Polk County receives award for arts
05/09 -- The 2009 Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network and NSBA Award was presented at the Monday General Session to the Polk County, Fla., school board, in recognition of its commitment to arts education, even during times of economic pressure.
The award was presented at the Monday General Session by Darrell M. Ayers, vice president for education at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to Polk County school board Chair Frank O’Reilly and Director of Fine Arts Frank Howes.
The award includes $10,000 to support district arts programs.
The Polk County school board has consistently proved its support of the arts by committing 4.3 percent of its instructional budget for arts programs, supporting several administrative positions to oversee arts programs, and working with local arts organizations, such as the Polk Museum of Art and Lakeland Theater.
Despite a challenging financial situation, the Polk County school board has not cuts arts funding, although it has delayed plans to expand some programs, O’Reilly says.
“Young men and women involved in the arts are so motivated and enthusiastic about the work they do, it flows over into the rest of the curriculum,” he says.
All elementary and middle schools have music and visual arts specialists, and the school board calls for every elementary student to receive at least 45 minutes a week in both music and visual arts instruction.
The district has created a yearlong campaign, “Arts for Life,” which brings professional artists to schools.
The Polk County Kids Tag Art Project, a collaborate project with the Polk County Tax Collector’s Office and other community partners, encourages students to design specialty license plates. More than 4,200 fifth-graders from 70 schools submitted designs, and judges selected the top 134 to be sold to the public.
The district has four arts-related schools, and a new middle school fine arts academy opened in 2007. The Harrison School for the Arts (9-12) attracts students countywide interested in pursuing careers in the arts and offers master classes with professional performers and artists.