On Sunday, March 5, the student musicians of the Performing Arts School of Worcester (PASOW) practiced in their new home for the first time. That new home is right here at Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School. "The AKF Music Department and PASOW have been collaborating for the past two years with the goal of combining/expanding some of the existing programs," said Chris Girardi, AKF lead music teacher and Co-Director of the AKF Performing Arts Academy. "This year, Greg Shannon came onto our staff as a music teacher here at AKF and we began looking for ways of expanding our current music program. When PASOW sold their building, the Worcester Youth Orchestra and the Worcester Youth Symphony Orchestra programs needed a place for their weekly rehearsals. Due to Greg's previous position at PASOW, we were able to communicate with their program directors and create a partnership that both parties believe to be healthy and fulfilling." PASOW's youth orchestra program is the only such program affiliated with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

 

The partnership will benefit AKF in several ways. Up to 20 qualified AKF students will be able to join the Worcester Youth Orchestra or Worcester Youth Symphony Orchestra programs tuition-free. "This is a great opportunity for our musicians to participate in an advanced music program regardless of economic status," said Girardi. The partnership also establishes a community outreach program for AKF music students to interact with some of the best and brightest musicians in the Worcester area. Shannon, Co-Director of the AKF Performing Arts Academy, added that the potential also exists for future program development.

 

"This is a wonderful partnership for us," said Head of School Dr. Cameron K. Dewar. "As a classical liberal arts school, musical competence is an essential component of our distinctive mission, and our relationship with PASOW will help us execute that mission while promoting student artistic endeavors within the wider community."

 

Approximately 80-100 outside students are currently participating in the programs at AKF. The Worcester Youth Orchestra and the Worcester Youth Symphony Orchestra programs rehearse at the school every Sunday.

 

Two weeks ago, more than 3,000 people attended the National Charter Schools Conference in Sacramento, California. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger delivered a welcoming address and applauded the successes of charter schools. He has proposed spending $2.4 billion over the next 10 years to expand charter schools in California. "I'd love to move forward with this, to build, build and build," he said. Nelson Smith of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools spoke on the "State of the Charter School Movement," and outlined key goals, including the following: elimination of arbitrary caps on charter school growth; breaking up the monopoly of school district chartering; stemming the tide of re-regulation; pushing for federal policies that nurture quality; and closing the gap between how charter schools and district schools are funded.

 

 

AKF Head of School Dr. Cameron Dewar was among the conference's attendees. "Attending the National Charter Schools Conference was a tremendous experience," he said. "The opportunity to learn from and share ideas with charter school colleagues from all over the country was invaluable. The conference also gave me the opportunity to view AKF within a larger context. There are more than 3,500 charter schools in operation, and Abby Kelley Foster can surely be counted among the nations's best."