2007-2008 Events Reports

The Division of Life Skills & Special Projects' 2006-2007 Events Report provides details on all of the Events (performances, exhibitions, competitions, professional development, etc.) we have sponsored throughout the school year. It is organized in three sections:

Summary of Events
Features an alphabetical listing of Events along with dates, discipline, type, and number of participants.

Event Participants
Features an alphabetical listing of district schools along with the Events in which they participated.

Event Detail
Features details on every Event, including a description and participating schools.

2007-2008 Events

26TH ANNUAL MUSEUM EDUCATION PROGRAM EXHIBITION

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Recognized by the National School Boards Association as one of the outstanding curriculum ideas in the United States, the Museum Education Program generates amazing artwork as an outcome of studies within the galleries. An annual highlight, this concluding exhibition emphasizes the critical role of understanding both traditional and contemporary visual arts in the creation of new work.

ANNUAL COUNTYWIDE STUDENT ART EXHIBITION

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The Annual Countywide , an exhibition that is characterized by its tremendous variety, from drawing and painting, to folk arts and handicrafts, to creative uses of technology. In this art show students are challenged to employ diverse and multiple approaches, either in sculpture or two-dimensional works of art of any size. This exhibition was organized by the Division of Life Skills and Special Projects, Art Education Department of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

THEOLONIOUS MONK INSTITUTE OF JAZZ AT 5 SCHOOLS

The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz introduced its “peer-to-peer” jazz education program to five Miami-Dade County high school jazz band and vocal performance programs. These informances, given on March 24 – March 28, were presented by seven exceptionally gifted high school students from the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts along with renowned saxophone recording jazz artist, Antonio Hart, vocal sensation Lisa Henry, and renowned jazz educator Dr. J. B. Dyas. Each school visit featured a concert for all students and a jazz workshop for each school’s jazz band. New Orleans students played alongside local students and shared ideas with their counterparts. The schools participating in these Jazz in America workshops and concerts included Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School, Miami Beach Senior High, Miami Norland Senior High, Coral Reef Senior High, and New World School of the Arts.
The weeklong tour concluded with two performances open to the public at Jazziz Bistro, in Fort Lauderdale and Alligator Alley Music Hall in Oakland Park on March 28.

THE FAIR: YOUTH FINE ARTS DIVISION

This month the Dade County Fair will host the Youth Fine Arts Exhibition. 250 of Miami-Dade County’s finest 2-D student artworks from kindergarten through 12th grade will be professionally framed and exhibited in the Fine Arts gallery of Arnold Hall. Tens of thousands of people will be able to view this annual exhibition. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place trophy winners for each grade level will be presented with their trophies on Saturday, March 29th at 2:00 pm in Arnold Hall. Over 1000 works of art are entered into this exhibition from public schools, private schools, and individual entries. The work is juried by Miami-Dade County Public Schools staff and judged for awards by professor David Chang, Department Head of the Art Education Department at FIU. The work is juried, framed, laid out, and hung by Miami-Dade County Art teachers. The art is created in the art classes of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, private schools, and by individual student artists.

TROPICOOL MIAMI

Tropicool is the latest buzzword being bandied about by Miami to promote itself as a tropical playground filled with entertainment, trendy fashion and its popular beaches. The Artwork in this exhibit at the mia Gallery, on Concourse D in the Miami International Airport, is thematically created from the inspirations of flora, fauna, landscapes, cityscapes within this beautiful city. Open to grades K-12, this exhibition of Miami-Dade County student’s art will be on display through March till April 11th at the Airport. The exhibition consists of over 200 works of art from students in kindergarten through 12th grade. This exhibit, like all exhibits at the mia Gallery concourse, will be viewed by thousands of national and international passengers who stop over or pass through the area. The art is created in the art classes of Miami-Dade County Public Schools applying the “Tropicool” theme.

