APS and Woodruff Arts Center sign new project memorandum for the Atlanta Studio Conservatory

Immediately before the start of the May 5 meeting of Woodruff Arts Center‘s Board of Trustees, President/CEO Joe Bankoff and Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall  signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Woodruff Arts Center and APS to plan and create the Atlanta Studio Conservatory. The Woodruff and its divisions and APS have worked together for many years to further arts in education, including field trips, APS summer camps on the Woodruff campus and Center artists in the classrooms. The memorandum builds on this relationship with the commitment to develop a Studio Conservatory where Atlanta’s most talented 9th-12th grade students can prepare for the next step in a professional career as an artist, or where tomorrow’s cultural leaders can trail blaze new creative frontiers and pioneer original 21st century opportunities.

“Education in and through the arts is one of the primary objectives of our Master Plan for the future of the Woodruff Arts Center,” Bankhoff said. ”Working with the Atlanta Public Schools to plan the Atlanta Studio Conservatory project will create lasting partnerships with APS and train a new generation of artists to contribute to the Atlanta community.”

The Governator praises the After-School All-Stars at Brown Middle School

UPDATE: Check out the photo gallery here. Watch Gov. Schwarzenegger’s speech above, and a highlight film here.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger knows a star when he sees one. The Hollywood celebrity and action figure turned governor also serves as the National Honorary Chairperson for After-School All-Stars, and took some time Monday morning to praise the students of Brown Middle School who participate in the program.

Schwarzenegger, who was in town over the weekend as commencement address speaker at Emory University’s graduation ceremony, praised APS officials, Brown Principal Donell Underdue Jr., After-School All-Stars Executive Director Dr. Walt Thompson and Georgia Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle as leaders in working to provide students with after-school opportunities that including physical-education and other extracurricular activities as well as academic support such as tutoring. He also singled out After-School All-Stars Kirk Posmantur for his fundraising support.

But Schwarzenegger reserved his most glowing praise for the students at Brown Middle and their embracing the After-School All-Stars, a national program he started in California. He pointed out that 200 APS students and 2,000 Atlanta students attend afterschool programs. “Thank you to the students who have done such an outstanding job,” he said. “Afterschool programming is such an important program because it helps the kids in the afternoon to keep them away from the streets and to keep them here and help them with homework assistsance. Let’s help them wtih tuoring and give them arts programs, sports programs, fitness programs, and all those things they need so that they can get smarter. And because of that, you’re grades are going up, you’re improving, and you’re going to graduate.”