Stanhope Elmore High Launches First Violin Class, Seeks Funding

Stanhope Elmore High School introduced a violin class this school year and has moved quickly to raise funds to increase its instrument inventory. On January 2 the school launched a DonorsChoose campaign to purchase an additional violin, a step teacher William Boartfield said is needed to broaden participation.

“We are currently one-to-one on violins,” Boartfield said. “Adding additional violins to our inventory will increase the number of students who can participate in our newly created violin class.” The program is the first of its kind in Elmore County Schools, bringing a string curriculum to students who previously had limited access to orchestral instruction in the district.

Boartfield noted that students arriving from other districts often came with string experience that Stanhope Elmore could not support until now. “String programs are pretty rare in Alabama, but they are plentiful in much of the rest of the country,” he said. That absence has meant that families who value orchestral training have faced either purchasing costly instruments or forgoing the experience for their children.

Superintendent Richard Dennis praised the initiative and framed it as part of the district’s broader commitment to fine arts education. “This program is an exciting step forward for our students,” Dennis said. “Any time we can expand their creative opportunities, especially in a field as powerful as music, we’re investing in their confidence, their discipline, and their future.” District backing signals administrative recognition that arts programming contributes to student development beyond academics.

For Autauga County residents, the new violin class highlights both opportunity and ongoing inequities. Access to school-owned instruments can make arts education attainable for students from lower-income households and can prevent arts participation from becoming an extracurricular available only to families who can purchase equipment. The fundraising drive is intended to keep the class accessible regardless of a family’s ability to buy an instrument.

Community members who wish to support the Stanhope Elmore violin program can donate through DonorsChoose at donorschoose.org. As the program develops, its success will depend on local support, sustained district investment, and a continued focus on ensuring that creative education is available to all students in the county.