Ten students from local high schools have placed as finalists in the Nature Visions Photo Expo (NVPE) Student Photography contest and will receive a $50 gift card fromDistrict Camera, of Burke, Va. The 10 finalists were chosen out of more than 60 submissions, representing schools from Northern Virginia and Maryland.  The winner will receive a $100 District Camera gift card and will be announced at NVPE at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas, Va., held on Sat., Nov. 14 and Sun., Nov. 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day. All finalists’ photography will be on display at NVPE.  General admission is free to view the photo exhibits and visit more than 20 local and national photography vendors.  Class fees range from free to $85.

An elite team of international dance instructors are set to teach dance students at Metropolitan School of the Arts (MSA) an intense workshop of hip, hop, contemporary, jazz and tap dance, including Stephani Kammer who’s noted for her work in Janet Jackson’s Rock Witch U world tour and the Michael Jackson tribute on the MTV Video Music Awards. Classes are from July 27 to Aug. 7 for ages 8 years-old to 18 years-old for $950 and a junior class from Aug. 3 to 7 for ages 6 years to 7 years old for $500. Both classes are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the MSA Alexandria studio at 5775 Barclay Drive. Go to www.metropolitanarts.org or call 703.339.0444.

Metropolitan School of the Arts’ (MSA) student, Ben Cook, 17, of Lorton, Va. will perform in the Tony Award®-winning production of Disney’s NEWSIES at National Theatre in Washington, D.C. from June 9 to June 21. Cook is an alumnus of Lorton Station Elementary School in Lorton, Va., where his family still resides. At age 7, Cook began theatre and dance training at Metropolitan School of the Arts in Alexandria, Va., and began to regularly audition for professional theatre at 9 years old. For more information on MSA, go to www.metropolitanarts.org.