AUGUST 2021
SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS NEWSLETTER
Dear Educators,

As summer comes to a close, we at the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative hope you had a restful summer break and are eager to get back into your schools and classrooms. At the DC Collaborative, we have been working hard to prepare for this back to school season, and are excited for another year of arts and humanities experiences in your classrooms! 

This August edition of the School Partnerships Newsletter features a variety of professional development and student opportunities. Most importantly, it includes the registration link for this year’s Arts and Humanities For Every Student Educator Orientation, taking place on August 23rd!

Table of Contents:

Follow us @DCCollaborative on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay up to date on featured programs and professional development! Got questions? Contact schools@DCCollaborative.org
DC Collaborative Announcements
Creative Spark! Wrap Up

We want to thank all the educators who utilized the programs in this year’s Creative Spark!, sponsored by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities in partnership with the DC Collaborative. We were able to bring 13 talented Teaching Artist grantees to 24 classrooms across the District! Thank you for keeping the spirit of arts and humanities alive year round.
AHFES News
AHFES Educator Orientation: August 23

The DC Collaborative Educator Orientation is taking place on August 23rd at 5 PM. It will include important information about engaging with our programming this year, including our synchronous and asynchronous programs this fall! Attendance at this orientation is required to register for education programming this year, so make sure to register and attend!
Blog: Equity and Access in the Arts: How Arts Organizations Can Learn from the Pandemic

"For many people, the accessibility measures and creative presentation methods during the pandemic allowed them to access arts events in ways they normally could not. Online programming, though a necessary evil for some, is a priceless opportunity for people facing a wide variety of equity and accessibility barriers. How can we as arts professionals reopen our spaces, and continue to serve those people for whom the arts have only recently been made accessible?"

This summer's School Partnership's intern Penelope Musto shared her experiences and perspective on equity and access in the arts in a recent blog post. Check out this piece and other updates from the DC Collaborative on our Story Bank blog.
Become More Involved With the DC Collaborative!

We want you to be involved in our efforts to bring equitable access to arts and humanities opportunities for every student. The DC Collaborative offers a variety of ways to be involved in equitable arts and humanities education for all students in DC. From committees, to our Arts and Humanities for Every Student program, to the Distance Learning Resource Database and more, the DC Collaborative offers everyone a way to be involved in this important work. If you are interested in becoming more involved with the DC Collaborative this upcoming school year, let us know on our interest form.
Teacher Professional Development Opportunities
Think Local, Crank Global:Go-Go Workshop for Educators

Tuesday, August 17 Or Saturday, September 18

PreK-12 educators are invited to join Teaching for Change’s Teach the Beat and DC Public Schools Office of Teaching and Learning for a go-go professional development experience featuring The Uncle Devin Show®!
 
Through this 2 1/2 hour virtual workshop (10:00AM-12:30PM), educators will learn how to:
 
Use instruments we shake, scrape, and strike to enhance curriculum and teach the art of go-go music
Make music from items within their environment using the JunkYard Band as an example
Make something out of nothing; go-go through body percussion, tables, and more!
The Launch of Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap

Tuesday, August 17 ǀ 7 p.m. Eastern

A panel of experts who contributed to this groundbreaking anthology explore the importance of the genre as a powerful voice for political movements worldwide and a gateway to other realms of expressive culture.
August 27-29 Days of Action:
Educators Pledge to Teach the Truth

Lawmakers in at least 27 states are attempting to pass legislation that would require teachers to lie to students about the role of racism, sexism, heterosexism, and oppression throughout U.S. history. In response, educators across the United States are signing a pledge to teach truth.
 
To raise public awareness about the danger of these bills, we invite educators to make that pledge public in gatherings nationwide August 27-29, 2021. This invitation is extended by the Zinn Education Project (coordinated by Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change), Black Lives Matter at School, and the African American Policy Forum.
Save the Date: Indigenous People's Curriculum Day and Virtual Teach-In

Saturday, September 25, 2021
12:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) and Teaching for Change for a day of online conversation, curriculum highlights, and idea exchange.

