Third Grade Visual, Performing Arts Programs Get $5,000 Grant

The Kinder Morgan Foundation has donated $5,000 to fund a portion of the Grade 3 Exploratory Visual Art Project (EVAP3) serving 18 district classrooms.

The program gives grade three students six weeks of basic visual art instruction, one hour per week, taught by trained visual art teaching artists.

"This is a wonderful grant that will help bring art to the next generation," said Dr. Karen Childress-Evans, Director of San Diego Unified's Visual and Performing Arts Programs.

Participating schools provide arts supplies and materials for the program. After six visual art lessons, grade three students will have not only experienced the basic elements of visual art, according to the California State Standards for Grade 3 Visual Art, but will also have learned important vocabulary, skills and understanding that will in turn support other content areas. Classroom teachers learn the lessons with the students so that they can feel comfortable teaching these basic lessons in subsequent years.

"Schools are selected on the basis of need, ability to provide the arts supplies, teacher interest and availability of funding," said Childress-Evans. "The San Diego Unified School District Visual and Performing Arts Department is honored to have been chosen by this prestigious group as one of the recipients."

The Kinder Morgan Foundation believes that today's youth are tomorrow's leaders. Their mission is to provide students with opportunities to learn and grow in a variety of areas including science, math, and the arts. Their goal is to help today's students become the engineers, educators and artists who will support our diverse communities for many years to come. They primarily fund programs that promote the academic and artistic interests of young people in the many cities and towns across North America where Kinder Morgan operates.

For more information about the Exploratory Visual Art Project for Third Grade, please contact Dr. Childress-Evans at kchildressevans@sandi.net.