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RAISE Up in Hampton City Schools

May 21, 2025 By Cindy Sherwood

“As a teaching artist, when we meet a kid, they’re a whole entire person. They have experiences and not all those experiences are pleasant, so coming to the classroom with that mindset and knowing that they carry baggage with them as do we… it’s about approaching them with compassion but also recognizing that they’re more than just their trauma.” Jackie Adonis, Arts for Learning Virginia Teaching Artist

Nancy Eason’s second grade class at Armstrong School for the Arts, where Jackie Adonis worked as a RAISE resident teaching artist.

When Jackie and A4L’s Valerie Davis worked in Hampton City Schools’ classrooms this spring, they came equipped with two years of intensive training focused on student well-being and trauma-conscious, healing-informed teaching. Their residencies were part of a five-year, multi-state initiative developed by Young Audiences/Arts for Learning (National) called Responsive Arts in Education (RAISE). The program takes teaching artists and puts them in the classroom with educators to help integrate the arts into the curriculum.

“Young people are hardwired for the arts. Arts integration training and these strategies align perfectly with learning goals for all subjects. We appreciate the efforts of Heather Goode, principal of Moton Early Childhood Center, and Dr. Tiffany Geddie-Suggs, principal of Armstrong School for the Arts, for providing unique opportunities like this in HCS,” said Kelly Dee, HCS visual and performing arts curriculum leader.

In twice-weekly sessions, Jackie Adonis worked side-by-side with Armstrong’s Nancy Eason, a second-grade teacher. The two developed lesson plans together, and Jackie established relationships with children in the class.

“The best part was watching each student’s character development over time,” Jackie said. “Seeing their progress was absolutely breathtaking. I saw shy students get out of their shell.”

Jackie demonstrated ways to integrate different aspects of theater in the classroom. Kids voted and chose a book to make into a play, which Jackie adapted and students performed in front of a large audience at an A4L community engagement night.

“We Don’t Eat Our Classmates” featured T-Rex characters and a theme of friendship. Children created the sets and costumes, with one student sewing the dinosaur tails and another student composing music for two sections of the play. Students who chose to be on stage memorized their lines, with only the narrator using a printed script.

The RAISE experience for Jackie was “more than just a play or playing some theater games with them when I was in the classroom. We were reinforcing literacy. We want to build strong learners,” she said. “We were also helping the kids explore. They get to try something new; they get to challenge themselves to go out of their comfort zones. How do they know what they’re good at unless they try something different?”

The community engagement night also highlighted Jackie in a different role, sharing her Filipino culture by teaching kids and family members Itik Itik, Dance of the Duck. Three other A4L artists— Ashley Ault, Dai Poole, and Gary Garlic—also presented rotating workshops for an estimated 250 in attendance. Click here to view pictures of the evening by J.B. Digital Photography that are free to download: https://bit.ly/RAISEArmstrongphotos

At Moton Early Childhood Center, A4L’s Valerie Davis worked twice-weekly this spring with a group of 20 four- and five-year-old children.

“I love working with the little ones,” Valerie said. “They’re like sponges and they absorb so much. I got to teach them some songs and some different ways of saying hello and goodbye in a different language. And they loved that. They eat that up. So, to see them absorb the story and then be able to give it back to me the same way I gave it to them is incredible.”

She said she always brought her drum to class, calling music the “catalyst” for engagement with these early learners.

“I’ve had students where the teacher has said the student doesn’t really participate in different activities, but when I come in, by that second day, the student who was very quiet, very shy is eager to tap that drum and to do the songs.”

Arts for Learning also hosted a community engagement night for Moton Early Childhood Center, with rotating A4L workshops by Jackie, Gary Garlic, Dai Poole, and Amanda Wallace. Click here to view and download free photos: https://bit.ly/RAISEMotonPhotos

For Valerie, implementing RAISE techniques in the classroom is more difficult when she’s there for a single session, as opposed to the longer-term residency at Moton. For Jackie, a Virginia Beach resident, the biggest challenge of her RAISE residency was a more pragmatic one that many of us can relate to: “The traffic driving to and from the Peninsula. But honestly, once I was in the classroom, everything was smooth sailing.”

Many thanks to our RAISE partner, Hampton City Schools, for their tremendous support. Plans are still being formulated for Arts for Learning’s final year of RAISE, which is described as “a five-year, multi-state project designed to address the current, urgent needs of young learners through forging a new model of development and partnership for teaching artists and school support teams, who work together on in-depth, customized, trauma-informed and culturally responsive-sustaining arts in education residencies. The project is funded by the U.S. Department of Education.”

