Arts in Full Swing: Thurgood Marshall’s Fall Festival Returns on Oct. 9

Thurgood Marshall’s Fall Festival, 2024 (File Photo – Felita Kealing)

Thurgood Marshall Secondary School will welcome the autumn season with its annual Fall Festival at 5:30 pm on Thursday, Oct. 9. The event will take place outdoors on the school’s north quad.

By Paolo Calchi Novati and Ishbel Tyler

This open-air celebration will showcase student talent across multiple disciplines, featuring live performances by the band, orchestra, choir, and dance ensembles. Visual art and design students will also display their work, creating a colorful backdrop to an evening of music and movement.

Admission is free. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, picnic blankets, and cozy sweaters. Food concessions will be available in the Casa Grande parking lot, with proceeds supporting the Marshall Arts Department’s upcoming trip to New York City in March 2026. While in New York, students will perform at Manhattan’s Riverside Church and participate in arts workshops across the city.

“Our theme, loosely, is music from the movies, so most selections come from a movie that hopefully people will have heard of,” said choir director Michelle Espinosa, who also teaches AP Music Theory. A combined group of all choirs will join the chamber orchestra for a rendition of the school’s new alma mater, introduced earlier this year as part of the school’s name change from John Marshall Fundamental School.

One of the evening’s highlights will be Principal Lori Touloumian’s performance of “Dance the Night Away” with the advanced dance class, led by dance director Darcy Naganuma. A longtime supporter of the arts, Touloumian has previously performed with the school’s jazz band.

Orchestra director Heather King praised the students’ dedication: “There’s a lot of talent in every single orchestra, honestly.”

For junior Santiago Smith-Ruiz, who will perform with several ensembles throughout the night, the festival is a chance to share his passion. “I’m performing with every group this year, so I’m going to be running around a lot, but I also get to have fun just doing what I love, playing music,” he said.

From jazz to visual art, the Fall Festival promises a vibrant evening of creativity and community “The Fall Festival is an abundance of arts, fun, and performance,” said media coordinator Felita Kealing.

Paolo Calchi Novati is a junior at Marshall. He is a member of Mock Trial and Chamber Orchestra, and as a student-athlete, he plays on the Boys’ Tennis team. He is also a journalist for Eagle Eye News. Ishbel Tyler is a junior at Marshall and a member of the Mighty Eagle Marshall Band and the Animal Conservation Club. As a student-athlete, she plays on the Girls’ Soccer and Tennis team.