FALL 2015
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A Non-Profit Corporation Supporting HPISD Arts Education ~ November 2015
   
Welcome to Our Online Quarterly News
 
 

We hope this finds you enjoying the recent arrival of Fall! At HP Arts we've had a busy beginning of school with many exciting events. Please read below about a faculty member from UP Elementary who was invited to Cuba as part of the NAEA continuing education program this past summer. She shared her experience with the HP Arts Board at our November meeting. We also were thrilled to receive a request to fund a bilingual theater/history program that reached ALL 2,698 of the HPISD elementary students - wow! Both stories are featured below. 

In addition we've funded debate consultants to help our debate teams for grades 7-12, improv workshops for the theater students at the high school, and several favorite opera and Shakespeare companies that will visit our elementary campuses. 

Please remember HP Arts as part of your year end giving - our partnership with HPISD made over $100,000. of extra arts centric programs possible last year. 


  
Joy Through Art
 
 
                             Torres at HP ARts meeting
                      
Last spring,  UP Art Teacher Jennifer Torres was selected by the  National Art Education Association to join a prestigious delegation of 35 art educators from across the country to visit Havana, Cuba for the purpose of researching art education.

While there, Torres participated in direct observations at schools and in various learning environments, studio visits with local Cuban artists, panel discussions and curriculum planning sessions. She observed firsthand how art education and instruction were integrated into the general education curriculum, into programming for special needs learners, and she witnessed best practices for art in kindergarten through higher education. 

Torres with students from the arts academy in Cuba

Children in Cuba are all tested in the 2nd grade to see if they have art gifting in visual arts, dance, music, theater, ballet or circus arts. Those who score high in one of the categories listed are then placed in schools to specially train them for a career in the arts. At 18 when they graduate they either become a professional  artist, a teacher, or part of an artist brigade going out to  remote parts of Cuba sharing their national culture through the arts. 

There is joy but also frustration because most children never leave the area of arts they tested into. Funding is scarce and many students are overcrowded in classroom and dorm living situations. Materials for art are often recycled and limited.  

From her Cuban experience she is sharing with our students how pride of heritage and culture play a large part in their teaching and work as artists, that they can connect through celebration and how to crete artwork on the theme of celebration. 

Jennifer would like to thank HP ARTS and the UP PTA for the funding to help make this trip possible. 

   
Torres at "Casa Fuster" the home of famous
Cuban mosaic artist Jose Fuster 
  
Bilingual Theate r  Company Reaches 
All HPISD Elementary Students



The first week of November brought some "Scientific, Historic, Time Traveling, Documentary Film Making Adventurers"  to each of the four district elementary campuses! Company members from Cara Mia Theater landed for a bilingual performance of a short play focused on Texas history under the 6 flags, the Battle of San Jacinto and our Latin American cultural influences. 

The play was presented to all  elementary students in Kindergarten through 4th grades as part of the newly created "Passport to Spanish" program. Currently for Kindergarten and First graders, The "Passport" program will grow by one grade level each year and culminate to reach K-6 grades once fully implemented. 

Eric Inboden, HPISD curriculum designer, was instrumental in arranging for Cara Mia to come to each campus and shared that " the performance was aimed at reaching all our elementary learners with a culturally enriching bilingual program aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS area of of our studies". Thanks to HP ARTS all 2,698 HPISD Elementary students had an awesome adventure!


The "Scientific, Historic, Time Traveling, Documentary Film Making Adventurers" 
 

Armstrong Elementary students enjoy the performance!
 
 
Board of Directors 2015-16
 

Executive Committee

President - Tish Key

Vice President - Bebe Triplett

Secretary - Reva Knight Henderson

Treasurer - Katherine Schultz

Programs Chair - Dana Manley

Publicity Chair - Brandi Sarfatis

 

Committee Chairs

Arrangements - Beth Susens and Robyn Galerston*

Artisan - Wylly Goodson

Membership - Molly Pieroni*

Play-It-Again-Sam - Kathleen Whalen*

Publicity Assistants - Wendy Kumpf and Stacey Cochran*

Social Media - Amy Camp*

Special Events - Margaret Napier* and Jodi Perdue* 

Student Art Coordinator - Pam Adams

Take-A-Seat - Sue Sanford*

Website - Leslie Kibby*

 

Programs Committee - School Representatives

Armstrong - Kathy Gameros

Bradfield - Beth Newton

Hyer - Rachel Blaylock

UP - Carrie Ellen Adamian*

HPMS/MIS - Tracy Bundy

HPHS - Karen Walters

 

*New Members