We are proud to announce the 2015 - 2016 AthFest Educates grantees. The AthFest Educates Board of Directors is thrilled to be supporting the amazing work these individuals do every day on behalf of the young people of Athens-Clarke County.
winter 2016 grantees
music and arts non-consumable equipment grants
Grantee: Laura Kraus from Chase Street Elementary
Award Amount: $4,250
Summary: Purchase seven contrabass chimes to create an outdoor music garden that enables 175 first and fourth grade students to use music to learn the science standards connected to sound, vibration, pitch, frequency, and volume. The music garden can also be accessed by all youth during recess, afterschool, and out-of-school time hours to enable self-directed science and music exploration.
Grantee: Rachel Muldrow from Winterville Elementary School
Award Amount: $3,411
Summary: Purchase a set of seven Orff instruments that will enable all 450 K - 5 students to learn the fundamentals of music including pitch, beat, and rhythm.
Grantee: Rebecca Floyd from Hilsman Middle School
Award Amount: $2,556
Summary: Purchase four 3/4-size violins, two 1/2-size violins, and three 13"-size violas to meet the physical and technical needs of 6th - 8th grade orchestra students using the Suzuki Method of string instruction.
Grantee: Brandon Plymel from Timothy Road Elementary School
Award Amount: $1,630
Summary: Purchase 30 ukuleles so all K - 5 students can learn strumming technique, finger placement, pitch, rhythmic and harmony playing, solo and melodic playing, and how to balance as part of an ensemble.
Grantee: Christina Esposito from Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School
Award Amount: $1,266
Summary: Purchase three electric guitars, three electric basses, and an amp/mixer combination to expand the school's current guitar program and encourage students to learn a greater variety of musical genres and develop an individual style.
Grantee: Carlin Brownlee from Winterville Elementary School
Award Amount: $1,226
Summary: Purchase 26 display rails that will allow all 425 of the K - 5 students to plan and participate in rotating art exhibitions for their peers, teachers, and families.
music and arts programs and experiences grants
Grantee: Blake Schneider from the UGA Performing Arts Center
Award Amount: $5,000
Summary: 2,000 CCSD youth in grades 2 - 8 will attend the Julian Bliss Septet, The Knights chamber orchestra, Salzburg Marionette Theatre and/or the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra. Each performance has a teacher-led study guide to guide the learning before and after the performance.
Grantee: Debbie Watson from Nuci's Space
Award Amount: $3,000
Summary: Five youth in 6th - 8th grade will receive full scholarships to participate in the two-week 2016 Camp Amped summer camp program. Youth will participate in a series of workshops and ensembles that enable them to develop and expand the technical, creative and business skills they need to success in the music profession.
Grantee: Didi Dunphy from the Lyndon House Arts Center
Award Amount: $3,130
Summary: 50 youth in 5th - 8th grade will participate in a Portrait Photography program that uses photography to journal a place, time, and person. Youth will act as "social anthropologists" to capture the portrait and story of Athens seniors. The program is a collaboration with the Athens Community Council on Aging.
Fall 2015 Grantees
Music and Arts Non-Consumable Equipment grants
Grantee: Eunice Kang from Clarke Middle School
Award Amount: $5,650
Summary: Purchase three 1/4-size double bass and two 1/8-size double bass instruments to meet the expanding interest and participation of 6th - 8th grade orchestra students.
Grantee: Leslie Sokal-Berg from David C. Barrow Elementary School
Award Amount: $1,813
Summary: Purchase 30 ukuleles so all kindergarten and 1st grade students can learn to read music, play basic chords, and sing while playing. The ukulele program is a precursor to the school's 5th grade guitar program. Students will perform for their school and families.
Grantee: Steven King from Whit Davis Elementary School
Award Amount: $1,622
Summary: All K - 5 students will participate in a environmental science-based puppetry arts program. Students will research, write, and perform their own puppet shows educating their peers about various environmental science concepts. In addition, all 4th grade students will tour The State Botanical Garden of Georgia and attend the garden's environmental puppet show.
