Young Auditorium Horizons Program Honors Area Teachers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Stacy P. Sherman Marketing Specialist Ph: (262) 472-5705 Fx: (262) 472-4400 Email: [email protected] Date: April 30, 2014

WHITEWATER – Young Auditorium hosted its second annual “Teachers’ Night Out” appreciation event on Friday, April 25, 2014 in the Fern Young Terrace at Young Auditorium in Whitewater. The evening’s hostess, Young Auditorium Horizons Education & Outreach Coordinator, Shannon Dozoryst, addressed approximately 40 area teachers and special guests with the evening’s message; the event was held to recognize and thank all of the teachers and administrators who make the arts a priority in their schools and classrooms.

Special guests included UW-Whitewater Chancellor Richard Telfer and his wife, Roni, along with Dr. Linda Nortier of UW-W Continuing Education, and her husband, Sam. Representatives from the Young Auditorium Arts Advocacy Committee and Arts4All ticket subsidy program were there to show their support and be recognized for their involvement in another successful year.

Additionally, representatives from the Janesville School District were present in support of their partnership with Young Auditorium in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts from Washington D.C. “Partners in Education” program, which is a professional development program for educators to help them integrate the arts into school curricula. For more information about the Kennedy Center program, visit www.kennedy-center.org/education.

Nasco, International of Fort Atkinson was also recognized as Young Auditorium’s partner in education for their ongoing sponsorship and support of the Arts4All program. Arts4All was established in 2007 -more- to subsidize the cost of tickets for economically disadvantaged students. Without the necessary help needed to acquire tickets, many students would never have exposure to the performing arts in their education.

Thanks to the generous donations from sponsors, over 7,500 students in grades K-12 have been able to attend a Horizons School Matinee performance at a reduced cost. These performances make learning come alive for students by connecting the arts to school subjects like literature, history and science. Many schools rely on the tickets they receive from the Arts4All program to ensure that their students have access to the performing arts as part of their education.

The first educator recognition award was presented to Leah Hellenbrand from Kennedy Elementary school in Janesville for her work on the Water Bridges Project - connecting arts, academics and environmental advocacy. The second award was presented to Maryanne Messier from Monroe Elementary in Janesville for her time and dedication spent as an arts leader in her school and district, as well as her service on Young Auditorium’s Arts Advocacy Committee. Each teacher received a Young Auditorium gift certificate, Nasco gift card, and certificate of appreciation.

Dozoryst states, “The awards were given to honor these teachers for going above and beyond to ensure that arts education is a priority.”

After the awards and recognition, guests enjoyed a meal prepared by Chartwells Dining Services of UW-Whitewater, followed by Young Auditorium’s main stage entertainment “Summer Stories,” performed by Emmy award-winning actor and comedian John McGivern.

Young Auditorium’s Horizons School Matinee Series program is intended to provide schools and home school groups with affordable opportunities to satisfy Common Core educational requirements. Studies show that students who are exposed to the arts as part of a well-rounded education demonstrate improved reading comprehension and social maturity, develop creative and critical thinking skills, and tend to enjoy enhanced academic achievement. For more information, visit www.uww.edu/youngauditorium/horizons.

SIDEBAR: Young Auditorium’s Arts4All program is hosting its second annual Zumbathon® fundraising event, encouraging participants to “Be a Superhero 4 the Arts!” The Arts4All Zumbathon® will be held on -more- Saturday, May 10 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on the Young Auditorium stage, located at 930 West Main Street in Whitewater, WI. Same day registration begins at 9 a.m. No experience is necessary, and all ages and ability levels are encouraged to participate. Certified Zumba® instructors from Fort HealthCare, Tiffany Frohmader and Wendy Schreiner, will lead the two-hour event. You needn’t exercise for the entire two hours, but you should expect to stay for the duration of the event to be eligible for the prize drawings. For more information about the event and how to register, visit www.a4azumbathon.wordpress.com.

PHOTO CAPTIONS: PHOTO A: Leah Hellenbrand from Kennedy Elementary school in Janesville accepts her educator- leader recognition award at the Young Auditorium’s second annual “Teachers’ Night Out” appreciation event.

PHOTO B: Maryanne Messier from Monroe Elementary in Janesville accepts her educator-leader recognition award from Young Auditorium Horizons Education & Outreach Coordinator, Shannon Dozoryst.