✨An Evening to Shine: A Moment in the Sun for Our Kids — Let’s Bask in Their Warmth ✨

DPSF board member Brittany Gregory and her child sit and gaze on at the DPS students performing during the 2025 Evening to Shine.

Editor's Note: This reflection was written by DPS Foundation board member, Brittany Gregory.

Across Durham, there are children quietly rehearsing lines and lyrics in the hallway, practicing choreography in living rooms, sketching late into the evening, humming melodies on the bus ride home. There are teachers staying after school for practices and to calm nervous hearts and families offering one last encouraging whisper before curtain call.

An Evening to Shine is where all of that invisible work becomes visible. It is a moment in the sun for our students — and an invitation for the entire community to bask in their warmth.

These extracurricular events are not add-ons. They are not side notes. They are what cultivate the next generation of creators, innovators, storytellers, engineers, teachers, and leaders. The arts give our children something deeper than applause. They give them a voice. They give them confidence. They give them the courage to stand in their own light.

When a child walks across the stage at DPAC, something shifts. Their world gets bigger; possibility feels tangible. They see that their effort matters. Their talent matters. Their presence matters.

And Durham shows up.

Why the Arts Matter — Especially Now

Arts education strengthens academic outcomes, yes. But it also strengthens something harder to measure and more important to protect: joy.

In a time when schools face real challenges: budget strains, workforce pressures, families navigating uncertainty — moments like this remind us what is still beautiful and worth fighting for.

The arts:

• Build confidence and public speaking skills

• Strengthen collaboration and problem-solving

• Foster empathy and cultural understanding

• Create lifelong memories for families

• Anchor students to something hopeful and expansive

Extracurricular experiences like An Evening to Shine are often the very spaces where children discover who they are becoming. They are where a shy student finds their voice. Where a creative spark becomes a calling. Where families sit in the audience and see their child not just as a student — but as an artist.

This is how the next generation of creators is formed.

Paying It Forward: The Durham Way

Not every family in our community has the means to attend. That’s the honest truth. Ticket costs, transportation, and everyday pressures can create barriers.

But here’s what makes Durham special: We take care of our neighbors.

Paying it forward means ensuring that every family who wants to be part of this night can be. It means purchasing an extra ticket. Sponsoring a student.

Donating so that another parent can sit in the audience and feel the swell of pride that comes when their child takes the stage.

It is more than a financial gift. It is a communal act.

Paying it forward allows families to be part of something bigger than each of us. It says: Your child belongs here. Your joy belongs here. You are part of this story.

There is more than one way to shine that night.

You can:

• Gift a ticket for a family

• Make a donation to support scholarships and future opportunities

• Simply show up and cheer loudly

Each act illuminates the way we care for one another.

Pay it forward at shinedps.com/tickets.

Lean Into Joy

We are allowed to hold two truths at once. Our public schools are navigating complexity. They deserve investment, advocacy, and sustained attention.

And they are also filled with brilliance and limitless potential. 

An Evening to Shine is a reminder that amid the strain, there is still song. Amid the pressure, there is still dance. Amid uncertainty, there is still a child stepping into the light.

Let’s lean into joy.

Let’s bask in their warmth.

Let’s make sure every family who wants to be there can be.

That is the Durham way.

🌟 Join us for An Evening to Shine: Where the Future Shines Bright

February 24, 2026 | 7 p.m. | DPAC

Learn more and give forward at: shinedps.com 

Together, we shine brighter.

Did you know? This event raises money for the Durham Promise Scholarship. Learn more about our scholarships, visit bullcityschools.org/scholarships.