Arts Circle of Honor

The Arts Circle of Honor award should honor alumni, outstanding community members, and leaders throughout FRA's history by recognizing the alumni, faculty/directors, and other members of the FRA community whose contributions and achievements have improved FRA's reputation and brought credit to the school.

Achievements by members of the Arts Circle of Honor should inspire current students and FRA community members to achieve their own level of excellence. In addition, the Arts Circle of Honor award should provide a means for communicating FRA's traditions from one generation to the next.

Nomination Criteria

The following criteria will be considered when selecting alumni to be honored:

Eligibility for admission to the FRA Arts Circle of Honor begins the tenth year after the nominee graduates from FRA, or the fifth year after the nominated educator retires from FRA.
Nominees will have made a significant contribution to one or more of FRA's fine and performing arts programs.
The nominee should have demonstrated a sustained interest in FRA and FRA arts between graduation and nomination.
Nominees will have demonstrated integrity in high school or will have a demonstrated track record of significant and positive contributions to society since graduation, or both.
Nominees will exhibit excellence in personal and/or professional life after FRA graduation.
Nominees must have made a significant contribution to one or more of the FRA's fine and performing arts programs.
Selection will be based primarily on accomplishments while at FRA. Some consideration may be given to subsequent achievements in the arts and other areas if they are grounded in the nominee's career at FRA.

Nominate

Selection Process

The Arts Circle of Honor selection will be based on a simple majority of committee members present at the annual selection meeting. Individuals selected as inductees will be notified by the executive committee of acceptance as an Arts Circle of Honor inductee prior to the public announcement. Only the names of inductees will be shared with the public; names of nominees will not be announced.

Recognition

Honorees will receive a commemorative gift and a duplicate of the plaque that will hang in the lobby of the Peach Orchid Hill House. Inductees will be recognized during halftime of the homecoming football game and during a ceremony at the Jazz Cafe held every spring.

Past Arts Circle of Honor Honorees

Ann Marie Gideon '05

Ann Marie attended FRA from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 and began her acting career early as Chicken Little in the first grade play. She was hooked! Throughout lower school, her love for performing grew as she continued to have roles in all of the plays and Grandparents’ Day each spring, as well as afterschool dance classes with Ms. Ballew. In high school, she enjoyed several wonderful leading roles in the plays and musicals, Adelaide in Guys & Dolls and Rosemary in How To Succeed in Business being two favorites. She was also an active member in The Vocal Ensemble and pursued any and all opportunities she could find to be on stage – Evening with Arts, Cocoa and Carols, vocal performances in assembly, etc. Ann Marie participated in Governor’s School for the Arts and interned at Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre. The teachers who influenced her time at FRA the most and nurtured her love of music and theatre were Carole Pieratt, Linda Ballew, David Compton and Brenda Jewell; she will forever be grateful to them for their love and encouragement.

Ann Marie continued her pursuit of the theatre and acting at The University of Memphis where she received her BFA and performed in various plays and musicals all four years with notable leading roles in Shakespeare comedies. She had many opportunities at the university including a Study Abroad Scholarship to the Accademia dell'Arte in Arezzo, Italy, an apprenticeship at The Berkshire Theatre Festival and attended Springboard NYC with The American Theatre Wing.

Ann Marie has now been acting professionally for the last seventeen years. She has been in over forty theatrical productions, two national tours, three television shows, two national commercials, and one feature film (so far). She is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA. She is also an award-winning audiobook narrator and has narrated over two hundred audiobooks including NYTimes and Audible bestsellers.

Ann Marie is so thankful for the wonderful education and support she received at FRA and for all of the opportunities available to her while she was there. It gave her the foundation to believe in herself and pursue a challenging and fulfilling career. Ann Marie currently lives in Atlanta with her husband Joe, also a professional actor and narrator, and her two children, Jack and Liza.

Scott Innis '89

A proud member of the 12-Year Club, Scott’s involvement in the arts was ever-present in his FRA experience. As a student trombonist, Scott attended 17 Honor Bands including two-time principal with the All Mid-State & All State Bands and First Chair in the All State Jazz Band. He was awarded “Best Soloist” at the All State Marching Finals. His senior year, he was chosen to represent Tennessee as a member of the McDonald’s All American Band.

He attended the University of Miami on a full music and academic scholarship and later received his MBA from the University of Central Florida. While at Miami, he was selected to the Disneyland All American College Band launching an entertainment career with The Walt Disney Company. After 27 years at the “Mouse House” Scott has experience as a performer, project manager, leader of leaders, and show producer including parades, stage shows, road shows, dedications, special events, and corporate events.

Annie Sellick '93

Annie Sellick has garnered a lot of media attention in Nashville, including five consecutive "Best Jazz Artist" awards from readers of the Nashville Scene and the top-selling local artist album at Tower Records for a fantastic two-year stretch. She started catching the eye of jazz industry professionals and its players, quickly taking her work beyond Nashville to Los Angeles, New York, Montreal, Europe, and Japan. She has released eight albums under her own label. During her time at FRA, she was in many productions, performed with the choir, and was a part of several upstart programs. Annie was also instrumental in starting drama classes at FRA, and in creating the formal Christmas program we know today as Cocoa & Carols.