Arts Innovation Award -
Bethune Elementary School of the Arts, Hollywood, FL
Accepting Award on behalf of Bethune, Joy Carter, Magnet Coordinator
Designed to recognize schools committed to taking innovative artistic
risks, this award is presented to a school that has "broken the mold"
in using the arts as a vehicle for teaching academics and/or making a
positive difference in the lives of students and/or the community.
Bethune Elementary School of the Arts offers our students the We Are
One program - a rigorous multicultural thematic program driven by the
arts department. This program enables the Magnet School theme of
performing and visual arts to impact the entire school. It has assisted
students in recognizing the contributions made by their cultural
origins as well as the value of the contributions of other cultures.
We Are One is a school-wide thematic concentration, which will repeat
itself every three years, enabling the students who experience a
culture in a primary grade to experience it once again from the
perspective of an intermediate student.
In 2006-2007, with our multicultural student body in mind, the arts
department initiated the study of cultures through arts and core
subject areas. The purpose of We Are One is to develop a sense of
family throughout Bethune. By broadening awareness of the varied
cultures within the student body and the global community, we aim to
create understanding and collegiality among staff and students in the
Bethune family.
Bethune students, during morning announcements, have been instructed in
the greeting of "hello" in languages from a variety of cultures. Thus
far, we have learned Sawabono, Jambo, Hola, Hoi, Buon Gia, Buon Giorno,
Konnichiwa, Ni Hao, Namaste, Sa'lam and Shalom. They have heard
proverbs from India, China, Japan, Iran, Korea, various countries in
Africa, and Hispanic countries, learning how a common thread runs
through all cultures, reflecting itself in similar proverbs throughout
the world. They think about, discuss and write about the proverb. They
use math and map skills, relating distances between countries, and read
stories allowing the cultures to come alive. Our students focus on
different world cultures every 90-days in the 180 school day year.
Our first theme, Africa: Inside and Out, focused on African cultures
and those resulting from the Diaspora. A $10,000 grant assisted us with
hands-on staff development by a local expert on African culture.
Teachers used African symbols to prompt analytical and reflective
writing. Children learned the meanings of the adinkra symbols, chose
one, replicated it and wrote about why it had meaning for them. The
grant funded field trips to visit the African American Library and the
Old Dillard Schoolhouse, the first Negro school in Broward County. In
addition, students were inspired by on campus meetings with a Brazilian
muralist , resulting in the We Are One mural. The second 90-day theme,
Viva la Cultura, focused on Hispanic cultures.
For the 2007-2008 school year, West Meets East and This is Our Land
gave our students exposure to the Eastern world as well as Native
America and Patriotic America.
In both years, with a cast of 130 students, we ended the school year
performing an original musical incorporating all the music, dance and
art studied in the arts classes. This was done on the stage of the
Broward Center for the Performing Arts, our partner in education. We
look forward to "traveling" through the European cultures next school
year, after which we go back to Africa.
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Community Partnership Award -
Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, CA
Accepting Award on Behalf of Disneyland Resort, Matt Conover, Vice
President, Entertainment Operations, Disney Entertainment
Productions/Disneyland
Representing Orange County High School of the Arts, Jerry Mandel,
Ph.D., Chair of the Orange County High School of the Arts Foundation
Intended to recognize arts schools and/or businesses that implement
unique artistic and/or educational partnerships, this award is
presented to a school or business that embraces the community by
utilizing the arts and education as a vehicle for fostering artistic
and educational understanding and community enhancement.
The Orange County High School of the Arts is honored to nominate
Disneyland Resort for a Community Partnership Award in the NETWORK
Awards Program. During the past year, The Walt Disney Company has gone
above and beyond, embracing the arts in Orange County and supporting a
number of local arts organizations-in particular, the Orange County
High School of the Arts.
