Delta State University’s Bologna Performing Arts Center (BPAC) in partnership with the West Bolivar School District has been selected as one of 12 teams nationwide to attend the Kennedy Center Partners in Education Institute at the Kennedy Center April 25-28, 2012. This national partnership will provide the training and resources necessary for the BPAC and West Bolivar School District to plan and implement an arts-centered education initiative. Together, they will develop a professional development program that focuses on using the arts to enrich the instruction of other subject areas and increase student achievement.
“We are thrilled to further expand our arts education outreach,” said Laura Howell, arts education coordinator for the BPAC. “We believe we can have a strong impact on arts education in our area through focusing on teachers. By providing teachers with training in how to incorporate the arts across the curriculums, we can support student learning and engagement.”
Partnership teams will see a variety of professional development programs for teachers in progress and will explore methods for planning, implementing, and evaluating similar events. The goal of these professional development programs is to develop teachers’ knowledge of the arts and empower them to use the arts in their classrooms.
Sherry Shepard, curriculum director for the West Bolivar School District, believes the program provides an excellent opportunity to expand the district’s curriculum through the arts. "This partnership with Delta State’s Bologna Performing Arts Center, and the Kennedy Center will provide us the opportunity to engage our students in new and innovative ways,” said Shepard. “My hope is that we are able to spark our students’ curiosity and interest in the subject matter through the arts-integrated learning activities supported through this initiative. In turn, student achievement will definitely realize a positive impact!”
The 12 teams selected for the institute met the criteria for selection by effectively demonstrating the potential for the arts organization and school system to initiate or expand programs for teachers and the stated commitment by both partners to collaborate on developing programs.
“To attain the partnership with the Kennedy Center as one of 12 teams nationwide receiving this recognition is quite an honor for the Janice Wyatt Arts Institute at the Bologna Performing Arts Center,” said Dr. Myrtis Tabb, associate vice president for finance and administration at Delta State. “This partnership will give an added recognition to the work. It will bring an infusion of new and innovative ideas that can be used here in the Mississippi Delta.”
