February 2015

Celebrating 15 years of Providing Access to Arts and Humanities Learning Opportunities

Notes from the Executive Director

Lissa Rosenthal-Yoffe

Dear Friends:

As we wrap-up a very busy February, we thank all of our members that helped provide meaningful arts and humanities programming for DC public and public charter school students this Black History Month. In celebration of Black History Month, The DC Collaborative is pleased to feature THEARC, Kennedy Center and National Museum of American History in the first edition of our DC Collaborative Story Bank. Please read below.

This month, we've kicked off the DC Collaborative Story Bank this month. We are now asking teachers and members to share their student's experience, such as quotes and testimony, photographs and artwork to help us showcase the Arts for Every Student (AFES) experience. As we collect more stories we'll have more opportunities to promote AFES to our supporters and provide more AFES experiences! Please let us know when you can write a blogpost for the DC Collaborative Story Bank.

Thanks again for helping us make our recent Winter Member's Meeting a great success (If you missed the Member's Meeting wrap up, view it here). One of the outcomes from that meeting, aside from wanting to hold longer convenings with break-out sessions next year, is looking at how the DC Collaborative can better serve you, our members. The first step is the creation of the DC Collaborative Membership Committee. The first Membership Committee Meeting will occur in the coming weeks. Please join the Members Committee now to shape unified arts and humanities education advocacy messages, help design DC Collaborative membership meetings and workshops, participate in the DC Collaborative Story Bank, explore joint fundraising opportunities, work together on developing collective impact strategies, share your success stories and challenges and more! Please sign up below.

A reminder to check out our monthly Member Feature (this month featuring Shootback and Shout Mouse Press) and DCPS Corner for your monthly update from Central Office.

Looking to March and National Arts Advocacy Day and Arts Education Month, let's work together to ensure we are sharing our arts and humanities education stories and have unified advocacy messages. Together we can do more for DC public and public charter school students and teachers!

With best wishes,

-lr-y

Membership Committee

Please Join our Membership Committee to:

Shape unified arts and humanities education advocacy messages
Help design membership meetings and workshops
Participate in the DC Collaborative Story Bank Blog
Explore joint fundraising opportunities
Work together on developing collective impact strategies
Share your success stories and challenges

Together we can do more for DC public and public charter school students and teachers!

The first Membership Committee Meeting date will occur in the coming weeks. Please stay tuned for a date.

Signup Here

DC Collaborative Story Bank: Black History Month

Black History Month Celebrations

This month we are highlighting some members that hosted programs in honor of

Black History Month

The DC Collaborative is pleased to feature THEARC, Kennedy Center, and National Museum of American History in its first edition of the DC Collaborative Story Bank.

In celebration of Black History Month, THEARC hosted a variety of performances which nearly 1,500 students, primarily from Wards 7 & 8 attended. Students engaged in Harambee! an African dance production, 'Black Broadway on U' about the district's U Street in the Black Broadway era (early 1910's to late 1950's), and

'Truth: The Musical' a musical about Sojourner Truth's life. View a short clip of a Johnson Middle School student's participation in the "Truth: The Musical" performance today!

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts also hosted multiple performances this month, including 'Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre' hosting more than 800 students through the DC Collaborative from Barnard Elementary, Excel Academy PCS, Randle Highlands Elementary, Cleveland Elementary, Janney Elementary, Maury Elementary, Shepherd Elementary, Anne Beers Elementary, Center City PCS-Congress Heights Campus, Friendship PCS- Blow Pierce Campus, Plummer Elementary, Burrville Elementary, Center City PCS- Brightwood Campus, School Without Walls @ Francis Stevens, Key Elementary, Hyde Elementary, Ross Elementary and Stanton Elementary.

Samiyah, 3rd grade, Barnard Elementary said that she loved 'Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater' and that she "...wants to be able to dance just like that."

Students from Ross Elementary

Sousa Middle School attended 'Join the Student Sit-ins' at the National Museum of American History this month. Students traveled back to 1960 and meet a civil rights activist, just after the GreensBoro, NC, lunch counter protest began and took part in a theatrical sit-in training session, right in front of the real lunch counter. Preparatory materials to help teachers integrate the field-trips into their lessons were provided to all of the field trips. Take a look at the National Museum of American History's materials here.

DCPS Corner

DC Public Schools

DCPS seeks volunteers for Music Festivals in April and May

Signup Here

The DCPS Music Festivals will be held on the following days at the Columbia Heights Education Campus:

April 28 - Jazz & Contemporary Ensembles, String Groups
April 29 - Elementary & Secondary Bands
May 5 - Elementary Groups (primarily choral)

There will be an opportunity to volunteer for the morning (8:30 am - 12:00 pm) and afternoon (1:00 pm - 4:30 pm) of each day in each of the capacities below.

Please contact Ben Hall with any questions- ben.hall@dc.gov

Member Feature: Shootback and Shout Mouse Press

Shootback and Shout Mouse Press

You are invited to a photography exhibition, reception and book party to showcasing photos and stories from students in Washington, DC, and Nairobi

Tuesday, March 17 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Rubenstein Gallery, Sidwell Friends School

3825 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC

Shootback, a photography empowerment program founded in Nairobi, Kenya, has collaborated with the local nonprofits City Year DC, Reach Incorporated, and

Shout Mouse Press to help bring photography to young people in Washington, DC.

Four books have come out of these collaborations and will be available for purchase on March 17. All proceeds to benefit the respective nonprofits.

Students from the following schools have participated in these projects:

Ballou Senior High School
John Burroughs Education Campus
DC Prep Edgewood Middle Campus
Eastern High School
Perry Street Preparatory Public Charter School
Thomas Elementary School

A traveling exhibition featuring photography by Shootback's original participants from Mathare--one of Africa's largest slums--will be on display.

Some of the books featured at the reception are part of an ongoing collaboration between Shootback and Shout Mouse Press, a partnership that began at one of the Collaborative's Member Meetings.

Please RSVP to Lana Wong, Shootback Project Founder: Lanawong01@gmail.com

About the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative:

More than 85 members strong, the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative (DC Collaborative) provides equitable access to quality arts and humanities education for all DC public and chartered public schools for the growth of the whole child. Working with its partners, since its founding in 1998, the DC Collaborative produces such exemplary programs as Arts for Every Student and the Professional Development Initiative. View our Member Directory.

For more information on the DC Arts and Humanities

Education Collaborative, Please visit our website and for

past newsletters view our newsletter archive.

If you would like to include something in our next

member e-news, please email us!

DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative

1825 K Street, NW, Suite 400

Washington, D.C. 20006

p. (202) 587-1627