

Dates: June 12th - June 30th (Monday through Friday)  

Times: 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM

Important Dates

Monday, November 14^th – Application Available via District Website and School-Based Coordinators

Monday, December 12^th – Applications Due Virtually via District Website or In-Person to School-Based Coordinators

Monday, January 9^th – Audition Times Sent Via Mail

Saturday, January 28^th – Auditions @ Kennedy Middle School

Wednesday, February 8^th – Audition Results Released via Mail

Friday, March 10^th – Permission to Attend Paperwork Due

Saturday, June 10^th – Move-In Day for Staff @ Kennedy Middle School

Monday, June 12^th – First Day for Students @ Kennedy Middle School

Wednesday, June 28^th – Elementary Showcase – 7PM – Last Day for Elementary Students

Thursday, June 29^th – Middle/High Showcase – 7PM

Friday, June 30^th – Middle/High Program Ends – Staff Move-Out Day

Audition Process and Expectations

Auditions are an important part of the acGATEWAY program. All new students must audition for their chosen discipline.  Each arts discipline has different audition requirements. Due to time limitations we cannot hold special auditions for students who cannot make their assigned date and time.  Students who wish to change disciplines must re-audition or continue within their original area of study from the previous year.  Students who were previously accepted into a particular discipline are not required to re-audition for that discipline.

Audition Location:  Kennedy Middle School, 274 East Pine Log Road, Aiken, SC 29803

Audition Day:  Saturday January 28^th – Auditions @ Kennedy Middle School

Audition Times:  Students will be notified of their audition times through a letter sent via mail by the acGATEWAY Director.  School-based coordinators will also have this                                             information.

Audition requirements specific to each arts area are included in the application.  

Please contact Dr. Kimberly Fontanez KFontanez@acpsd.net with any questions, comments, or concerns.  We look forward to seeing you and thank you for your interest in our program!