Surviving Middle School: Why I give to Salt Lake Arts Academy.
Adolescence can be rough for young people, and particularly at school. Kids are asking themselves every day 'Who am I?, Where do I belong? Am I cool enough? Am I smart enough?' All great -- and distracting! -- questions that Salt Lake Arts Academy tries to help our students answer for themselves.
Salt Lake Arts Academy helps all kinds of students figure out where they belong in the world by providing a free public middle school education, enriched by the arts, in downtown Salt Lake City. I helped found this school thirteen years ago, along with visionary educators and fellow parents, all of whom wanted to make a safe, inclusive, diverse place for kids of all abilities to not just make it through middle school, but thrive.
Our vision included making sure that every student received at least one our of arts instruction, every day, all year long. The result is a place of joyous learning -- daily engagement in music, drama, dance and visual arts makes kids feel like they belong to the tribe. Everyone is given an opportunity to explore their world through many lenses, then focus in on their particular passion. And engaged students become students who achieve in the classroom and beyond.
Public education, particularly middle school, often works for many students -- but for a quirky kid, a quiet kid, a loud kid, a bouncy kid or a bullied kid it can be a tortuous and nonproductive time. I give to Salt Lake Arts Academy so that all those different kinds of students, help them find their passions, find their place in the world, and become creative and confident builders of their future.
My children are in college now, but I continue to give to Salt Lake Arts Academy so that more students can experience the same inclusive, grounding community my daughters found. I give because I believe in building creative minds.
www.slarts.org
Review from #MyGivingStory