The Orange County High School of the Arts (OCHSA) is a nationally
recognized arts school that provides unparalleled arts and academic
instruction to 1,350 middle and high school students in 11 arts
conservatory programs, including Ballet Folklorico, Classical &
Contemporary Dance, Commercial Dance, Creative Writing, Film and
Television, Integrated Arts, Instrumental Music, Music and Theatre,
Opera and Choral, Production and Design, and Visual Arts. OCHSA's
mission is to provide a creative, challenging and nurturing environment
that offers students unparalleled preparation for higher education and
a profession in the arts. During the 2007-2008 school year, The Walt
Disney Company provided unique learning opportunities and generous
resources to benefit the school's bright and talented students.
Unique Learning Opportunities - The Walt Disney Company has made
it possible for OCSHA students to participate in a variety of
unparalleled arts learning opportunities, including:
- Character and animation workshop held on school campus
- Dance, stage management and technical theatre workshop held on school campus
- The Disneyland Resort hosted OCHSA students at the theme park for:
- Acting, singing and dancing workshops
- Speaker's panel
- Tour of back-of-house facilities and operations
- Viewing of Aladdin and High School Musical 2
- Disney global opportunity presentation
- Question and answer session
- Costume presentation for Production and Design students by Disney costume team
- Strategic planning meetings with Disney personnel and OCHSA faculty
- Saturday clinic on school campus with key Disney personnel and OCHSA students
- Three OCHSA students hired as Disneyland Resort technicians
- Over 25 OCHSA graduates employed as performers/ technicians at Disneyland Resort
Commitment of Resources - The Walt Disney Company's financial
contributions to OCHSA during the 2007-2008 school year have totaled
more than $50,000 and have helped the school provide students with
additional resources and opportunities in the arts. Generous
contributions this year include:
- Four grand pianos donated to the school's Pianist Program
- The
Disneyland Resort hosted the school's Foundation Board of Directors,
comprised of more than 25 prominent local arts and education leaders,
at the park for a Holiday Dinner
- Disney
VoluntEARS Community Fund contributed $5,000 towards to the school's
Hearts for the Arts Program, which provides students with unique
performance opportunities, master classes with guest artists, and more
- The company served as a 2007-2008 Season Sponsor, supporting the school's annual Gala fundraiser and Season Finale performance
- Contributed
unique auction package "Be a Pirate Live!" to the Gala 2008 Auction,
which included the opportunity to join the cast of Disneyland Resort's
"Fantasmic!" show for one evening
- Contributed theme park tickets to the Festival of Children Foundation Golf Tournament, supporting children's charities and OCHSA
The Walt Disney Company's gratitude has greatly enhanced the education
of OCHSA's aspiring young artists and has encouraged an appreciation
for the arts throughout the local community.
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The Jeffrey Lawrence Award -
Dr. Roy S. Fluhrer, Director, The Fine Arts Center, Greenville, SC
Presenting this award, John Otis, Nominator and Arts Schools Past President
This award is granted to the head of a NETWORK school who exemplifies
an uncompromising commitment to excellence in arts education and arts
training. Named in honor of the long-time head of the Professional
Children's School in New York, this is the most coveted award presented
by the NETWORK to an arts administrator.
Nominating Roy Fluhrer for The Jeffrey Lawrence Award, I feel as
privileged to be putting his name forward for consideration as I am to
have known Dr. Fluhrer and enjoyed his work over many years. NETWORK
colleagues are familiar with his leadership role within our
organization, and we appreciate the significant experience that his
valuable leadership represents. However, it was in visiting with Roy at
his school on several occasions over the years that I witnessed the
utter mastery and grace he exercises day in and day out. He does so
with wit, clarity, energy and a constant focus on helping everyone -
students, faculty and staff, supporters - succeed in achieving their
goals. Since 1989, he has been director of Greenville County School
District's Fine Arts Center - South Carolina's first school for the
gifted and talented in the literary, visual and performing arts. The
South Carolina Arts Commission has announced that Dr. Fluhrer is a 2008
recipient of an official Governor's Award for the Arts
(http://www.southcarolinaarts.com/verner/2008/artsed.shtml), the Verner
Award for Arts Education. The Verner Awards annually recognize
outstanding achievement and contributions to the arts in South
Carolina, and are the highest honor the state gives in the arts.