FAITH RINGGOLD, INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AFRICAN-AMERICAN ARTIST, MEETS WITH M-DCPS ART TEACHERS

Internationally recognized African-American artist Faith Ringgold conducted a lecture for 75 visual arts teachers and other arts educators at the University of Miami Thursday, February 21. Ms. Ringgold discussed a retrospective of her work, which consists of painted story quilts. She also signed copies of her book “Tar Beach.”

Ms. Ringgold, began her artistic career more than 35 years ago as a painter. Today she is best known for her painted story quilts, an art that combines painting, quilted fabric, and storytelling. She has exhibited in major museums in the USA, Europe, South America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. She is in the permanent collection of many museums including the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Museum of Modern Art. Her first book, Tar Beach was a Caldecott Honor Book and winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration. She has written and illustrated 11 children's books and has received more than 75 awards, fellowships, citations, and honors, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Fellowship for painting, two National Endowment for the Arts Awards, and seventeen honorary doctorates.

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH EXHIBITION

Fifty 2-D and low-relief artworks celebrating African American History Month created by M-DCPS students in their art classes were selected for installation in the auditorium gallery of the School Board Administration Building. This high-profile, curriculum-based exhibition, viewed by Board Members, community dignitaries, and thousands of School Board building visitors, was on exhibit through February 29.

SUPERINTENDENT’S DANCE SHOWCASE FEATURES 30 PROGRAMS

Students from 30 M-DCPS programs performed in two separate programs for the 18th annual Superintendent’s Dance Showcase February 12 and 13 at Felix Varela Senior High School. Adjudicated on January 12 by a panel of 4 professional dancers and university instructors, the 400 students and their teachers received written feedback on their performances, rehearsed, and presented the shows to the public. Students from Talent Magnet programs, after school programs, and regular curricular dance classes performed a variety of dances from lyrical to hip hop, from jazz to ballet, and from salsa to ethnic dance.  Profits from the two performances are put into a scholarship fund for high school seniors who are accepted to into college dance programs.

SPIRITUALS AND GOSPEL MUSIC FEATURED IN INTERDISCIPLINARY WORKSHOP FOR TEACHERS

On Friday, February 1, over 100 teachers attended an interdisciplinary workshop entitled The American Spiritual: Past and Present at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. A cooperative effort between the Division of Social Sciences and the Division of Life Skills, the workshop addressed the historical, sociological, and psychological implications of Spiritual and Gospel music from its inception to the present day. Guest speakers from Miami-Dade College, Barry University, the Black Archives, and Miami Children’s Chorus motivated participants to explore their own experiences through song and dance. Choirs from Miami Northwestern and Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High Schools performed both Gospel and Spiritual music that encouraged participants to sing along, clap along, and tap their feet.  Teachers were given an annotated bibliography of books addressing Black dance and a brief history of the development of the musical forms. Time was spent brainstorming ideas for collaborative lesson planning among the music, art, dance, media center, classroom teachers, and administrators. Lunch was donated by Anthony L. Rogers, JD, Managing Partner of Nationwide Financial Network; the day was coordinated through the efforts of Deanna Costa, Arscht Center’s Education Outreach Coordinator as well as Life Skills and Social Sciences personnel.

CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA PERFORMS FOR FIFTH GRADERS

The Cleveland Orchestra performed for 5, 800 fifth graders Jan. 28 and 29 at the Arsht Center. Part of the Division of Life Skills’ initiative to help students develop cultural literacy, the event featured Jiwen Lei, a Coral Reef violinist  who won the orchestra’s concerto competition last fall.

MUSEUM OF CONTIMPORARY ART HOSTS TALENT MAGNET PROGRAMS

Dance, theatre, visual arts, and music students were featured at the Museum of Contemporary Art’s (MOCA) MOCA Fresh event held at the museum in North Miami.  Students in visual arts came with their sketch books and drawing boards; some students created sidewalk chalk drawings.  Both students and teachers were able to participate in hands-on workshops in choreography, costume design, and set design. Studenta from Charles R. Drew Elementary, Charles R. Drew Middle, Miami Northwestern High, Rainbow Park Elementary, Norland Middle, and Dr. Michael M. Krop High were featured on the North Miami showmobile outdoor stage. Higher education was represented by local colleges and universities. The event served as a recruitment venue for the magnet schools involved. It was a wonderful day with the museum and community working together for the good of our students.

