PLUK News feed

Educators Say Arts Integration Boosts Participation, Recall

Link: Art

Thanks to their teachers' integration of arts into math, reading, social studies and science class work, students in one Mississippi district became more engaged and bettered their performance. "Every classroom learns better if the arts are part of the learning process. That transcends private school, public school, economics," said Marcia Daft, an arts-based education consultant who taught Greenville, Miss., educators how to incorporate the method with her workshops, funded by a Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts grant.

Sun-Sentinel.com: Hollywood's doors opening for actors with disabilities

Link: Sun-Sentinel

NICK DALEY, 28, has Prader-Willi Syndrome, a genetic disorder characterized by short stature, low muscle tone and mild retardation. He's also been in 17 films and 11 television shows, including a guest-starring role in last season's TNT series "Saving Grace."

"If I were a star, I would be on all over the world," he says. "I would be mobbed by fans. People would see my name and get my autograph."

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Invites Children to Participate in their National Art Contest!

Link: Announcement

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Invites Children to Participate in their National Art Contest!

Entry Deadline: July 31, 2008

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) invites children to participate in a national art contest with a chance to win a trip to Boston, Massachusetts.
The Academy's contest is open to boys and girls in two groups, grades 3-5 and 6-8. The winner in each group and their parents/guardians will be invited to attend the 2008 AAP National Conference & Exhibition in Boston on Saturday, October 11. Both winners will receive $500 and up to $1,000 for travel-related expenses. The two second-place winners will each receive $250. The contest theme is "How I Can Be Active".

For more information, please view:

News Release (PDF)

Entry Form (PDF)

Consent Form (PDF)

Rules and Regulations (PDF)

InsideBayArea.com: Literacy becomes a fun work of art

Link: Alameda Times-Star

ON TUESDAY, the children in Chau Nguyen's first-grade class at Garfield Elementary School made snowmen, birds nests, hamburgers — even a foot-high tornado and a bicycle — out of clay.

Wearing oversized T-shirt smocks, they mashed, squeezed and rolled the squishy substance into shape, their enthusiasm sometimes causing them to shout out to Nguyen or the visiting art coach, Lisa Ostapinski, without raising their hands.

"Whenever we have art, they're so happy," Nguyen said. "It makes my day."

BillingsGazette.com: Instant changed Cody photographer's life

Link: The Billings Gazette

DENVER - In the time it takes to snap a photo, life can change in unforeseen and unimaginable ways.

Model is now on his toughest assignment yet: recovering from a traumatic brain injury caused by an apparently random act of violence last June. That's when he was hit by a chunk of concrete that smashed through the windshield of a car he was in while vacationing in Cape Town, South Africa. Doctors said his chances of survival were remote.

AG Bell: 2008 Arts and Sciences Financial Aid Award Applications Available

Link: Financial Aid

The AG Bell Arts and Sciences Financial Aid Awards are for children who are deaf or hard of hearing between the ages of 6 to 18 who want to participate in extracurricular programs that focus on developing skills in the arts or sciences. The award can go towards any program that targets the sciences and arts, including those held by museums, nature centers, dance and theater workshops, music centers, zoological parks, and space and science camps. Deadline for applications is April 1, 2008.

PublicBroadcasting.net: Learning Outside the Box

Link: Public Arts

Jonathan Mooney is president of a nonprofit mentoring and advocacy organization for students with learning disabilities. He grew up "learning disabled" but graduated from Brown University and is the author of The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal. He tells Jim Fleming that "normal" is a social construct, not a medical one and society should learn to embrace diversity. In this radio program, Mooney discusses what happens when learning occurs "outside the box."

NCTimes.com: Success story: Students learn to use words, pictures

Link: North County Times

ESCONDIDO ---- Sunday isn't a day most students expect to spend with their teachers, but the Escondido students who spent Sunday afternoon on stage at the Escondido Arts Center didn't seem to mind.

The students on stage, from the 10 classes participating in the school district's literacy through the arts program, were being recognized for their hard work in the program.

Now in its second year, My Story: Literacy through the Arts, gives Escondido fourth- and fifth-grade students the chance to develop artistic and language skills simultaneously

DailyAstorian.com: Artist Pulls Out the Palette After 30 Years

Link: The Daily Astorian

Marlene Kent has spent her lifetime overcoming dyslexia. As a young woman, she found a creative outlet in painting, but then put it aside 30 years to raise her children. In 2003, Kent made the leap back to oil painting, and has since done a number of commissioned paintings of historic buildings and scenes as she pursues her lifelong passion.

Chalk artist shares his hurdles in life

Link: TimesDaily.com

34-year-old Ben Glenn, known across the country as "The Chalk Guy," brought Florence High School students to their feet in awe at his dynamic, 12-minute production of a multi-dimensional mountainous landscape scene. He uses his art and his own life story of dealing with the challenges of dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, and learning disabilities to inspire his audiences.