Hello ArtPeace Fans!

This is my first post. Yipppeeeee.... I'm an official blogger!

The Young Entrepreneur Program (Year 4): Flavors from The ROC is fully underway! It is the best yet. Things are flowing along, kids are productive and they are learning how to be effective business people. It's the most fun job I have and the fine artists and people surrounding us bring a really cool energy to the place.

This year's business teams consist of:

• VMD - Digital Studio
  with Twilight Design Graphics (creating a cook book and t-shirt designs) & LCAT (Lights, Camera, Action Team) Film Makers
  
• Fuego Caliente - Music & Movement Team - they are writing and recording multicultural music and moving to the rhythm
  
• The Mixture - Multicultural world cafe / culinary arts
  
• The Creation - mural painters and mask makers
• Phresh Art - visual arts / product creators

Please join us for the showcase event on Thursday, August 15 at 6:30pm at 35 South Washington Street in Rochester where the young entrepreneurs will present their businesses publicly and show off their work. It always proves to be an enlightening and fun evening with a few surprises.

In other news, ArtPeace has completed YEAR 1 of our pilot arts and technology integrated school at East High, ArtPeace@East! Students had a 96% attendance rate, 11% less behavioral incidents and reported a more positive school experience. Teachers reported more job satisfaction, a strong team and collaboration. Our promotion rate exceeded that of the rest of the 7th grade. All encouraging results and kids are more actively engaged in project-based, expeditionary learning. In the Fall, 80 more 7th graders join the 80 8th graders. We are excited but in need of supporting funds to make this happen!

Our team recently returned from a state-wide week-long arts integration partnership seminar and heard news from the state level funders (New York State Council on the Arts and their funding panel) and others that the work we are doing in arts-in-ed is truly innovative in its interdiscplinary scope. We are proud of this work and look forward to advancing it this coming year.

Soon, I will blog again...

Please send me a note at kris@artpeace.org or check out our site at www.artpeace.org.

Ciao!

Kristin