This summer Maggie Meenehan was a happy recipient of a FulbrightScholarship to Canada and Mexico for five weeks. After brushing up on her high school French and practicing her Spanish with her daughter, she traveled with sixteen teachers from across the US to four cities in each country. She toured archeological sights, visited museums, attended lectures and met with educators and dignitaries to expand her knowledge of our North American neighbors. Ms. Meenehan will present a curriculum project where the students will research and create their own travel brochures. Ms. Meenehan has a special interest in empowering students to reach for the stars and to avail themselves of travel opportunities. The students and teachers of the Six-School Complex will surely benefit from her travels.

Fillmore Arts Center is now serving over 2,000 DCPS students in its two locations. What a wonderful way to begin the 2007 – 2008 school year. We extend a warm welcome to our new schools: Clark, Raymond, Rudolph and West Elementary Schools, Backus Middle School and the new Oyster middle school program at Adams. We are also pleased to welcome several new faculty members. Detailed information regarding these developments can be found throughout this newsletter.

Our classrooms are buzzing with activity. Here is a glimpse into some of the classrooms: all second graders playing violin, some African dance students at Fillmore East up on stilts; Young Playwrights working with Key drama students; field trips to Fandango, the Jungle Book, the African Museum; architecture class studying Frank Lloyd Wright; performance by KanKouron African Dancers for Backus and Raymond students; Oyster at Adams students playing the guitar; musical theater classes staging numbers; paint, print, oil pastel and drawings on display at both sites and in the schools; string and band students becoming an ensemble.

We hope you had a chance to attend our Back-to-School Nights. Fillmore parents had an opportunity to meet teachers, learn about arts standards and projects and become "artists for a night" during the Back to School Night at Fillmore East on November 14 and Fillmore West on November 15. Families from the participating schools spent the evening viewing student work, hearing from Fillmore teachers about class progress and taking an African Dance, string, drama, or visual arts class. Many families expressed a wish that they could be a Fillmore student! There will be opportunities throughout the year to visit during open houses and festival evening, and you are welcome to schedule a classroom visit at any time by calling the office.

The arts help to increase creativity, critical thinking skills, self-expression and self-esteem. Fillmore’s mission is to sustain a unique arts education program that helps students become responsible adults capable of making positive contributions to a culturally and ethnically diverse society. We appreciate your support as we work together to enhance your child’s education.

Visiting Artists:

Andre Richardson African Drummer
– Fillmore East and West
Yolanda Ackles musician and dancer
– Walker Jones
Mary Timmery guitarist, singer/songwriter
– Oyster/Adams

Welcome Fillmore East Staff

A BIG WELCOME to the new staff at our new site at Bertie Backus in northeast. Students from Clark, Mamie D. Lee, Rudolph, Raymond, West, and Backus are settling in, enjoying their arts classes, and progressing nicely.

The staff at Backus includes:

• Bonita Cacho - African Dance, Stiltwalking
• Crystal Lynne Carmen - Theatre
• Karen Daniels - Dance, Admin.
• Leslie DeLaine - Strings
• Kathleen Gonzalez -Theatre
• Kieron Irvine -Instrummental Music
• Glenna Johnson - Visual Art
• Adrienne Nelson - Theatre
• Carmen Jenkins-Parris - Visual Art
• Tiik Pollet - Visual Art
• Andre Richardson - Accompanist
• Adam Robinson - Visual Art

Department & Staff News

Community Art Exhibits Planned

Fillmore student visual art work will be on display at two community venues. The Guy Mason Recreation Center on Wisconsin and Calvert Streets, N.W. will host an exhibit of Fillmore work beginning next month, and in late January through February, the LaMond-Riggs Library on South Dakota Avenue, N.E. will host a Fillmore display in conjunction with Black History Month. Exhibit notices and invitations will be sent home once the work is mounted.