Idyllwild Arts welcomes students back

Saturday, Aug. 31, was move-in day at Idyllwild Arts Academy. Our record-breaking 322 students from over 30 different countries also had Sunday and Monday that week to make new friends and reunite with old friends before classes began on Tuesday, Sept. 3.
Many of the weekend events began with recitation of the Idyllwild Arts Land Acknowledgement: “Idyllwild Arts respectfully acknowledges the Qawishpa Cahuillangnah (also known as Cahuilla Band of Indians) and all nine sovereign Bands of Cahuilla people who have stewarded this land throughout the generations.”
Cahuilla stewardship of the campus land was celebrated at an evening gathering in Holmes Amphitheatre, where the Cahuilla Bird Singers performed and a number of students and teachers danced with them.
The Holmes Amphitheatre gathering also featured dinner on the lawn, introductions of faculty and staff, and an hour of student performances.
The town of Idyllwild’s statesman-like Mayor Max — the handsome dog in the snappy necktie — dropped in at an outdoor reception for parents that Saturday.