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Unique Summer Arts Academy and Theater Program Offers Art, Dance, Music and Drama to Students Rowland Unified is proud to offer the Summer Arts Academy, a unique summer program in the visual and performing arts (music, art, dance, drama, and arts technology) for children entering grades 2- 6. Summer Theater is for children entering grades 5-8, where in four weeks, they learn how to produce and perform in a musical. When: The Summer Arts Academy (SAA) begins the first Monday after school dismisses in June and continues Monday through Friday for three weeks. Academy hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Students who have completed one year in the district’s instrumental music program may also attend elementary jazz band rehearsal from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. (before regular class starts) and violin class from 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. Where: The SAA is held at Oswalt Academy, 19501 Shadow Oak Drive, Walnut, California. Large group activities and dance classes take place in the school’s multipurpose room while all other instruction takes place in nearby classrooms. The visual art and technology classrooms are equipped with desks in a standard arrangement, while the music and drama classrooms are cleared of all furniture. Each day begins with a large group activity such as a sing-a-long, dance, drama, or art activity. On the first day of class, children are given a color-coded nametag and are divided into groups by age level. After the opening activity, children proceed to each of their four classes. These classes are in music, art, dance, and drama. Class sessions last 50 minutes each. There is a 15-minute break/recess between the second and third classes. At the close of the day, children meet for another group sing and announcements in the multipurpose room. The SAA is a fee program run through the district’s Schools Division. Tuition is paid by the students. Enrollment is limited. Needy families have opportunities for scholarships. Individual schools identify talented children with needs; monies are supplied by partnerships with local businesses and foundations, and by categorical funds available at individual school sites. NO STUDENT IS TURNED AWAY DUE TO FINANCIAL NEED. Culminating Activity/Gallery Night/Oswalt Bowl Performance: The SAA is process oriented. Children are taught the elements of art by doing art. Every child participates in all four content areas of art in order to grow creatively and artistically. At the end of the process, we have a culminating evening activity to showcase the children’s growth. This is done through a combined Gallery Night and Oswalt Bowl performance. The children’s visual art is displayed using all the available walls and partitions in the multipurpose room. Parents and community members walk through the gallery to view the newly created masterpieces; then eat a picnic dinner in the school’s outdoor eating area. Following dinner everyone moves to the Oswalt Bowl. The Oswalt Bowl is actually a gently sloping hill that overlooks one of the school’s playgrounds. Parents bring lawn chairs, blankets and cameras to enjoy the major performing art event of the year. Every child dances. Every child sings. Every child acts. The performance is a joy and crowning achievement for all! Summer Theater: Children entering grades 5 – 8 can take part in this fun summer program where in just four weeks, they take part in the production and performance of a musical. In 2009 it was “Mulan Jr.”, 2008 "Seussical the Musical." Under the direction of Laura Tovar, students attend classes Monday through Friday, 12:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. at Oswalt Academy. Tuition includes four weeks of instruction, all costumes and props, a Summer Theater T-Shirt and two free tickets to the performance! **For information on how you can enroll for the Summer Arts Academy and Summer Theater for 2010, please contact the Schools Division Office at (626)854-8348.**
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