Hello, Creative Friends,
It’s recruiting season! We love welcoming prospective students and families into our MSA classrooms and sharing both the MSA artsy experience and our NHS love. One of the best ways we spread the word about MSA is through word of mouth. If you know families looking for an artsy high school experience, direct them here to learn more or sign up for a tour.
An important part of our commitment to inclusion is not only recruiting externally with prospective transfer students, but also wooing students internally—those already on campus. We love welcoming all NHS students to art openings during Friday lunches, talking to students “dabbling” in an MSA introductory class about “minoring” (1 art course a year) or fully “majoring” in creativity (2 art classes a year), and integrating art activities into content classes.
One recent art integration was our special event with the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, an inspiring band composed of young people from Paraguay who play musical instruments made from recycled materials collected from their nearby landfill. Two MSA students were invited to play with the orchestra—Cruz Indra on sax and Alex Russo on violin—and another self taught student played drums. We talked about the universal language of music and how it transcends differences. This is education that engages, inspires, and empowers—content we can all be proud of sharing and supporting.
With so much love for all parts of our community,
Michelle Cortez
P.S. Don’t miss Big Band Dance tomorrow night—one of my favorite events of the year!