Around Town: April 9-10

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Julia Cain

TGIF! So where are you in the mood to go this weekend?

Into the outdoors …

You actually have two great opportunities to beautify our nearby rivers: Potomac Conservancy hosts the 23rd Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup, organized by the Alice Ferguson Foundation, on Saturday at 9:00 AM in Cabin John. Up in Poolesville, Potomac Riverkeeper will hold Riley’s Lock Cleanup, also at 9:00 AM on Saturday.

And for the speed demons among you, the interactive Art & Go Seek Scaveger Hunt begins at CHAW at 8:30 AM on Saturday; teams of two to six people will race around the neighborhood in search of answers to questions about art, history, and notorious people. Sign up here! Similarly, Cakes for Cause‘s Sweetest Race in Town 5K begins at 8:00 AM on Sunday in downtown Frederick, MD. There will be cupcakes at the finish — enough said.

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7 Question – Sonia Quinonez (SCAN of Northern Virginia)

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Julia Cain

Greetings! Let’s welcome to “7 Questions” … Sonia Quinonez, Executive Director of SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now) of Northern Virginia. Last year alone, 7000 children were reported as victims of abuse in Virginia and SCAN is there to stand up for them, offering parental support groups and education and producing creative public awareness initiatives. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, so this is an ideal time to learn more about SCAN’s essential work in our region.

1. What was your most interesting recent project, initiative, partnership, or event?

SCAN of Northern Virginia just hosted our annual Allies in Prevention Awards Luncheon last Friday. It was a wonderful gathering of some 190 advocates for children — from front-line child protective services workers to elected officials. We honored five inspiring individuals, who have demonstrated exemplary commitment to improving the lives of children and strengthening families. Leon Harris of WJLA/ABC7 was a delightful emcee introducing us to the Ally Award winners. From a foster parent to a probation officer to a Deputy Director of Community and Human Services, each of the honorees has demonstrated a lifetime of commitment to protecting the most vulnerable children in our community. Our keynote speaker, Christine James-Brown, CEO of the Child Welfare League of America, engaged us in reflections on national advocacy efforts to focus anew on child welfare and the responsibility and accountability each of us has for playing our role in the systems that support families. It was truly an inspiring event.

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In The News …

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Julia Cain

Welcome to the first Wednesday of the (hopefully not too) rainy month! We have a bundle of Catalogue non-profit news coming your way …

Congratulations to five non-profit leaders — Last night, the winners of the 2010 Exponent Awards were honored by the Meyer Foundation. And of those winners, four are the leaders of Catalogue non-profits: Jean-Michel Giraud of Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place, Layli Miller-Muro of Tahirih Justice Center, Scott Schenkelberg of Miriam’s Kitchen (check out his “7 Questions” interview!), and Adam Tenner of Metro TeenAIDS. Many, many congratulations! You can also check out the Washington Post’s earlier coverage of the award announcement.

Being Bilingual May Boost Your Brain Power — Check out this cool discussion of bilingual families from Monday’s Morning Edition: “Judy and Paul Szentkiralyi both grew up bilingual in the US, speaking Hungarian with their families and English with their peers. When they first started dating, they spoke English when things turned serious they did something unusual — they decided to switch to Hungarian” for their children. Additionally, several Catalogue non-profits, such as the Latin American Montessori Bilingual PCS, are also strong evidence for the power in bilingual education!

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Pictures for the Day

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Julia Cain

Today, catch a glimpse into … Community Help In Music Education (CHIME), which reaches students in 80 DC public schools, teaching them about the music of different cultures and inviting them to experience new instruments for the first time.

In the spring, CHIME brings twenty-two Music Around the World programs to five schools. In the first two photos, kids in kindergarten through 2nd grade take part in world musician Bill Jenkins “Latin Percussion” program and form a cha-cha rhythm band! In the third, Tom Teasley teaches 3rd through 5th graders all about digital music.

(photo by Beki Radovinovic)

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Numbers for the Day

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Julia Cain

Of the 50 million students currently in American public schools, only 18% have access to dance education. (National Dance Education Association)

Of those students, only 7% are taught by a certified dance specialist, rather than a sports coach or general educator. (American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance)

Most dancers begin training between the ages of 5 and 15 and many have their first professional audition before they turn 18. (Bureau of Labor Statistics: Dances and Choreographers)

In sum? Kids get serious about dance early and get hooked earlier than that, even if they don’t intend to pursue a full-time dance career. And as the NDEO reports, “participation in high-quality arts education programs nurtures persistence, resilience, achievement” in numerous arenas. Yet many students never have the chance to carve out a space on the dance stage.

… So this “Numbers for the Day” is dedicated to Catalogue’s innovative dance companies and movement–focused non-profits, who keep that stage alive and accessible.

Around Town: April 1-3

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Julia Cain

Hmm, not too much going on this weekend. Everything seems pretty quiet and chill … April Fools! I kid, I kid. We have a bundle of performances at our arts non-profits this weekend, plus a couple cool events early in the week:

District of Columbia Arts Center (2438 18th Street NW)

Friday, Saturday & Sunday at 7:30PM, Landless Theatre presents the winner of the 2008 NY Fringe Outstanding Musical, China: The Whole Enchilada, an irreverent march through four thousand years of history. More info right here.

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (641 D Street NW)

This Friday & Saturday at 8:00PM and Saturday & Sunday at 3:00PM, The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs (by acclaimed monologist Mike Daisey) pulls back the curtain veiling America’s most mysterious technology icon. Tickets right here.

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In The News …

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Julia Cain

Welcome to Wednesday, folks! A handful of non-profit news to follow …

Revamping the Teaching Profession: Investing in teachers from the very beginning — The Center for High Impact Philanthropy at the University of Pennsylvania has an extensive post on the “the importance of investing in high-quality teachers from the very beginning of their careers […] Investing in the early preparation and support of high-quality teaching candidates […] is an area where individual philanthropic capital can play a critical role.” Among the results of several such support models? “The retention rates for the three founding programs represent an improvement of 66% to 84% over the national five-year retention rate of 50%.”

Re-envisioning No Child Left Behind, and What It Means for Arts Education — Over at Createquity, Jennifer Kessler provides a detailed analysis of what President Obama’s ‘Blueprint for Reform: the Re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and what it all could signify for the future of arts education in public schools. She explains that “the biggest shift presented by Obama’s proposal is that … the government offers incentives in the form of grants to people doing the best work” and will encourage “a new investment in improving teaching and learning in all content areas.” But are all “content areas” given equal resources?

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Quotes for the Day

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Julia Cain

From Mayor Vincent Gray’s State of the District address:

Picture with me a Washington where the government is lean and efficient — the kind that supports businesses, places of worship, schools, and non-profits; envision a government that makes every tax dollar go as far as it possibly can. It’s a government in which public servants recognize the value of the trust bestowed upon them and carry out their responsibilities with humility, dedication and pride.

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Middle Ground?

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Julia Cain

I just stumbled upon this article (“For Teachers, Middle School Is Test of Wills”) published four years ago this month in the New York Times as part of a “Critical Years” series, which examined developments in middle school-specific pedagogy and “survival skills.” A few key passages jumped out to me:

Faced with increasingly well-documented slumps in learning at a critical age, educators in New York and across the nation are struggling to rethink middle school, particularly in cities, where the challenges of adolescent volatility, spiking violence and lagging academic performance are more acute.

As they do so, they are running up against a key problem: a teaching corps marked by high turnover, and often lacking expertise in both subject matter and the topography of the adolescent mind […]

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