PNC Grant Enables Asbury Park Head Start Students To Learn Life Skills Through Algonquin Arts Literacy Advantage Live Theatre Program

THE STORY OF THE RAINBOW FISH by Marcus Pfister Published by North-South Books With her lovely coloring and shimmering scales, the Rainbow Fish is used to being the most beautiful creature in the ocean. So when the other fish ask her for some silver scales, she refuses. How can she sacrifice the one thing that makes her so unique? Some good advice from the wise old Octopus persuades the Rainbow Fish to share her gifts with those around her.  And she learns the value of sharing true friendship with others.

December 9, 2007

Today the air is shimmering with excitement at Asbury Park Head Start. It is a special day. All 113 students are going to see a play at the Algonquin Arts Theatre!

"I can’t wait” says one excited young girl putting on her finest pink jacket. Students are so eager to get to the theatre that they are pulling their coats off their hooks hours before the bus is ready to leave. One young man is all dressed for the theatre in his sports coat and beams as his teacher tells him “you look as beautiful as the Rainbow Fish!”

The excitement has been building for several weeks. Thanks to a grant from PNC to promote literacy in economically disadvantaged communities, Algonquin Arts is providing the Asbury Park Head Start students and their families, cultural and educational opportunities that encourage love for reading.   By combining live performances of classic children’s books on the Algonquin stage with classroom readings of the original books, the stories come alive to teach skills and values that will have lasting impact on the children’s lives.

After pre-performance workshops in the classroom, Algonquin Arts provides transportation to a live stage performance for Head Start students and their families.  Before today’s show, Leslie Sims, artist in residence and outreach coordinator at Algonquin, spent personal time with each head Start class to read Rainbow Fish, act out the story and talk about what it meant to them.

Teachers report that the most effective part of the workshop was its interactivity. Students acted out the play and participated in a puppet show.  They ‘became’ fishes and moved around the classroom like a fish. For the students, however, the best moment in the workshop was unanimous: “when Miss Leslie wiggled on the floor and pretended to be a fish!”

Following the performances, free copies of the books are provided to each student. Post-performance workshops are then held in each participating classroom.

Teachers were thrilled at how much the kids loved the play. One said, “They stood most of the show to watch it!”  Says another, “My kids loved it so much they put post-it notes all over me to make me look like the rainbow fish.” Others commented that the performance was “very engaging and fun”, “it expanded their vocabulary,” “students loved the songs!”

The Arts Advantage Head Start Program will explore and present five different classic books throughout the spring.  All share a common thread of social values vital to the healthy development of young children. These life skills are essential to becoming productive members of society.

“Students wanted to read the book over and over, and see the play again. They acted out the story afterwards using the puppets they made during the workshop,” says a Pre-K teacher. Most touching was to hear students commenting that they were Rainbow Fish -- the most beautiful fish in the deep blue sea!

“This is been an incredible program for our students,” states Georgina Criado-Hall, Director of Asbury Park Head Start.  “They would never have this type of exposure to classic literature and access to live theatre without Algonquin Arts. I’m like the Rainbow fish; seeing them so enriched fills my heart with joy!”

ABOUT THE ALGONQUIN ARTS ADVANTAGE PROGRAM

During the Algonquin Arts-provided pre-performance workshops, a teaching artist encourages the children to develop original thoughts and ideas, think creatively, develop habits of inquiry, and learn how to recognize and solve problems while measuring the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative. The themes focus on honesty, fairness, caring, responsibility, respect and overall good citizenship. The post-performance workshop reexamines the societal issues evident in the shows. The teaching artist revisits each theme ensuring that the students understand the importance of each topic and how these issues are present in their daily lives.

With this new initiative, Algonquin Arts presents economically disadvantaged children with opportunities for cultural awareness and an early love of the arts.  It gives teachers the tools they need to promote early childhood literacy as well as to address the national mandate under the No Child Left Behind legislation for implementation of technology in all schools. Additionally, this program is designed to work toward the nationwide goal of promoting literacy in the home and strengthening the bond between parent and child with literature. The project has been enthusiastically endorsed by Toni Harrison, the Health and Disabilities Coordinator of Monmouth County Head Start.

The Arts Advantage Program is just one of many cultural opportunities offered by Algonquin Arts.  Each academic year, the Algonquin Arts Education Series turns the 540-seat Algonquin Arts Theatre into a shared interactive auditorium for area schools. In-Theatre Education programs meet core curriculum standards, provide lessons of tolerance and personal health, and introduce physically challenged children to the wonders of music and dance.

