FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Stacy P. Sherman
Marketing Specialist
Ph: (262) 472-5705
Fx: (262) 472-4400
Email: ShermanS@uww.edu
Date: May 1, 2015
Young Auditorium Horizons Program Honors Area Teachers
WHITEWATER – Young Auditorium hosted its third annual “Teachers’ Night Out” appreciation event
on Wednesday, April 29, 2015 in the Fern Young Terrace at Young Auditorium in Whitewater. The
evening’s hostess, Young Auditorium Assistant Director & Director of Education & Outreach,
Shannon Dozoryst, addressed 45 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.
After a brief program giving awards and recognition, guests enjoyed a meal prepared by Chartwells
Dining Services of UW-Whitewater, followed by Young Auditorium’s main stage entertainment from
Pilobolus Dance Company.
Special guests included Dixie Behlke, educational outreach representative from Nasco, International
in Fort Atkinson; Dr. Linda Nortier of UW-W Continuing Education; Eric Runez, Superintendent of
Whitewater Unified School District; Jim Caldwell, President of LINCS Governance Board; and Amy
Sheridan, School District of Janesville representative. Representatives from the Young Auditorium
Arts Advocacy Committee and Arts4All ticket subsidy program were also there to show their support
and be recognized for their involvement in another successful year.
Nasco was recognized as Young Auditorium’s partner in education for their ongoing sponsorship and
support of the Arts4All program. Arts4All was established in 2007 to subsidize the cost of tickets for
-more-
economically disadvantaged students. Without the necessary help needed to acquire tickets and
transportation, many students would never have exposure to the performing arts in their education.
Dozoryst addressed the attendees, “All of you are extremely important to helping us at Young
Auditorium accomplish the mission of our Horizons arts education program, which is to support the
curriculum of schools by providing culturally diverse programs for K-12 students and their teachers.
You make the arts a priority for your students by participating in performances, outreach, and
professional development. And for that, we are deeply grateful. We also know that we could not
accomplish this mission without financial support. We thank NASCO for their continued support of our
Arts4All and Reaching New Horizons programs.”
Young Auditorium and Nasco presented Kennedy Elementary School in Janesville with the first award
of the evening: the Arts Integration Implementation Award. The award is given to an individual or
school team that shows intention and considerable effort in planning and implementing arts
integration strategies. As a result of using this teaching method, the teacher or school has achieved
measurable success in student achievement, student engagement or in affecting classroom and
school culture. Recipients also received a NASCO gift card, a selection of books to add to their
school library, and a Horizons Matinee Series gift certificate that they may use to send students to
Horizons performances next school year.
Kennedy School was selected as a result of their work with a $10,000 STEAM grant through the
National Arts and Humanities program in Washington D.C. during the 2014-15 school year. The
STEAM grant was awarded to Kennedy School as one of 12 schools across the nation for their
continued efforts to support Arts Integration in our schools.
Kennedy delivers STEAM by integrating the Arts with STEM (and other) curriculum through a variety
of innovative approaches. STEM is an acronym for the fields of science, technology, engineering and
math. Kennedy accomplish Arts Integration through a rigorous and systemic framework for integrative
lesson design.
As a result of the STEAM grant this year, Kennedy School continued to provide Arts Integration
opportunities for their students including:

Staff professional development in arts integration

All school attendance at a professional performing arts event
-more-

A three week Artist in Residence project

An in school opera residency

And a variety of after school clubs that focus on the arts
The STEAM grant provided unique opportunities for continued support of their passion for arts
integration, and the Kennedy School vision to enhance the development of the whole child through
the visual and performing arts.
The second award, the Arts Advocacy Award, was presented to Christine Hayes, music teacher at
LINCS charter school in Whitewater. Hayes currently serves on the Young Auditorium Arts Advocacy
Committee and the LINCS Governance Board. She also received a Nasco gift card, books for her
school’s library, and a donation from Young Auditorium for her upcoming music study in Ghana.
Behlke presented the award, “This award is given to an individual who has made it a priority to
advocate for the arts, typically going above and beyond their personal responsibilities by ensuring
that arts opportunities and experiences are communicated and made available in their own school
and throughout their district. Further, this individual has made arts education more visible in their
community by sharing successful arts experiences with district administrators and local media. This
individual may also be active in regional, state, and national support for the arts, particularly arts in
education.”
In October 2014, the LINCS music classroom was featured in the WI Association for School Boards
journal - "Finding Their Rhythm: Music Educators and Researchers Emphasize the Importance of
Music in the Schools".
Hayes has taught 27 years in the Whitewater Unified School District. She is currently teaching
General Music K-5, choir, and World Drumming at LINCS. In 2014, Hayes was recognized by the
Wisconsin Music Educators Association with the Melvin P. Pontious Creative Sparks in Music
Education Award. She has served on the writing committee for the national music standards for the
past two years, and is currently piloting benchmark assessments for the new national standards.
Hayes is the immediate past chair of the National Council for General Music Education where she still
serves on the council, and is the Past President of the Wisconsin Music Educators Association. She
has continued her advocacy work this year by presenting at the Wisconsin Music Educators
-more-
Conference and the Wisconsin State Education Conference.
Dozoryst adds, “These awards were given to honor these teachers for going above and beyond to
ensure that arts education is a priority.”
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.
PHOTOS:
The team from Kennedy Elementary school in Janesville accepts their Arts Integration
Implementation Award at the Young Auditorium’s third annual “Teachers’ Night Out” appreciation
event. Pictured (left to right): Amy Sheridan, Kate Womack, Karen Smerlinski, Leah Hellenbrand,
Allison DeGraaf (principal), Dixie Behlke (Nasco), and Shannon Dozoryst (Young Auditorium).
-more-
Christine Hayes, music teacher at LINCS charter school in Whitewater accepts her Arts Advocacy
Award from Nasco, International and Young Auditorium. Pictured (left to right): Jim Caldwell (LINCS
Governance Board President), Eric Runez (Superintendent of Whitewater Unified School District),
Christine Hayes, Dixie Behlke (Nasco), and Shannon Dozoryst (Young Auditorium).
###