 | | Creative Minds is a periodic e-newsletter published by the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC). The MCC seeks to ensure that all Massachusetts young people have access to quality, creative learning experiences in school and out of school. Visit Creative Minds, the MCC's online resource for arts education and creative learning in Massachusetts. | | Creative Schools Projects Show Off Their Achievements |  | Spring is the season in which many of the projects funded through the MCC's Creative Schools Program showcase what their students have learned over the course of the year. During April and May, the MCC is working with funded schools and districts to invite members of the Legislature to their student showcases. These projects are an exciting testament to what can happen when arts, sciences, and humanities are integrated into the curriculum. -
The Page to Stage Young Playwright's Celebration showcased the work of young playwrights from Cambridge Public Schools in staged productions of their work. The daylong event, held at Cambridge's new Central Square Theater, was a culmination of the multi-year Page-to-Stage Program, a partnership between CPS and the Underground Railway Theater that promotes literacy, writing skills, and cross-curricular connections through the craft of playwriting. -
North Adams Public Schools celebrated its Creative Schools-funded artist residency program with three student performances at Kidspace at Mass MoCA. -
On May 15, Boston Arts Academy will present student-created animated short films created through a residency with artist Pell Osborn. -
On May 18, professional musicians from the Boston Symphony Orchestra will play in a concert with Dracut High School's brass band and orchestra. The concert is the result of five sessions that allowed students to work side-by-side with pros. | | Big Yellow School Bus Update | | MCC and Bank of America's Big Yellow School Bus program has now provided grants to hundreds of Massachusetts schools to offset the cost of field trips to nonprofit cultural organizations. Every school in the Commonwealth, preK-12, is eligible to receive one grant.
Limited funds are still available. Schools that haven't received grants yet should apply today - funding can even be applied to field trips that have already taken place during the 2008-09 school year. | | | Cambridge Charter School Student Will Compete in Poetry Out Loud Nationals | | Wilmene Hercule, a ninth-grader at Prospect Hill Academy Charter School in Cambridge, won the Massachusetts Poetry Out Loud state competition at the Old South Meeting House in Boston on March 8. Hercule, who lives in Randolph, will represent Massachusetts at the national finals in Washington, DC on April 28. The first runner up was Katrina Turner from Newburyport High School and the second runner up was Jessica Charles from Randolph High School. | | Read more. | | Celebrating Student Art in Westfield | | Many towns typically host district-wide arts festivals in February and March to celebrate and share student work in the arts with their communities. Governor Patrick declared March Arts Education Month, as requested by the Massachusetts Arts Education Collaborative, to help focus public attention on the importance of arts education in the lives of students. This year, Westfield held its fourth annual Into the Arts Festival, organized by the Volunteers in Public Schools of Westfield and supported in part by the Westfield Cultural Council. This district-wide arts event, held at the high school, showcased the artwork of almost every student in the district, featured school bands and choirs, and gave local artists opportunities to demonstrate their work. | | Read more. | | | | Images, clockwise from top left: Rosa Munson-Blatt and Stephanie Clayman in Cambridge Public Schools' Page to Stage, photo by Betty Munson; 2009 Massachusetts Poetry Out Loud winner Wilmene Hercule, photo by Vernon Doucette, BU Photo Services; Westfield Public Schools' Into the Arts Festival, photo by Manon L. Mirabelli for The Republican MCC's Education Staff:
Mina Wright, Director of Grant Programs
Diane Daily, Programs Manager
David Marshall, Programs Manager
H. Mark Smith, YouthReach Program Manager
Lauren Johanson, Program Coordinator The MCC is a state agency that promotes excellence, access, education, and diversity in the arts, humanities, and sciences, to improve the quality of life for all Massachusetts residents and contribute to the economic vitality of our communities. The MCC pursues this mission through a combination of grants, services, and advocacy for nonprofit cultural organizations, schools, communities, and artists. MCC's budget for the current fiscal year is $13.9 million, including $12.65 million from the state of Massachusetts and grants from the NEA and other sources. | | |
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