Perhaps most importantly LACHSA will begin another chapter with the groundbreaking of our eagerly anticipated new facility. This new facility, equipped with a black box theatre and a public amphitheater will usher in a new era of opportunity and sustainability.
As we continue to enjoy more than a quarter century of success we are also aware that LACHSA does not exist unto itself. Our success as an educational and arts institution is influenced by and bound to the communities that surround us, by our relationship to these communities. The dynamism that results from these relationships have and will continue shape LACHSA.
You may be aware that in the summer of 2009 I created the Office of Community Engagement with passionate and indefatigable LACHSA advocate Suzanna Guzman at the helm. In just a short period this new office has generated considerable excitement and enthusiasm about LACHSA throughout LA County. The size of our applicant pool has increased considerably, for example as our presence in and throughout LA county has grown. We have also seen a dramatic rise in our Latino student population growing by nearly forty percent since the inception the Office of Community Engagement.
While ensuring that our recruitment efforts sustain a LACHSA that is reflective of the dynamism of Los Angeles County, it is equally important for LACHSA to engage with underserved communities. In this difficult economic period many families in local area schools are being deprived of an adequate arts education. Striking and troubling signs abound. Schools are drastically dismantling or eliminating their arts programs and laying of arts teachers As a leader in arts and education, LACHSA has a responsibility to sail against this tide, to do what we can to reverse these trends.
I am grateful to our most important institutional partner, the Arts High Foundation, for its support of these efforts. By securing more than $100K from the Maxwell H. Gluck Foundation for this year, the Arts High Foundation has enabled us to reach out to thousands of public school-aged students in underserved elementary and middle schools and share with them the talents of our students and the joys and benefits of a robust arts education. It would be a mistake for us to take for granted what we have at LACHSA. For our community, the arts are the lifeblood, like breathing and food. It is not a frill, but central to our existence.
I am pleased that some have taken notice and have joined us in this celebration of arts education and our outreach efforts. While it is too often the case that media outlets focus on what is going wrong in the world, I have been encouraged by this recent piece by local NBC affiliate.
Take a look at LACHSA on NBC!
Although this piece features only our amazing music department, I know we can all feel a sense of pride and celebration. We are truly part of something special!
Some Important Announcements
I want to remind all parents of our upcoming Parent Town Hall Meeting on Sunday, January 9th from 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. in King Hall Lecture Hall I. This meeting, sponsored by our LACHSA Parent Council is an opportunity to speak directly with me and my administrative team and to share your views, your passions and your concerns. These bi-annual Parent Town Hall meetings are very important. I look forward to a big turnout.
If you haven't secured your ticket to our musical theatre department's upcoming A Little Bit of Broadway, please do so. Tickets are going fast!
Also, stay tuned for our first publication of LACHSA live! Our new quarterly e-newsletter.
This and more can be found on our website at lachsa.net.
Happy New Year!
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