Young Auditorium, Janesville School District named Kennedy Center Partners in Education
March 5, 2010
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and Janesville teachers are expanding their efforts to spark student creativity through arts education.
UW-Whitewater's Young Auditorium and the Janesville School District have been named one of 14 new Kennedy Center Partners in Education. The program, part of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., promotes relationships in communities between arts organizations and school systems, with a focus on the development of arts and educational programs for teachers.
"Of the 14 new partnerships, we are one of a very few small communities," said Shannon Dozoryst, coordinator of education outreach for the Young Auditorium. "This shows just how strong our dedication to community outreach is."
Other teams come from Seattle, Texas; Miami, Fla.; Springfield, Ill.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Portland, Maine; and Scranton, Pa. The new teams will join the existing 90 Kennedy Center partners from 44 states and the District of Columbia.
The Young Auditorium already has a successful community outreach program in its Horizons School Matinee Series, which provides elementary, middle and high school students with live theater performances. The series has served more than a half million students for more than 25 years and continues to expand. The Young Auditorium works with Janesville schools to incorporate into their curriculum activities and readings that correspond to a specific play or musical students will attend.
"Our hope is that schools just don't 'try' on the arts but make arts part of their everyday curriculum," said Leslie LaMuro, marketing director for the Young Auditorium.
Dozoryst said the partnership will provide professional training for teachers and faculty members to reinforce art in their curriculum. A roster of visiting artists is also available along with financial assistance.
"I hope this partnership empowers teachers to use and enjoy using new creative skills to foster creative learning," said Dozoryst.