BASD: Any Given Child supports arts ed

On May 7, Any Given Child Bethlehem announced the program’s strategies and plan to implement arts opportunities within Bethlehem Area schools and unveiled the updated branding and new Any Given Child Bethlehem website.

Students who participate in art-related activities are three times more likely to be awarded for school attendance. Studies show that both curricular and extracurricular art studies and activities help keep high-risk dropout students stay in school. In September 2017, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts chose Bethlehem as the 24th site – first in Pennsylvania – to incorporate the program into the Bethlehem Area School District (BASD). A collaboration of over 50 members of the community, from over 30 organizations, worked together to create and define the project’s vision and goals.

Any Given Child Bethlehem, newly branded as pARTners – Ensuring the Arts for Bethlehem Students, established a powerful set of goals that includes providing every BASD student a rich, community-based arts experience from kindergarten through eighth grade. The program will expand music, literary and visual arts instruction and use arts to support the social and emotional needs of students. Through these goals, Any Given Child Bethlehem seeks to establish a professional learning program to support arts integration into the BASD curriculum, evaluate success and establish a sustainable governance and communication structure all while positively impacting every BASD K-8 student.

The announcement, held at Nitschmann Middle School, began with a gathering of community supporters surrounded by artwork created by Bethlehem Area School District students.

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