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Category: Education
Students Visit Studio of Frankford-based Visual Artist Timmy Graham
Students from Harding Middle School’s CHICKS after-school program visited Frankford-based painter Timmy Graham yesterday to learn about his craft, artistic development and career.
This visit to artist spaces is part of an on-going series facilitated by ArtsRising called Career Connections in Creativity (or C to the 3). Youth are invited to engage with creative professionals of all stripes to learn about their careers and their journey to becoming successful.
Timmy spoke to the girls about his process of painting and artistic decision-making and how his career evolved over time. He encouraged them to find and cultivate activities that they are passionate about and to not let anyone deter them from their goals. He also emphasized that anything worth becoming good at starts off difficult, but perseverance is the key to success, he being a prime example of that.
The CHICKS after-school program focuses on empowering inner city adolescent females on personal development and health awareness. It is supported by the Grassroots Foundation and facilitated by Joan Todd of Carson Valley Children’s Aid.
Additional thanks to the Frankford CDC for their assistance.
4th Annual Charter School Music Fest comes to First Philadelphia Prep tonight and tomorrow
AMERICAN PARADIGM SCHOOLS HOSTS 4TH ANNUAL CHARTER SCHOOL, CITY WIDE MUSIC FEST ON DECEMBER 17 & 18
WHAT: American Paradigm Schools is proud to host the Fourth Annual Charter School Music Fest, which promotes the advancement of music in charter schools across the city of Philadelphia and the tri-state area. This particular program offers students the opportunity to perform with their peers from other participating charter schools while giving them performance experience that was not previously available to them while attending other schools.
- The event will include participation from ten of Philadelphia’s leading charter schools and over 300 5th – 12th grade charter school music students are partaking in a full day of workshops, sectional and rehearsals on Dec.17 and will prepare for an evening performance to celebrate the Music Fest 2012 finale at 6 p.m. sharp.
- The students will get to enjoy two special performances during their workshop: Astral Artists, a Philadelphia non-profit organization that plays a vital role in the discovery and development of the nation’s most gifted classical musicians will be sending some of their artists to perform and facilitate workshops, and African Storyteller Jos Duncan will be performing for the students as well.
- The festival will take place over a two day period, Monday, December 17 and Tuesday, December 18, at First Philadelphia Preparatory Charter School, 4300 Tacony Street at Church Street, in the Frankford Valley section of Philadelphia.
- Students will arrive at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, December 17, with music that was pre-selected and mailed to the students and music directors before the festival. The participating students have been chosen by their music directors for both vocal and instrumental performances. Both the Abreu Fellows and Opus Nine will facilitate the workshops. On Tuesday, December 18 at 6:00 p.m. the students will accompany the music professionals for a finale concert.
WHO: Over 300 students from these participating schools/organizations:
- First Philadelphia Charter School
- Franklintowne Charter School
- Harrity Elementary Mastery Charter School
- Maritime Academy Charter School
- Memphis Street Academy Charter School
- New Foundations Charter School
- Northwood Academy Charter School
- People for People Charter School
- Tacony Academy Charter School
- Universal Daroff Elementary Charter School
- SisterCities Girls Choir
Workshops and performances by:
- Abreu Fellows class of 2011
- Astral Artists
- Opus Nine
- Jos Duncan
WHERE: First Philadelphia Preparatory Charter School
4300 Tacony Street
Philadelphia, PA 19124
WHEN: Monday, Dec. 17
Workshops and Rehearsals: 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 18
Rehearsals: 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Certificate Ceremony: 4:30 p.m.
Finale Concert: 6 – 7 p.m.
Philadelphia Charter School for Arts & Sciences at H. R. Edmunds Winter Concert
Friday night, December 14th was a grand night for singing, dancing, playing music and more. Philadelphia Charter School for Arts & Sciences held their first winter concert at the First Philadelphia Charter School on Tacony Street. The venue was the Gerald L Santilli Arts & Sciences Center 700 seat state of the art auditorium. The only way to top that is to go downtown to the Kimmel Center.
It was a great opportunity for the students to show off the talents that have been developed in this the first year of the new school. During intermission, I talked to parents. They were both pleased with the turn the former Edmunds has taken this year. They mentioned organization and structure improvements as being beneficial.
Here is a link to a quick slide show of what you missed. It runs 3 minutes.
Stearne School to Gain 7th and 8th Grades
Reported on Philly.com today, according to the School District school closing plan, Allen M. Stearne School, at 1655 Unity Street in Frankford, will become K-8 Elementary school. It is presently k-6, Students presently enrolled in grade 6 will remain at Stearne for grade 7.
Some schools would change grades, with a number of K-6 buildings becoming K-4 elementaries. In other cases, elementary schools that serve students up to fifth or sixth grade would become K-8 schools.
K-8 schools use space more efficiently, and parents told the district they prefer that model, Hite said.
“Our middle schools are one of our greatest challenges,” he said.
You can read the rest of the story here.