K-12 teachers, Teaching for Change, and NMAI education experts will share curriculum, Essential Understandings, and strategies for teaching about Indigenous peoples’ histories and experiences around land justice today. The keynote speaker will discuss the rights of the land and Indigenous knowledge. Workshops will feature classroom resources from the NMAI’s Native Knowledge 360° online education portal found on the museum’s website and the Zinn Education Project’s Teach Climate Justice Campaign | Zinn Education Project.

The teach-in will be held virtually via zoom.
Smithsonian American Art Museum Professional Development

Free, online PD that fits into the end of your day. Join teachers from across the US in learning with an from one another and leave each short, online session with strategies for engaging students through art:

Memorials and Memory (SEL)
Wednesday, October 20, 2021, 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. (EDT)
Some artists are also veterans. How might their artworks give us and our students a way to feel loss and also connection?

Heart and Head: A Call to Action (Global Competencies)
Wednesday, November 17, 2021, 4:30 – 5:45 p.m. (EST)
What lessons can Latinx artists teach students, our future global leaders, about inspiring action?

Neighborhood Historians (Continuity and Change Over Time)
Wednesday, December 15, 2021, 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. (EST)
How can photographs challenge students to gauge what has changed and what has stayed the same?
Student Opportunities
Back to School Backpack Giveaway

Saturday, August 21st, at Barry Farm Recreation Center from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. 
 
We are excited to bring this annual event to the community and send our scholars back to school confidently.

All families are encouraged to register their students that may need a backpack and schools supplies this year. To participate in this event, residents must:
  • Be a ward 8 resident.
  • Present photo ID/Drivers license.
  • Present a current utility bill (no older than 3 months) or lease with a Ward 8 address.
  • Present a copy of a birth certificate for each participating child.

All giveaway items are available while supplies last. We will require all residents participating in the event to wear a mask. The COVID-19 safety protocols will be strictly enforced for the duration of the event. 
YoungArts 2022 Application: Open Now

The YoungArts application for 2022 is open until October 15. 

YoungArts was established in 1981 by Lin and Ted Arison with a mission to identify the most accomplished young artists in the visual, literary and performing arts, and provide them with creative and professional development opportunities throughout their careers. YoungArts’ signature program is an application-based award for emerging artists ages 15–18 or in grades 10–12 from across the United States.
 
YoungArts award winners receive:
 
Cash awards of up to $10,000
Mentorship by accomplished artists
A lifetime of creative and professional support
A peer network of distinguished artists
Nomination for U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts
National recognition
 
YoungArts’ 10 disciplines include:
 
Classical Music (Classical Instrumental and Composition)
Dance (African, Ballet, Choreography, Classic Indian, Hip Hop, Jazz, Mexican Folkloric, Modern/Contemporary, Spanish, Tap)
Design Arts (Architecture, Interior, Product , Fashion and Graphic Design)
Film (Narrative, Animation, Experimental and Documentary)
Jazz (Instrumental, Composition and Percussion)
Photography (Black & White, Color, Digital and Mixed Media)
Theater (Spoken and Musical Theater)
Visual Arts (Ceramics, Drawing, Multi-Media, Painting, Performance and Sculpture)
Voice (Classical, Jazz, Popular and Singer-Songwriter)
Writing (Creative Non-Fiction, Novel, Play or Script, Poetry, Short Story and Spoken Word)
NMAAHC Summer Reading Challenge: Cabinet of Curiosities

Now through September 15

It’s not too late for your school-aged child to jump into the NMAAHC Summer Reading Challenge! This self-guided program for 3rd- through 12th-grade students and their educators includes suggested selections and reading-related challenges created by NMAAHC educators. The literature selections consist of fiction and non-fiction and are selected for enjoyment and enrichment about African American history.
Ways to Give
Donate to the DC Collaborative online or remit payment by check to:

DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative

The DC Collaborative is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. All gifts are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

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The DC Collaborative is a recipient of an FY21 General Operating Support Service Grant from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
The DC Collaborative is proud to receive a grant for its Collective Impact work supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The DC Collaborative is the backbone support organization that leads members of the Any Given Child DC program, part of The John F. Kennedy  Center for the Performing Arts.