March 26, 2018
EDCAL 5
Santa Ana students perform in Washington, D.C. at
the Kennedy Center’s Turnaround Arts Talent Show
Students from Willard Intermediate
School in Santa Ana Unified School District
joined peers from across the country in the
Turnaround Arts Talent Show held at the
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing
Arts March 11.
“My students made beautiful memories
that will last a lifetime and continue to build
self esteem and perseverance for years to
come,” said Principal Amy Scruton.
Willard Intermediate is a Turnaround
Arts: California partner school.
The Talent Show, in which Willard
Intermediate School’s Dance Team shared a
powerful anti-bullying message on a nation-
al stage using dance and spoken word,
showcased the power of the arts and music
to engage students and fuel school change
efforts in historically disadvantaged com-
munities.
In collaboration with the student danc-
ers, the piece was choreographed by Irishia
Hubbard, who teaches dance at Willard
through a partnership with Orange County
Children’s Therapeutic Arts Center.
The dancers were accompanied by
eighth-grade student Jayro Ortez, a self-
taught piano prodigy who won last year’s
first annual Willard’s Got Talent show,
hosted by the school’s Turnaround Artist
mentor Nigel Lythgoe of “So You Think
You Can Dance” and “American Idol.” Video of the student performance is avail-
able at https://goo.gl/yHgq6X.
“This has been an amazing opportunity
for our students. To travel all the way from
Santa Ana to our nation’s capital to perform
before a national audience is an experience
of a lifetime,” said Stefanie Phillips, super-
intendent of Santa Ana USD.
Turnaround Arts: California was co-
founded in 2014 by renowned architect
Frank Gehry and arts education advo-
cate Malissa Shriver to administer the
Turnaround Arts program statewide.
“Seeing the strength and creativity in our
Turnaround Arts: California students gives
me hope for our future and fuels my own
inspiration,” Gehry said.
“Witnessing our students overcome
obstacles and find their authentic voices as
creato rs and scholars humbles me and con-
vinces me that no achievement gaps exist
where opportunity lives,” said Executive
Director Shriver.
Willard Intermediate School’s partici-
pation in this event was sponsored by
Elizabeth Segerstrom and Ruth Ann
Moriarty. Moriarty, the Segerstrom Family
matriarch, along with the late Henry
Segerstrom and other family members, are
alumni of Willard Intermediate School.
“When I was first introduced to
Turnaround Arts: California as a donor,
AB 2808 is much hope and promise placed in the
Local Control and Accountability Plans,
there is not sufficient funding to support all
locally identified needs.
ACSA believes school districts would
benefit from increased investments to public
education for a variety of locally identified
purposes, including, but not limited to: scal-
ing up high school programs for a full range
of college and career preparation options for
all students; additional support for English
language learners; a broad range of profes-
sional development opportunities for new
and veteran teachers and classified school
employees; and to implement other strate-
gies designed to enhance student achieve-
ment and close the achievement gap.
AB 2808 is scheduled to be heard in the
Assembly Education Committee on April
11. ACSA will keep members apprised as
developments occur. For more information,
please contact ACSA Legislative Advocate
Martha Alvarez at [email protected].
Continued from page 1
AB 2808 offers a framework and start-
ing point for a conversation about where
school funding can go now that it is back
to the pre-recession levels. Through this
bill, ACSA is urging the Legislature and
the governor to establish new LCFF targets
and timeline during this budget cycle. At
a minimum, ACSA believes the new total
LCFF target should be a base grant that is
the national average for every district, plus
the supplemental and concentration grants
as additional recourses for the local educa-
tional agencies eligible for this funding.
As required in the LCFF law, school dis-
tricts statewide, with the collaboration and
input from local stakeholders, have devel-
oped multi-year strategic plans to consider
goals, actions and services to support stu-
dent growth and achievement. While there
I was excited and didn’t know what to
expect,” Elizabeth Segerstrom said. “Never
could I have envisaged the transformational
effect this inspiring and impactful program
has had on so many American students.
“I’ve watched with awe as these children
have blossomed and excelled to inhabit
their true potential as our future leaders
in the arts. The power of Turnaround Arts
to fundamentally change the way students
learn, grow and excel cannot be overstated
– it’s been the joy and privilege of my life to
be to be involved and witness lives changed,
first hand. First America, then the world!”
Students from three other Turnaround
Arts: California partner schools partici-
pated in the talent show at the Kennedy
Center:
• Avenal Elementary School, Reef-
Sunset USD, collaborative, map-inspired
mural titled “One Nation, One Hope.”
• Fremont/Lopez Elementary School,
Stockton USD, Mariachi medley, including
narrations about how music forged students’
paths to continue their education.
• MLK School of the Arts, Monterey
Peninsula USD, photographic exhibit of
black and white portraits that explore with
the idea of the “American Dream.”
Currently, there are 17 Turnaround Arts
partner schools in California.
Students from Willard Intermediate School joined peers from across the country in the Turnaround Arts Talent
Show held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on March 11.
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