Youngstown City School District's (YCSD) Y-STEAM and Grants Department applied for and was successfully awarded nine grant applications from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) totaling $39,800. The funding will support all elementary and middle schools.
Hip Hop artist Demetrius Thomas, aka Nova the Rebel, returns by popular demand for the 23-24 school year to conduct Music Artist Development Part 2 Workshops. He brings his experiences from performing in Cuba and Mozambique to increase every scholar's awareness about their culture's impact on the world. Mr. Thomas will work with scholars in K-8 for three days during Quarter 1, Quarter 2, Quarter 3, and Quarter 4. The program ensures that every scholar taking a music or band class is exposed to the benefits of an in-depth Hip-hop workshop: vocabulary development, calculating beats, sentence development, and working effectively with others.
"Youngstown City Schools is extremely grateful to Governor DeWine, Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted, and members of the Ohio General Assembly for acknowledging the importance of public funding for the arts through the state budget," said Superintendent Jeremy Batchelor.
Y-STEAM supervisor Bridget Lambright-Tammelleo Added, "Our district is full of talented scholars who need the magic of the Arts to unlock their potential to achieve their dreams. The generous grant will afford our scholars to have that creative outlet to express themselves and gain valuable communications skills."
The grants align with YCSD's One Plan, Climate & Culture, Strategy/Objective 2 Equity, Access, and Inclusive Practices. This residency supports reading comprehension standards with activities that promote vocabulary development. Additionally, scholars will be equipped to use fun, culturally relevant vocabulary development strategies at home or in the classroom.
The District's Y-STEAM initiative provides community-oriented learning experiences centered on a rigorous curriculum and authentic learning opportunities that inspire innovation, inquiry, critical thinking, and academic excellence.