UPCOMING ALGONQUIN ARTS ADVANTAGE HEAD START PROGRAMS

• The Rainbow Fish, presented in December 2007, focuses on character development and is based on the hugely popular book of the same title by Marcus Pfister; it is the recipient of the BookSense Book of the Year Award, the 1993 Christopher Award, and the 1995 American Bookseller Book of the Year Award for children’s books.
• Junie B. Jones, to be presented in February 2008, focuses on the importance of family and friendship and encourages self-confidence through the creative medium of writing. Junie B. is based on Barbara Park’s popular series.
• Charlotte’s Web, to be presented in May 2008, is based on E.B. White’s classic children’s book of the same name that encourages tolerance, emphasizes the importance of friendship, and promotes positive self-esteem and self-worth.
• Max & Ruby, to be presented in May 2008, demonstrates the need for personal responsibility in both society and personal relationships and promotes family values and respect. The production is based on Rosemary Wells’ well-known board books and is the recipient of the Book for Youth Award; Max & Ruby is also a television series on Nick, Jr.
• Winnie the Pooh, June 2008, is based the classic children’s book by A.A. Milne that demonstrates friendship, honesty, and personal responsibility.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ALGONQUIN ARTS
January 3, 2008
For Further Information Contact:
Carol Wolf at (732) 528-3735 or
carol@algonquinarts.org

The PNC Foundation contributes $12,500 to Algonquin Arts

Grant supports educational outreach program for Asbury Park Head Start

Joe Whall, director of client and community relations for PNC Bank, Richard Kelley, regional director of PNC Wealth Management in Red Bank, Leslie Sims, outreach director at Algonquin Arts and Georgina Criado-Hall, director of the Asbury Park Head Start, during the presentation of a $12,500 grant from the PNC Foundation to Algonquin Arts that supports the Algonquin Arts Advantage outreach program promoting literacy at Asbury Park Head Start.

Manasquan, NJ, Jan. 3, 2007 – The PNC Foundation awarded Algonquin Arts a $12,500 grant to provide educational and cultural opportunities for Asbury Park Head Start students and their families. The Algonquin Arts Advantage program fosters literacy by combining workshops and readings of classic children’s books with live performances on the Algonquin stage.

Joe Whall, director of client and community relations for PNC and Richard Kelly, regional team director of PNC Wealth Management in Red Bank, presented a check to Leslie Sims, outreach director at Algonquin Arts. The PNC Foundation check was presented during a tour of the Asbury Park Head Start Center led by Georgina Georgina Criado-Hall, director of the Asbury Park Head Start, and Sonali Raval, assistant director of Education Learning at Monmouth County Head Start.

Mr. Whall noted, "The PNC Foundation is delighted to help Algonquin Arts foster literacy in the community." Mr. Kelley, who recalled volunteering to read in children’s classrooms said, “I know first hand how the love of reading can transform a life. We are particularly excited to support a program with such positive long term impact.”  Ms. Sims said, “On behalf of the entire organization, Algonquin Arts would like to express its sincere gratitude to PNC for their continued interest and financial assistance in enriching the cultural lives of the children and parents in our community.”

The Arts Advantage Program is just one of many cultural opportunities offered by Algonquin Arts. Each academic year, the Algonquin Arts Education Series turns the 540-seat Algonquin Arts Theatre into a shared interactive auditorium for area schools. In-Theatre Education programs meet core curriculum standards, provide lessons of tolerance and personal health, and introduce physically challenged children to the wonders of music and dance.

About Algonquin Arts
Algonquin Arts was founded in 1992 as a nonprofit corporation to promote and advance artistic, social, literary, education, and community theatrical endeavors in Central New Jersey. Algonquin Arts’ outreach programs bring cultural and educational programs to schools, community centers, and long-term adult care facilities throughout Monmouth and Ocean Counties. In its first full season, Algonquin Arts attracted 9,000 people to 54 events. Today, more than 90,000 people, 26,000 of them schoolchildren, attended 217 programs in 540-seat Algonquin Arts Theatre. Other Algonquin Arts supporters include Gannett Foundation, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, George A. Ohl, Jr. Trust, Holm Charitable Trust, Intercat, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Manasquan Savings Bank, New Jersey Natural Gas, New Jersey Cultural Trust, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, OceanFirst Foundation, The Provident Bank Foundation, Point Pleasant Boro Rotary, Target Stores, Todino Family Foundation, Tolchin Foundation, Verizon, Woman’s Club of Brielle, as well as many generous individuals and local businesses.