Schools reap benefits of Kennedy award

Kimberley McGee

A recent award presented by the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., will benefit local artists, teachers and art students.

The Clark County School District and the Clark County Cultural Affairs Division of Parks applied and were selected by the Kennedy Center to participate in its Partners in Education Institute.

The county and the school district are one of 13 new teams of art organizations and school systems to participate in the Kennedy Center education program for the next two years.

The workshops and network support the Kennedy Center offers will further arts education in the school district as well as in the community.

"It's quite an honor," said Candy Schneider, assistant director in the school-community high school program for CCSD. "With what we learn through networking with the (center) we can better utilize local artists to benefit art teachers."

The Partners in Education program pairs a representative of an arts organization (in this case the county) with its school district to benefit from a weeklong workshop at the Washington, D.C., center. The workshop was held last week, and Schneider said what she learned surpassed what she expected.

"We are thrilled," Schneider said. "We are looking forward to support they will give us in developing art programs here."

The Kennedy Center has developed a large number of student-art programs for teachers, Schneider said, with the best and the brightest in all areas of the arts throughout the country.

"We are looking forward to tapping into that," Schneider said. "It's disheartening that every time you see printouts of wonderful programs around the country, Nevada has a zero."

In the past the county has shared its art programs with the school district, offering access to regional artists and theater acts.

"We are looking forward to expanding that a bit, but also focusing on professional development," Schneider said.

Diane Bush, cultural program supervisor for the county, joined Schneider at the Kennedy Center last week for the first weeklong workshop. The next workshop will be held in February.

The collaboration with other organizations around the country will further the capabilities of artists and the art teachers she works with, Bush said.

Bush will head an art summer camp for Clark County school students July 8-11 at Lee Canyon. Local artists and teachers will volunteer to work with students at the camp.

Art can motivate students who may not see themselves as successful in math, athletics or school in general, Bush said.

"I'm hoping the Kennedy Center contacts will give me more insight of how I can gear my teachers toward better interaction with the kids," Bush said. "This is definitely a building block to (further) art in the community."

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