HISTORY / BACKGROUND:

Marblehead Public Schools’ Arts Council was formed in 1975 with the goal of bringing quality enrichment programs into the schools. It has accomplished this goal during the last 30 years through strong leadership and dedication of many parent volunteers and Arts Curriculum Director(s) who care deeply about the infusion of the arts and see performance as a powerful vehicle within the learning process. Parents, teachers, and administration view enrichment programs as an essential component to childrens' school experience, and their support of Arts Council is evidence of this highly regarded educational value in Marblehead Public Schools.

Arts education is of significant importance to public education. The National and Massachusetts Arts Frameworks stress the need for children to know about and make connections between a variety of art forms. One of the guiding principles in the frameworks states, “an effective arts curriculum provides opportunities for students to make connections among the arts with other disciplines within the core curriculum, and with arts resources in the community.” The work of Arts Council supports this guiding principle and it greatly enhances Marblehead’s arts curriculum by providing students with a variety of ways performance can be seen through visual arts, music, theatre and dance.

Each month, parent representatives from all school P.T.O.’s meet with the Fine Arts Curriculum Director who serves as chairperson of the Council. The Arts Council is a collaborative group who discusses all aspects necessary in bringing quality enrichment programs into the schools including: determinations of need through communication with teachers and principals, then find, preview, recommend, schedule and evaluate programs for the schools. Monthly conversations focus on information sharing - be it around past, present, or future ideas and concerns. Discussions shift between past performances that occurred in previous months to upcoming artists who will soon be visiting the schools. An eye to the future is also a consideration, scheduling tried-and-true artists along with contracting new artists of interest, and balancing individual school performances with artists who will be seen throughout the district.

Funding for these enrichment programs happen in a variety of ways. The annual school budget provides $7,000 to Arts Council which is approximately 10% of the total enrichment budget. The remainder of the budget comes from generous contributions from parents, community, and grants. Once in a while, individual school budgets can contribute a portion of the budget for a special event or artist in residence. Arts Council members work with P.T.O.’s and Enrichment Committees to seek financial support and when possible grants are written to Friends of the Marblehead Public Schools, a local foundation supporting educational initiatives, Local Cultural Council, or to Massachusetts Cultural Council for extended events and residencies. Often it takes finding funds from a number of sources to make the programs possible.

Few school expenditures touch so many students so profoundly. If the school budget allocations or the Council did not exist, most students would not have opportunities to experience enrichment programs such as these. Thanks to the Arts Council representatives for their work which contributes to coordination with teachers and administration as the norm to insure quality programs and connection to curriculum. Arts Council is a unique model that advocates and extends the teaching of the arts in both the arts and grade level classrooms. The Council believes in the power of performance and how it can further develop students appreciation for the arts. It also believes that it can expand students' perspectives of artists, ideas and self; and how it can offer an opportunity for teaching and learning to include student performance as an outcome in the learning of curricula.

Arts Council Members

2008-2009

Melanie Lloyd - Glover School
Rosalie Bornstein - Glover and Eveleth Schools
Jamie Ayer - Bell School
Joan Klemm - Bell School
Stephanie Curran - Coffin & Gerry Schools
Kathleen Jasaitis - Coffin & Gerry Schools
Gale Argentine - Coffin, Gerry, & Village Schools
Tammy Nohelty - Village School
Maggie Jackson - Veterans & MHS Schools
Cara Niles - Marblehead Veterans Middle School
Elizabeth Laub - Marblehead High School