CHESS MOVES

The 2008 South Regional Chess Championship brought 561 chess students from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach to John A. Ferguson Senior High on Saturday January 26, 2008. They participated in the largest and most competitive tournament of the year in Miami. The annual tournament is sanctioned by the United States Chess Federation and affiliated with the Florida Scholastic Chess League. Forty-three M-DCPS schools participated in grades K-12. First place winners included Olympia Heights Elementary (2nd-3rd grade section), Flagami Elementary (4th-5th grade section) and Rockway Middle (6th-7th-8th grade section). Complete results can be found at www.floridachess.com.  The tournament was organized by District Coordinator-Chess Andy Ramos of the Chess Education Office in the Division of Life Skills and Special Projects.

MAYS MIDDLE SCHOOL MUSICIANS MENTORED BY NEW WORLD SYMPHONY MEMBERS (NWS)

As a continuation of the partnership between Mays Middle School and the New World Symphony (NWS) begun in 2006, the NWS will extend its distance-learning mentor program during this school year by providing students in the school’s orchestra and band programs with access to NWS’ Mentor Program and other resources via the internet. The Mentoring Program allows students meet with an NWS Fellow for two sessions per month.  Participants are also invited to NWS master classes, rehearsals and, throughout the season, to “Mentoring Town Meetings” with Artistic Director Michael Tilson Thomas and guest artists.  The program is made possible through Internet2 a high speed, next generation Internet, connecting over 200 U.S. universities as well as international universities and governments worldwide. NWS is pioneering the application of this technology to enable advanced music programs to join in the remote exchange of master classes, seminars, rehearsals and symposia. The use of this new form of technology will enable Mays students to progress more rapidly in their musical development.

THEATRE ARTS PERSONNEL ATTEND FLORIDA THEATRE CONFERENCE

The weekend of November 2-4 theatre arts teachers and students from 11 M-DCPS high schools had the opportunity to attend the Florida Theatre Conference held in Lakeland, Florida. Additionally, students (juniors and seniors) had the opportunity to audition for Scholarships.

ANA MEDEROS-BLANCO HONORED BY FLORIDA ASSOCIATION FOR THEATRE EDUCATION (FATE)

Ana Mederos Blanco, theatre arts teacher at Coral Reef Senior High School, was named 2007 Theatre Educator of the Year by FATE at its October 25-27 conference in Jacksonville. Mederos’ dedication to promotion of theatre education in Florida’s schools and dedication to her own students “represents the very best in theatre education."

ELEMENTARY DANCE WORKSHOP HELD AT MAYS MIDDLE SCHOOL

Over 70 elementary school dance students from Robert Russa Moton, Perrine, and Rainbow Park Elementary School and South Miami K-9 Center participated in the second annual Elementary Dance Workshop at Arthur and Polly Mays Middle School on October 25. Master teachers in ballet, lyrical, jazz, and hip hop taught age appropriate classes and gave the students the opportunity to experience new teachers. The workshop was coordinated by Ms. Avice Warren, dance instructor at Moton, and Ms. Gayle Roseman Levine, dance instructor at Mays.

LATIN GRAMMY STARS OFFER ADVICE TO SOUTH MIAMI HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Latin Grammy award winner Willy Chirino and award nominees visited South Miami High School last week to share success stories with band, orchestra, chorus, and drama students. Aspects of the Latin Grammy in the Schools workshop, sponsored by Washington Mutual, are to motivate students to stay in school and to offer insight into attaining success in the music industry. Best New Artist Alejandra Alberti spoke about the issues in putting out her first album and of the difficulty of balancing school and career, since she is working toward her bachelor’s in Business Administration at FIU. Gabriel Abaroa, president of the Latin Recording Academy, emphasized that being involved in the music industry is not always about performing; he stated that lawyers, accountants, and sound engineers also play a role in the music industry.

