What's So Good About CMSD?

More than a hundred high school students from schools across the district found their way to the Idea Center at Playhouse Square Thursday afternoon to experience the arts. The event drawing them together was the 6th annual All City Arts Program open house, designed to introduce CMSD high school students to the after school program.

In small groups they met with professional artists in a variety of arts disciplines to explore new outlets of creative expression. They danced, sang, acted, painted, and learned how to perform poetry that they wrote.

Before they left that evening the students gathered in the Westfield theater to present their afternoon's work to the group. The energy in the theater was remarkable. The applause and cheering could be heard throughout the building for more than half an hour as the teenagers amazed themselves and each other with their presentations.

The All City Arts Program has evolved over the past 6 years from simply a cadre of student performance groups to an after-school art school for Cleveland high school students. Meeting twice a week at the new John Hay High School at University Circle, the program will offer arts experiences for teenagers across the district that are not available to them in the regular curriculum's of the individual high schools.

This year, for the first time, the visual arts have been added to All-City with the creation of the Atelier program. Atelier students will meet at John Hay Monday and Wednesday afternoons for workshops, and have the opportunity to participate in field trips and other arts events and programs throughout the city. October 1st will begin the first session.

Thursday September 27th at 4:00, arts organizations from across Cleveland will be meeting at Trinity Commons to discuss after school programing for teens, and to brainstorm ideas for new collaborations and the development of new partnerships.

If you are interested in attending this meeting please send me an e-mail.
mary.matthews@cmsdnet.net