Students and staff members are throwing open the doors of Cape Elizabeth Middle School for a spring celebration of visual and musical arts and heartily invite the public to join in.

The first Cape Elizabeth Middle School Arts Night is set for 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, May 31.

Student and staff artwork will be displayed around the school, and a variety of student art also will be available for sale. Numerous musical performances are scheduled, including a jazz combo, seventh-grade drummers and performances by individual instrumentalists. And community members can explore their creative sides by taking part in some hands-on art activities as well.

"There's a lot of emphasis on academics and athletics here in Cape, and we'd like to develop a focus on a third "A" - Art! - as well. There are 100 reasons why we should be doing that," said Middle School Principal Steve Connolly. "Focusing on the arts is another great way to reach students in this school and to make our school more inviting to everyone in the community."

Arts Night is a big step in that direction. The event will feature the unveiling of several new artistic endeavors at the school, one of which will be evident the moment visitors walk through the doors.

The 110-foot hallway from the front doors of the school to the main office, which has had bare walls for more than a decade, will be transformed into a gallery the community can be proud of. For the past few years, the Cape Elizabeth Arts Commission has been selecting student works of art to put on permanent display. This artwork will be unveiled to the community for the first time during Arts Night.

Also being unveiled at the event are creative hallway murals and additions to the Middle School's ever-improving courtyard, including a student-made concrete and rebar sculpture and four wooden, decorated totem poles. These pieces of artwork will enhance the raised gardens created by Life Skills classes and a student-created farmers' garden planted last year.

"We're working on turning the courtyard into another source of pride for students, so that it's an inviting place for advisory groups to meet, for students to work on creative writing or poetry, for science projects - lots of things - in an environment completely different from their classrooms," Connolly said.

Arts Night visitors will have a chance to see other artistic improvements to the school, including painted Fitness Silhouettes on the gymnasium hall walls, and a mural depicting scenes from Camp Kieve in the seventh-grade wing.

"We're very excited to open our doors for this night," said Connolly. "And we hope community members come to celebrate visual and musical arts with us."

Arts Night is free. Refreshments will be available, with proceeds going to the Art Department to help fund the school's Visiting Artists program.

For more information, call the Middle School at 799-8176.