Let's Hear It for Louisiana!

Improve education, says Michael Kaiser, president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, by supporting Louisiana’s state senator Sharon Weston Broome’s Senate Bill 299. If passed, every public school in Louisiana would have music and arts programs.

Studies have found that students provided with the opportunity to participate in music and arts programs are less likely to dropout, score higher on standardized tests, have better behavior, and are more tolerant. Research by the Americans for the Arts finds that students participating in arts programs are:

• Four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement;
• Four times more likely to participate in a math and science fair;
• Three times more likely to hold a class office; and
• Three times more likely to win an award for school attendance.

The full article is here.

"My Bridge to Terabithia"

Students in grades 7-12 at Amelia Love Johnson High School in Thomaston created their own Bridge to Terabithia. After reading this story in play form and watching the DVD, students were asked to create their own magical place to escape from the everyday world. Students wrote a short story describing this place, then drew a picture of it and finished their project with watercolors. We put all of their work in the halls. They really loved having them up for everyone to see.

Demopolis High School's Spring Musical

The DHS theatre department will present School House Rock, Jr. this week. All pilot school faculty are invited! If you would like to come to Demopolis for this event, please send me an email at lgibbs@demopoliscityschools.org. Please see attachments for a photo of the cast and details about the performances.

SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK LIVE! JUNIOR
A part of THE BROADWAY JUNIOR COLLECTION (MTI Shows)

Demopolis High School’s Drama Club will present SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK LIVE! JUNIOR for the general public May 10th and 11th in the DHS auditorium. Curtain is at 7PM. Tickets are $5.00. Tickets are available at Demopolis High School and may also be purchased the evening of the performance. For more information call 334- 289-0294.
SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK LIVE! JUNIOR is a musical about Tom, a young teacher, who is at home nervously preparing for his very first day on the job. To relax, he watches television and is surprised to see Schoolhouse Rock, a 1970s educational animated series. Five people suddenly appear in Tom’s house. Manifestations of the different sides of Tom’s personality, they have gathered to give him the confidence he needs and to show him how to win his students over with imagination and music. By the time the show is over, Tom is ready to face his first day of school.
The DHS Drama Club’s production is made possible by a grant from the Demopolis City Schools Foundation. Mrs. Jody White, DHS drama teacher, wrote the grant in hopes of giving students the opportunity to work with theater professionals in their area. Mrs. White and Mr. John Brown, director of choral music at the University of West Alabama, have been working with the students for several weeks in preparation for this week’s performances. Several of the cast members have been offered UWA choral scholarships as a result. Mrs. White and John Brown chose SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK LIVE! JR. because they loved watching their popular favorites ( “Conjunction Junction”, ‘I’m Just a Bill”, and “Interjections” ) when they were kids and believe the songs still hold great educational value today. Mrs. White has often used the Schoolhouse Rock videos to teach the parts of speech to her English classes. Also, 345 students from U.S. Jones Elementary School will attend a special matinee performance because of its educational value.
The DHS drama department continues to expand. In addition to the introduction to theater class a new class, play production, will be available to students in the fall. This year DHS was awarded a Black Belt Arts Initiative grant by the Alabama State Department of Education. The grant, almost $60,000 over a five year period, will allow DHS teachers and students a chance to integrate arts into all areas of the curriculum and partner with the Demopolis community to continue to focus on the arts as a learning tool. A new organization called the TIGER ARTS GUILD (TAG) is being formed at DHS. TAG will be comprised of students involved in all arts disciplines: visual arts, music, and drama. The Demopolis Athena Club is the first benefactor generously donating $200.00 to support the arts at DHS. TAG is grateful for the interest and support the Athena club has shown them. Proceeds from SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK LIVE! JR. will be donated to the Demopolis City Schools Foundation, TAG, and the DHS Drama Club. Others interested in contributing to TAG may contact Mrs. Jody White at 334-289-0294.