Submitted by Judy Sjostedt
Executive Director
Our Community's Foundation
Research supports what arts educators have witnessed for many years, that "â¦arts lay the foundation for later academic and career success. A strong arts foundation builds creativity, concentration, problem solving, self-efficacy, coordination and values attention and self-discipline." (Eric Jenson, "Teaching with the Brain in Mind").
The West Virginia Dept. of Education has developed educational content standards to reflect this and other research that includes the arts as core academic content to be incorporated into all students' education.
Thanks to a unique Benedum Foundation partnership accompanied by a significant Benedum Foundation grant to enhance education within our service region' counties, Our Community's Foundation - the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation and the Regional Affiliates of Doddridge, Jackson, Little Kanawha Area, Mason and Ritchie Counties - is offering a special learning opportunity for area educators and arts groups.
West Virginia educators and representatives of arts organizations are invited to attend a day-long workshop, Friday, April 15 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. that will explore innovative ways to integrate the arts within all education disciplines.
As the Little Kanawha Area Community Foundation (LKACF) is a part of Our Community's Foundation, Calhoun, Gilmer and Wirt County educators and arts organizations are invited to participate.
Led by Lou Karas of the Appalachian Education Initiative and Kathleen McDermott of Oglebay Institute, the workshop will provide an overview of successful models for effective use of the arts as teaching tools. Our Community's Foundation will launch a related Arts-in-Education Grants program offering grants of up to $5,000, using a Request for Proposals (RFP) announced at the workshop.
This workshop and grant opportunity will help integrate the arts as core content into classroom experiences in our region during the school year beginning Sept. 2011.
Special emphasis will be encouraged through the grant opportunity to projects and programs that employ the arts as teaching tools to further science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) content objectives; thus enhancing curriculum by expanding STEM to STEAM (Science, technology, engineering, arts and math).
The April 15th workshop is free and will be held at Our Community Foundation's Center for Philanthropy, 1620 Park Avenue, Parkersburg, WV (lunch provided).
It is open to public, parochial, and private school teachers and other school staff as well as arts organizations' representatives in the Foundation's West Virginia service region (Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Jackson, Mason, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Wirt and Wood Counties).
The Foundation reserves the right to restrict the number of applicants per institution, should this be required.
To learn more, visit the Foundation's website www.pacfwv.com and click on Find Grants, then see Applications & Forms for an advance copy of the RFP, Informational Guidelines and a Workshop Registration Form.
A limited number of Participation Scholarships ($125) are available for public schools' participants on a first-come basis to help defray attendance-related costs for schools. Teachers may also contact their local RESA or Central Office staff development representative for more details.
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