Dr. Fluhrer received his undergraduate degree at Northwestern
University and his master's and Ph.D. degrees from Bowling Green State
University in Ohio. He served as managing and artistic director of The
Toledo Repertoire Theatre from 1966 to1978. From 1978 to 1988, he was
on the faculty at the University of Idaho, serving as chair of the
Theatre Department, president of the Faculty Senate, founder of the
Idaho Repertoire Theatre and, from 1985 to 1988, as an assistant to the
president of the University. In 1988, he was named vice chancellor for
Arts and Academics at the North Carolina School of the Arts. He has
served as president of the South Carolina Arts Alliance, where he
continues on the board. He currently serves as immediate past-president
on the board of NETWORK (The International NETWORK of Schools for the
Advancement of Arts Education). Dr. Fluhrer was awarded the Winthrop
University Medal of Honor in the Arts in 2006, the South Carolina Dance
Association Dance Advocacy Award in 2006, the Metropolitan Arts Council
Visionary Award in 2004, and the Arts Advocate of the Year by the South
Carolina Art Education Association in 2000.
_____________________________________________________
Jeffrey Kimpton Leadership Appreciation Award -
Jeffrey S. Kimpton, President, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Interlochen, Michigan
Presenting Award, Dr. Denise Davis-Cotton, Arts Schools Network President
Accepting Award on behalf of Jeffrey S. Kimpton, Tim Wade, Vice
President of Student Affairs, Interlochen Center for the Arts, MI
This special recognition was created to honor Jeffrey S. Kimpton for
providing visionary leadership for the Arts Schools Network Board of
Directors Strategic Planning Retreat, June 14, 2008.
Jeffrey S. Kimpton is the seventh president of Interlochen Center for
the Arts, a position he has held since October, 2003. As chief
executive of this internationally known organization, he leads all
aspects of its comprehensive portfolio of arts education, public
broadcasting and presentation programs: Interlochen Arts Camp,
Interlochen Arts Academy, the Interlochen Public Radio Network,
Interlochen Arts Festivals, and Interlochen College, annually impacting
thousands of learners and hundreds of thousands of participants and
listeners nationally and world-wide.
Mr. Kimpton has a distinguished record of leadership and innovation in
his 35-year career, in K-12 and higher education, for-profit and
non-profit organizations, and in private philanthropy. After graduation
with bachelor's and master's degrees in music education and music
administration from the University of Illinois, Mr. Kimpton spent 15
years teaching and leading school music and arts programs in Corinth,
NY, Apple Valley, MN, and Wichita, KS, to national distinction in
student performance achievement, public engagement, program development
and teacher and program assessment.
Mr. Kimpton served eight years as director of institutional education
for Yamaha Corporation of America, where he was responsible for music
education program development and product research, publications and
professional development activities for music educators. He also served
as program director for public engagement at the Annenberg Institute at
Brown University, leading research on the ways in which communities
engage with their schools.
As director of the School of Music and professor of music education at
the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis from 1999-2003, Mr. Kimpton
produced exciting changes for a large school of music in faculty
governance, undergraduate curriculum, and outreach and engagement
strategies, while raising more than $13 million in new gifts for
scholarships and fellowships.
Mr. Kimpton has led a major repositioning of Interlochen, significantly
raising faculty excellence and program assessment, increased support
resources in IT, marketing and public relations, while adding a sixth
arts discipline (film) and creating Interlochen College, an adult and
professional education program. Mr. Kimpton has expanded the reach of
public radio with new stations, programming and work in new media, and
helped the year-long arts festival return to integrate with core
education programs. These efforts have increased enrollments and
participants, raised the endowment by $50M and helped complete a $24M
capital expansion.
Mr. Kimpton is a frequent author and speaker and regularly serves as a
consultant to the profession. He has served on three different Music
Educators National Conference task forces on the future of music
education and is a member of the board of directors of numerous arts
and education organizations. Among numerous awards, including
"Michigan Communicator Leader of the Year" by Toastmasters
International in 2007, Mr. Kimpton is most proud that he could accept,
on behalf of Interlochen the National Medal of Arts from President and
Mrs. Bush in 2006, in honor of Interlochen's 80 years of leadership and
its efforts to remain vital for the future.
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