CELEBRATION OF GREAT BANDS – A FAMILY AFFAIR!

The annual Celebration of Great Bands took place at Miami Dade College’s North Campus Traz Powell Stadium November 3. Twenty-eight high school bands performed half time shows featuring almost 3000 students and were adjudicated in four areas: Music Performance, Marching and Maneuvering, General Effect and Auxiliaries. This authentic assessment was done by professional band directors from throughout the state. Performers were also inspected for bearing and general attitude, cleanliness of instruments and uniforms, and personal appearance. Middle School students were featured by performing the Star-Spangled Banner prior to each of two settings. The programs were well received by approximately 800 parents and families.

FLORIDA GRAND OPERA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY

On Friday, October 26, 2007, the Young Patronesses of the Opera, Florida Grand Opera, and the Division of Life Skills and Special Projects joined forces for the annual Opera Workshop at the Jacqueline Hinchey-Sipes Gallery. La Boheme was the featured opera for the 150 participants – an attendance record breaker for this Professional Development activity in which participants earned 10 points. Sessions included an overview of the upcoming opera season and a preview of La Boheme by Justin Moss; FCAT strategies in the music classroom by Michael D. Robinson, Curriculum Support Specialist, Division of Language Arts/Reading; Coral Reef Senior High School Concert Chorus, under the direction of John Rose, performing selections from Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers; Maggie Palmer, music teacher at Maya Angelou Elementary School and 2006 Young Patronesses of the Opera Educator of Note Award Winner, focusing on opera in the elementary school curriculum; and Florida Grand Opera Young Artist Studio members performing arias.

DANCE WORKSHOPS HELD AT CORAL REEF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

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Middle School and High School Student-Teacher Workshops were held October 16 and 18 respectively at Coral Reef Sr. High School. Sponsored by the Dade Association of Dance Educators (DADE) in cooperation with the Division of Life Skills and Special Projects, participants enjoyed master classes taught by teachers from Dance Empire, Dance Town, Harambee, Dance Utopia, Focal Point, New Image, and Dance Attack. Over 400 students from 14 middle schools plus 16 dance teachers and 310 students from 14 high schools plus 17 teachers participated in ballet, modern, jazz, lyrical, African, and hip-hop workshops. Students gained experience in large group classes that are analogous to professional auditions; teachers gained experience in cutting edge commercial choreography; all participants had the opportunity to hone their skills in the various techniques.

MIAMI CAROL CITY SENIOR HIGH DRAMA STUDENTS FEATURED ON MIAMI-DADE.GOV WEBSITE

Miami Carol City Sr. High theatre arts students under the direction of Ms. Michele Mordica are featured on Miami-Dade TV’s On-Demand website. The 24 students attended the Carnival Center’s performance of Stomp! September 25 and participated in a performance workshop following the show. Watch the video to see the students as they learn some of the rhythmic routines from the show which features music made from ordinary household items-everything from brooms and matches to the kitchen sink! The video also includes an interview with student Coreteney Multimore.

ART EDUCATORS AS ARTISTS: EXHIBIT AT MIAMI INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

The Dade Art Educators Association, Inc. (DAEA) proudly presents their 2007 Fall Art Teachers Exhibition. The organization is committed to promoting, advocating and enriching the lives of its members through the arts in Miami-Dade County. This exhibit will feature the artwork of Miami-Dade County Public Schools' Art Educators who are also practicing artists.  These very talented individuals work on a daily basis teaching and enhancing the lives of our children. In their free time they set their talents to work and promote themselves as artists.   On Friday, October 12th, 2007, the artists/members of the organization will host the exhibition opening from 6 - 8 p.m. at Miami International University of Art and Design.  The show runs September 27 – October 21.

