By Victoria C. Carrion-Toledo
Herald Intern
As students sat cross-legged on the floor at Midway Elementary School of the Arts, their attention fixed on their teachers, the room buzzed with energy and excitement to learn.
In classrooms filled with crafts, music, dance and performance, the arts are more than just electives, they are a way for students to discover confidence, creativity and belonging.
“Once you put a child in the water that they’re supposed to be in, they swim,” said Maya Murphy, a staff member at Midway who oversees the school’s step team and sponsors a performing arts summer school called Expressly You. “Watching children who come in shy turn on once they find their place, that’s what we call the Midway magic.”
“Hi, Ms. Murphy,” a student said with a smile as she passed by and went to hug her.
Walking through the hallways of Midway, the warmth was unmistakable. Students were eager to be there, to learn and proud to be a part of a school where their creativity is celebrated.
Located in Sanford, Midway Elementary School of the Arts is a district-wide magnet school within Seminole County Public Schools that integrates arts education into its core curriculum for grades K-5. According to the district, it is the county’s only elementary arts magnet school and focuses on using the arts to enhance student’s academic, social and emotional growth.
The school’s dance program plays a key role in that mission.
Dance Instructor Brittany Campbell said the goal of the program is to help students build creativity and confidence from an early age. Younger students explore creative movement and foundational skills that support motor development, while older students begin learning more structured styles such as ballet, jazz, hip-hop and tap.
“That's like the time period for imagination and building their confidence within the form,” Campbell said. Participation is high, with hundreds of students rotating through dance instruction throughout the school year.
However, dance programs can come with significant costs, including lessons, competitions and costumes.
While Midway receives support through grants and programs such as those from the Foundation for Seminole County Public Schools, PTA support and organizations such a DonorsChoose, staff say additional resources are often needed to support programs like dance, which require costumes and production materials.
Often, many performances relied on simple outfits.
“I would say they were limited in what they could wear,” Campbell said. “A lot of times we have the students just wear all black because that's something that they mainly have.”
But costumes can transform the experience for young performers, empowering confidence.
“When they put on the costumes, it's like they become a different child,” Campbell said. “It helps them understand who they are in the bigger picture.”
Community support helped change that.
Christine Adorno Rivera, a parent volunteer at Midway Elementary, helped connect the school with costume donations from the nonprofit Dance Fairies.
Adorno, who was named the 2025 Adult Dividend of the Year by Seminole County Public Schools for her volunteer work, said she wanted to expand opportunities for students involved in the arts.
“Dance and art programs are important, they give an outlet for the kids to feel special,” Adorno said. “Inspiring them to have goals and dreams.”
Many families at Midway face significant financial challenges. According to GreatSchools, about 86% of students come from low-income families.
“Most of our families at Midway qualify for free and reduced lunch,” Adorno said. “Purchasing dance costumes is simply unaffordable.”
After reaching out to Dance Fairies, the school began receiving boxes of donated costumes.
“Dance Fairies delivered beyond our wildest dreams,” she said.
Adorno estimated that nearly 500 costumes have been donated to the school this year alone. New costumes can cost between $300 and $500, while used costumes may be valued at around $100.
“When the boxes arrive, it’s like happiness in a box,” she said. “The smiles and excitement are heartwarming to see.”
She also shared costumes with other schools in the district, including Goldsboro Elementary Magnet School and Millennium Middle School.
At Goldsboro Elementary, staff said the donations helped support their after-school dance team.
“We had been in a costume crunch,” said Annalisa Mena, a staff member who sponsors the team. “A wardrobe initiative is not something we have tackled yet nor have the budget for, as we are not a performing arts school.”
Adorno Rivera provided at least 100 costumes to Goldsboro’s new dance team.
“When our girls look through these boxes of donated costumes, they aren’t just articles of clothing,” Mena said. “They’re magical gateways for our girls to become whoever they want to be in that moment.”
Adorno says her daughter tells her, “Mom this is like Christmas.” She says, “she will take this with her forever.”
Murphy said programs like these allow students who might not otherwise have access to arts opportunities to explore their creativity.
“Students who normally would not be able to afford ballet lessons or other programs are able to experience them here,” Murphy said.
Murphy added that participation in the arts often leads to stronger engagement in school.
“They’re excited to come to school,” she said. “They don’t want to miss it.”
Campbell said she hopes students carry the lessons they learn in dance far beyond elementary school. She said, “I really hope they remember the community, like the impact of coming together, teamwork, because that’s a skill that’s going to follow them along with confidence.”
“I hope they believe they can do anything they put their minds to,” she said.
