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Photograph by Douglas Rider
Katie Harrington warms up with her violin in one of the many classrooms turned green rooms before the Starting Art Spectacular June 7 at Ponderosa Elementary School.
Start it Up
Ponderosa Elementary showcases the arts, thanks to $550,000 anonymous gift
By Gretchen Knaup
A $550,000 anonymous donation has enabled the students of Ponderosa Elementary School to explore their artistic talents in a new visual and performing arts program. The students showcased their efforts in a performance under the stars on the evening of June 7 for family and friends.
The individual grant was given to Santa Clara County public school system with instructions to put the money toward art education. Ponderosa came up with the pilot program called "Starting Arts" in March. With the success in Ponderosa, the district hopes to expand the program to all schools.
The program costs $60,000 a year for each elementary school, and $1 million a year for all schools. According to program director Ann Watts, plans are already under way to enlist support from Silicon Valley companies to support the arts education program. The $550,000 donation already received will fund the program at Ponderosa for five years. The program consists of after-school theater rehearsals as well as art and music classes during school hours, with 110 students participating.
After just three months of rehearsals and art classes, parents were able to see just what their children have been working on in a variety show performed at the school. The students started off with a drum program followed by a choir, a band performance, and a swing dance routine.
"The response from the parents was phenomenal," Watts said. "They were surprised by what their kids learned and really how good their kids were."
During intermission, the audience was led off to the library for a visual arts exhibit displaying art done by students in the after school classes called 'Cool Fibers' and 'Creative Clay and More.' Instructed by Mari Sato and Melissa Koke, students in the visual arts section of the program created pottery, masks, kaleidoscopes, watercolor paintings and other works of art.
Photograph by Douglas Rider
Ponderosa's Young Singers perform 'A Letter from Camp' along with three other songs in the second act of the school's art showcase.
During the second half of the show, students put on a one-act comical rendition of "Goldie Locks."
"I think the kids had a really great time," Watts said. "The best part is they don't even know they are learning, because they are having so much fun." She added, "It's become a very tight cohesive group of children. The next day they were so proud of what they had accomplished."
Watts was recently hired by the district to develop, market and coordinate the program. Watts has a long history in the arts as a former professional dancer, as well as a teaching background. She also has two children attending Ponderosa. While organizing the program, she found professional artists from all over the Bay Area to participate in Starting Arts and teach the students.
Watts was successful in finding a variety of people including drum players from San Jose Taiko, violin and trumpet teachers, dance choreographers, and also acting and singing instructors.
The program also allowed for the hiring of Bob Frazier, to be the school's general music teacher. This position not only includes all aspects of the show, but also includes teaching music theory, appreciation and rhythm to grades as low as kindergarten. "In two years, this program will be the strongest and biggest in the state," Frazier vowed.
Photograph by Douglas Rider
David Cesar plays the Star Wars theme along with the rest of the Ponderosa Band during a performance at the Starting Arts Spectacular, June 7 at Ponderosa Elementary School.
Frazier has worked at Cherry Chase Elementary School for four years., where he leads an 80-member band and has brought more of a modern influence to the music that they perform. He plans on transferring this influence to the Ponderosa band next year.
"Test scores increased 38 percent at Cherry Chase after the "Stretchers" and "Stretch Beyond" arts program began," Frazier claimed, adding, "Our goal is to make the school responsible for academics, and academics responsible for arts. I want to make it all one."
Watts agreed, saying, "We really think the arts encompasses many aspects of academics."
The program is scheduled to start again in the fall and be continued through out the year with one program in the fall, and then another large production in the spring.
"We plan to offer more classes after school, maintain the theater, dance and arts classes, while expanding on the program district wide," said Watts.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
