Note: A previous version of this story inaccurately referred to Ashley Gorley as a "vocalist and performer." "Songwriter and music publisher" is a more accurate description, so this story has been updated with this change. 

 

The Danville Schools Friends of the Arts (FOA) is pleased to announce the inaugural inductees to the Danville Schools Arts Hall of Fame, a new award recognizing excellence in the arts in the Danville Schools.

The 2024 inductees are comprised of a group of former Danville Schools students and staff whose creative, professional and community work exemplify inclusive arts excellence in the Danville Schools. The inductees are:

• Ashley Gorley: DHS class of 1995, songwriter and music publisher
• William Gravely: Danville Schools 1968-1980, faculty
• Larnelle Harris: DHS class of 1965, vocalist and performer  
• Heather Henson: DHS class of 1984, author 
• Maurice Manning: DHS class of 1984, author and poet 
• Janet Nash: choir director and music specialist Danville Schools 1971-2001 
• Frank X. Walker: DHS class of 1979, author and poet, playwright, visual artist

These seven honorees will be inducted, and their work in the arts will be celebrated, at an hour-long celebration that will take place Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. in the Gravely Hall Performing Arts Center at Danville High School. This inaugural event is open to the public.

With the newly created Arts Hall of Fame, the DISD and FOA celebrate former Danville students and employees and celebrate the many years and varied ways inclusive arts excellence has been integrated into the Danville Schools experience. Inspired by the long-standing Athletics Hall of Fame, the Arts Hall of Fame recognizes former educators and students who both strengthened and grew from the arts programs that existed during their time at DISD.

The Danville Schools Arts Hall of Fame is the only known public school award of its kind specifically focused on practitioners and educators in the arts in the state of Kentucky.

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About Friends of the Arts: Founded in 2018, FOA is a group of educators, community members and Danville parents under the leadership of its chair and the director of arts education in the Danville Schools. Through volunteer work, planning, awards and fundraising, the FOA serve to support, promote, and engage with the arts in the Danville Schools. In recognizing the excellence that has come before, we continue our commitment to high quality arts education for all students in the Danville Independent School District.