CHESS EDUCATION TEACHERS MEET

One hundred forty-four teachers attended the beginning of schools Chess Education teachers meeting on September 12th. The meeting included a special pod cast from Grand Master Alexandra Kosteniuk who recognized the chess program and the 2007 Chess Teachers of the Year. The teachers recognized were Webber Charles of Edison Park Elementary, Silvio Lores of Jose Marti Middle, and Carlos Diaz formerly of Miami Senior and now at Hialeah High. The Division of Life Skills and Special Projects organized the meeting and included presentations by Title I Chess and Academic Excellence Program Chess.

SMITHSONIAN OFFERS WORKSHOPS FOR ART EDUCATORS

Dr. Sharon Shaffer, Executive Director, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center at the Smithsonian Institution, conducted two days of workshops on September 28 and 29  to train our Miami-Dade County Museum Educators in the latest methods of Object Based/Observation Based learning for their curriculum based tours.  Our Museum Educators, who are elementary school art teachers, give all-day tours in the many museums and galleries of Miami-Dade County that reinforce objectives from the art curriculum as well as objectives in Social Studies, Geography, Florida History, World History, and Science. The workshops were facilitated by Mabel Morales, Supervisor of Art Education.

M-DCPS ART EDUCATORS RECOGNIZED BY FLORIDA ART EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Jesus Mesa, Assistant Principal of Bob Graham Educational Center, has been selected by the Florida Art Education Association to receive the Friend of the Arts Award for the state of Florida for 2007. Mr. Mesa began his career as a highly successful art teacher and artist. He started his own gallery/frame shop where he hosts exhibitions of local artists and art teachers. In his present position Mr. Mesa plays an important part in nurturing art students and in providing exhibit space for teacher artists. Mr. Juan Mesa has been a true friend of the Art Educators and our art students throughout the years!
                        
Other Miami-Dade County educators Ms. Marcia Pennington, art administrator of the year, and Ms. Naomi Albee, Museum Educator of the year, were named by the Florida Art Education Association in August. Congratulations to all three Miami-Dade County state-wide honorees.

JOHN A. FERGUSON BAND MARCHES IN UNIVISION PARADE

The Mighty Falcon Band from John A. Ferguson Senior High marched in the Univision Parade on Sunday, September 16, 2007. The participants marched from Sweetwater Elementary, down Flagler Street, to Ruben Dario Park. Parents supported the band members with drinks and snacks as they spent their Sunday morning supporting the neighborhoods. A Color Guard from G. Holmes Braddock Senior High also participated.

M-DCPS STUDENTS LEARN THE ART OF FILMMAKING

The Division of Life Skills & Special Projects partnered with the Miami Short Film Festival to provide a master class for over 500 senior high and middle school students. The students, mostly from film and broadcast programs, participated in a 2-hour workshop in basic film production, which included script writing, camera and sound technique, as well as computer editing. There was also discussion of career preparation and opportunities in the film industry. The instructors were professors and graduate students from the University of Miami where the event was held from September 10-14.

CHORUSES CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF DR. ROBERT B. INGRAM

Three Miami-Dade Senior High School choruses sang at the Celebration of the Life of Rev. Dr. Robert B. Ingram on Saturday, September 15, 2007.  The participants were:  Miami Carol City Senior High School, Michael Emanuel, Director; Miami Norland Senior High School, Janeka Butler, Director; and North Miami Senior High School, Lloyd Brockington, Director.  These musical groups represented our school system in a noble manner.

M-DCPS TEACHER NAMED FLORIDA’S MUSEUM ART EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR

Naomi Albee, Art Teacher at Dr. Bowman F. Ashe Elementary and Miami-Dade County’s Museum Educator at both the Miami Art Museum and the Jewish Museum of Florida has been named the Florida Art Education Association 2007 Museum Art Educator of the Year. Ms. Albee was selected for this award from a list of all the museum art educators submitted from each county in Florida. The award will be presented at the 2007 FAEA Conference in October at the Florida Hotel and Conference Center in Orlando.

