Ruth Donagher

NJ Thespians – Lighting Design

Ruth Donagher is a senior at West Orange High School and is very honored to receive a Governor’s Award for her work in Girls Like That. Ruth is an AP Art student at West Orange High School who is also actively involved in theatre arts and music and plays french horn in her own high school band as well as NNJYO’s Ravina Youth Symphony Orchestra. Apart from Girls Like That, she has worked on WOHS’s productions of William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (Costume Designer) and The Little Mermaid (Ensemble). Ruth’s pieces have previously been featured by the Scholastic Art Awards (Silver Key 2020), The International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, NE (Superior Rating, Costume Design, 2019), and The New Jersey Council for Teachers of English (State Gold Medalist, Creative Writing, 2017).

Next year, Ruth will be studying at Parsons School of Design and Eugene Lang College in the BA/BFA program at the New School. Her areas of study will be Fashion Design (BFA) and Environmental Studies (BA), and she hopes to pursue a sustainable career in the fashion industry.

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The Governor’s Awards in Arts Education began in 1980 to promote awareness and appreciation of the arts, recognizing the creativity, talent and leadership of the award winners. Each year, awards are presented to approximately 20 educators and 80 students. National and statewide organizations select the students for their exemplary work in creative writing, speech, dance, music, theatre and visual arts and the leaders for their exceptional commitment and contribution to arts education. The program also recognizes arts educators and arts education advocates, whose leadership has helped nurture the development of students in the arts across the state.

16 Mount Bethel Road Suite 202, Warren, NJ 07059
(908) 542-9396
Julia@artsednj.org

The Governor’s Awards event is a partnership of the Arts Ed NJ, the Department of Education, Art Pride New Jersey Foundation, the Department of State and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Additional support is provided by: the Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics; Art Educators of New Jersey; Art Administrators of New Jersey; Dance New Jersey; New Jersey Council of Teachers of English; New Jersey Speech and Debate League; New Jersey Music Educators Association; New Jersey Performing Arts Center; Writer's Theatre of New Jersey; Speech and Theatre Association of New Jersey; New Jersey Thespians and Young Audiences of New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. The cooperating organizations, award sponsors and individual members of the planning council dedicate their time to make sure that excellence in the arts is rewarded, and work tirelessly throughout the year to plan this special event. The Governor's Awards in Arts Education ceremony are a major collaborative effort of the arts, education and state government.