Grantee: Rachel Osborne from Whit Davis Elementary School
Award Amount: $1,470
Summary: Purchase a Tone Chime Hand Set and the 3rd Octave Add-On so all K - 5 students can use chimes to develop and master the concepts of pitch as well as chordal progression and recognition.
Grantee: Rebecca Floyd from Hilsman Middle School
Award Amount: $1,348
Summary: Purchase two 3/4-size cellos to meet the physical and technical needs of 6th - 8th grade orchestra students.
Grantee: Bashie Ebron from J.J. Harris Elementary School
Award Amount: $1,003
Summary: Purchase 25 pinhole cameras and photo developing equipment for 78 fifth grade students. Students will learn the history and art of photography and use these skills to demonstrate their understanding of various components of their language arts and science curriculum.
Grantee: Melanie Powers from Whitehead Elementary School
Award Amount: $762
Summary: Purchase authentic Latin percussion instruments so all K - 5 students can understand music in relation to the Latino history and culture.
Grantee: Jennifer Renee Smith from Hilsman Middle School
Award Amount: $485
Summary: Purchase drawing equipment to expand the learning for 6th - 8th grade agriculture students and enable these students to develop visual study tools and presentation materials.
Music and Arts Programs and Experiences Grants
Grantee: Trevor Ross and Broderick Flanigan from the East Athens Community Center
Award Amount: $2,953
Summary: Thirty youth in 2nd - 5th grade will participate in a 10-week afterschool art program, "The Rose that Grew from the Concrete," taught by local professional artist Broderick Flanigan, where they will learn skills in drawing, painting, and sculpture. The program also focuses on developing an enthusiasm for the fine arts and learning how visual arts can improve community involvement and positively impact an individual's character.
Grantee: Joshua Podvin from Experience UGA
Award Amount: $2,670
Summary: All 3rd grade CCSD students will attend live theater performances by UGA's Children's Theatre Troupe. Performances will be based on adapted folktales from "Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales." Students can also submit their own adapted plays in advance and the UGA Children's Theatre Troupe will select 2 - 3 to perform for the students. Pre- and post-performances activities have been developed for educators to expand the learning for their students.
Grantee: Debbie Watson from Nuci's Space
Award Amount: $1,800
Summary: Eight youth in 6th - 8th grade will receive partial or full scholarships to participate in the one-week Camp Amped After School (CAAS) program in Fall 2015 and Spring 2016.
Grantee: Kitty Meyran from the YWCO of Athens
Award Amount: $1,600
Summary: Twenty girls in 5th - 8th grade will participate in the week-long summer drama program, "Monologues and More," where they use drama and theater to develop skills in public speaking, speech, elocution, and self-expression while also building their self-esteem. The program is a collaboration with ACC's Athens Creative Theater (ACT).
Grantee: Joy Smith from Howard B. Stroud Elementary School
Award Amount: $1,500
Summary: All K - 5 students will experience eight monthly lunchtime musical performances. Musicians will be students from UGA's Hugh Hodgson School of Music and performances will focus on the following instruments: violin, viola, cello, double bass, trumpet, French horn, oboe, and piano.
Grantee: Hilary Ruston from W.R. Coile Middle School
Award Amount: $907
Summary: All 8th grade students will use art, math, and science to construct, decorate, and fly kites as part of the AthFest Educates Kite Day of Art and Math. Students will learn the role of kites and kite-flying in various cultures and then move on to learn the principles of symmetry, transformation, lift, gravity, and tension while constructing and decorating their own kites. The project ends with a final event where students launch their kites and record various data points that will be used to develop new math and science skills.
Professional Development Grants
Grantee: Kristen Lynch from Alps Road Elementary
Award Amount: $668
Summary: Attend the National Association for Music Education Conference to develop skills related to: 1) music education for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, 2) Orff and Kodaly teaching approaches, and 3) supporting creativity in urban students.