Fine and Performing Arts
About Us: Department of Fine and Performing Arts
Welcome to the Dover Public Schools Department of Fine and Performing Arts. Led by Janet Gaynor-Matonti, our department is dedicated to providing equitable access to arts education, empowering students to explore and express their creativity while understanding the human condition.
Our Mission
The mission of the Dover Public Schools Fine and Performing Arts Department is to provide all students with rich, equitable opportunities to participate in the arts, to cultivate a deeper understanding of the human experience, and to find joy through artistic exploration and performance.
Our Goals
Expand Access and Participation
Ensure all K–12 students have equitable opportunities to engage in diverse fine and performing arts experiences—both curricular and extracurricular—by increasing program availability, removing barriers to participation, and fostering inclusive learning environments.
Deepen Artistic and Cultural Understanding
Develop students’ appreciation for the arts as a lens for understanding the human experience by integrating culturally responsive instruction, offering interdisciplinary learning opportunities, and promoting critical and creative thinking across all grade levels.
Enrich Creative Expression and Performance Opportunities
Provide students with meaningful opportunities to create, perform, and showcase their artistic work through concerts, exhibitions, productions, and community partnerships that highlight the joy and value of artistic expression.
Recent Successes and Projects: Fall Events
- Annual Hispanic Heritage Festival
- Novartis Hispanic Art Show
- Murder Mystery Dinner Theater
Collaborations and Innovations
Dover High School is proud to be in our fourth year of the award winning Adopt-a-School project at Paper Mill Playhouse. This is a four year, four phase, arts-in-education program which partners select students from New Jersey high schools with Paper Mill Playhouse, the state theatre of New Jersey and the winner of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award. Currently entering its 35th year, the project has been cited by The Kennedy Center and by Stage Directions Magazine as one of the nation’s ‘Top 10’ arts education programs. On December 11th our students attended a spectacular production of Frozen at Paper Mill Playhouse, and we look forward to attending two more shows this season, Come from Away and West Side Story. This superb opportunity has been a fantastic experience for our students at Dover High School, and we are thrilled to be a part of it!