CHESS TEACHER RECOGNIZED IN TOURNAMENT IN SPAIN

Grand Master elect Renier Gonzalez earned his third Grand Master norm at the Banyolos Chess Festival (August 16-24) in Spain. The grandmaster title is the highest level a chess player can attain. The process to earn a grandmaster norm rating must include playing a certain percentage of titled international players and also enduring a grueling nine rounds of chess. Mr. Gonzalez teaches chess at Henry M. Flagler Elementary and Coral Terrace Elementary; he also organizes scholastic chess tournaments for M-DCPS students.

RETIRED SOUTH MIAMI K-8 PRINCIPAL RECEIVES AWARD

Newly retired principal Marcia Pennington was recognized with the "Paul Heithaus Outstanding Principal Award" by the Dade Art Educators Association, Inc. (DAEA) at their annual opening of schools meeting.  Marcia Pennington is a former elementary teacher, art teacher, regional art supervisor, and has most recently retired as principal of South Miami K-8 Center.  She is responsible for expanding her award winning elementary magnet school into a K-8 Center.  Ms. Pennington is to be congratulated on her many achievements. We wish her well as she embarks on  new chapter of her life.

JOHN FADDIS MASTER CLASS FOR STUDENTS FROM THREE SCHOOLS

Music students from Miami-Lakes Middle School, Miami Carol City High, and New World School of the Arts were invited to a Master Class by John Faddis on Friday, August 31. Faddis, a complete and consummate jazz trumpeter, is considered by some to be one of the world’s greatest trumpet players. The master class provides a one-on-one dialogue and training for serious jazz students. The class will be held at Coral Gables Congregational Church which is sponsoring the session as part of their Community Arts Project.

DEVELOPING PIECES, M-DCPS CHESS NEWSLETTER, WINS AWARD

The Chess Journalists of America and the Fred Cramer Awards Committee for Excellence in Chess Journalism jointly announced award winners in twenty-three categories. The awards were announced at the U.S. Chess Open in Cherry Hill, New Jersey August 5, 2007. The committee awarded, Andy Ramos’ Developing Pieces, Miami-Dade County Public Schools Chess Newsletter, the Special Recognition Award (Category 23). Mr. Ramos is the District Chess Coordinator for the Division of Life Skills & Special Projects and editor of the newsletter. For more chess news log on to http://chessjournalism.org/aw2007.htm.

MAM PARTNERS WITH DASH

Miami Art Museum (MAM) is partnering with Design and Architecture Senior High (DASH) in a new program which will provide senior students in the school’s architecture track the opportunity to use the new museum’s construction process as an instructional laboratory. Schools will meet regularly at the new museum’s construction site, at the present museum, and other locations. MAM will furnish access and documentary resources for study. The project will be ongoing with subsequent groups of seniors for the duration of the construction project.

M-DCPS PARTNERS WITH MAM IN PARTNERS IN PARENTING INITIATIVE

Miami Art Museum’s (MAM) Second Saturdays are Free program has partnered with The Parent Academy to encourage parents and their children to take advantage of the free admission days and also participate in art-making events. More than 400 people participated in “amate” paper art activities and Melinda Munger’s Mexican stories. The next event will take place September 9 at MAM.

WATCH A VIDEO FROM THE 2007 SUMMER HEAT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SESSION
DANCE, MUSIC , VISUAL ART: CAPTURING THE ESSENCE OF MERCE IN MIAMI

-watch the Quicktime movie-

Made in Miami and Traffic are the titles of the videos of performance art created by teachers in the 2007 Summer Heat professional development session entitled, Dance, Music, Visual Art: Capturing the Essence of Merce in Miami. The project grew out of a desire to learn more about the artistic collaborations of Merce Cunningham, John Cage, and Robert Rauschenberg which came out of their experiences at Black Mountain College in North Carolina. Ten dance, 10 music, and 10 visual arts teachers, elementary to secondary, beginners to veterans, of various ethnicities, learned about the craft of each others’ art form. They created musical scores, sets, slides, videos, movement sequences upon their themes and put them together in performance on the final day of a week long session. Enjoy the show!