Young Audiences’ Melissa Gawlowski Pratt, YA’s Director of Strategic Partnerships & Network Relations, developed the RAISE initiative (pictured second from left). She met with A4L’s Aisha Noel (third from left), Valerie Davis (far right), and Moton educators to observe the program in action this spring.

We appreciate Young Audiences/Arts for Learning’s support and guidance throughout RAISE, which has included site visits for selected staff members to New Orleans and Denver, lesson plan swapping, and discussions of implementation related to evaluation and best practices.

A4L’s Anna Heywood Green and Aisha Noel (second and third from left) meet with teaching artists and educators during a site visit in October 2024 to view Young Audiences of Louisiana’s RAISE program.

Filed Under: Artist Spotlight, Arts Integration, News, Residency Tagged With: 757 arts, 757 nonprofit, Armstrong School for the Arts, Arts Ed, arts education, Arts for Learning, Arts for Learning Virginia, arts integration, arts-in-education, Hampton City Schools, Moton Early Childhood Center, Moton Elementary School, professional learning, RAISE, residency, Responsive Arts in Education, student well-being, trauma-informed education, Young Audiences

IDEAL 2025: Identity, Collaboration, & Community

May 13, 2025 By Cindy Sherwood

“I feel like I grew a lot in my artistic skills and socialization skills, as a person in general. It’s really helped me express how I feel.” Sophia Sharp, Bayside Sixth Grade Campus, Virginia Beach

Sophia points to a friend’s painting displayed at the Chrysler Museum.

“I learned that I can express my feelings through my artwork. That’s what I’m most proud of. Now I’m able to see that I have full potential in making different things. I’m capable of doing anything.” Davin (DJ) Johnson-Smith, Park View Elementary, Portsmouth

On May 8th, students, their family members, educators, and Arts for Learning teaching artists, staff, and board members gathered at the Chrysler Museum of Art for a reception and student exhibition of art. But this wasn’t any ordinary reception—it was a joyous celebration of students’ hard work, creativity, and growth following 20 after-school sessions of IDEAL, Intentional Designs of Expression in Artistic Languages.

In this third and final year of IDEAL, students in fourth to sixth grades from three Title 1 schools in Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach have explored who they are and what they stand for through visual art, poetry, movement, and music. They were guided by residency stewards at each school and teaching artists Jackie Adonis and Dai Poole at Norfolk’s Lake Taylor School, Nfon Asuquo and Nin-Eanna Bryant at Portsmouth’s Park View Elementary, and Cindy Aitken and Sequoia Rodwell-Lacewell at Virginia Beach’s Bayside Sixth Grade Campus.

Emotions ran high as students and parents first caught a glimpse of their artwork professionally displayed at the Chrysler’s Margaret Shepherd Ray Family and Student Gallery.

“Just the fact I’m seeing my daughter’s work in a museum… I am so proud of her. Beyond proud,” said Sheri, mother of Bayside student Chloe Odallo. “The artwork that I’m seeing is just spectacular. I feel overwhelmed. I cannot even lie.”

Students said the opportunity to develop and refine their artistic skills was one of the best parts of IDEAL, with many mentioning they’d learned techniques such as how to draw faces and shading and blending colors.

Isis with her painting (center top) created with a unique process.

Lake Taylor student Isis Saunders went a step further, having teaching artist Dai Poole burn the edges of her painting. In her artistic statement, she wrote, “The paper is burnt to represent the heat of the sun, and the painting is made to look ‘old’ and faded because this painting represents our memories.”

Beyond artistic skills, many students said they felt more confident now, with parents echoing that sentiment, seeing positive changes in their children.

Ritisha reads her artistic statement on stage.

“I saw her for the first time on stage. I didn’t know if she’d make it. She was nervous, but she made it,” said Mukti Patel, mother of Ritisha, a Park View Elementary student. Ritisha had never performed in front of an audience before. After she read her artistic statement on stage, she said she felt calm and proud of herself for overcoming her jitters.

Nicole Sharp, Sophia’s mother, called the IDEAL residency “impressive.”

“I really love the way it’s encouraged her to be more confident in expressing herself and given her the ability to more effectively communicate how she’s feeling emotionally.”

Upper elementary school can be a time of great change, but students in the IDEAL residency discovered that art can be an effective outlet to express themselves.

“Art helps people understand what I’m feeling,” said Willow Martinez, a student at Lake Taylor.  “I’ll continue as an artist because it helps get out my emotions.” Another Lake Taylor student, Orlando Wiggins, said he had “learned how to express my feelings better through art,” and added that it was “amazing” to see his art displayed at the Chrysler Museum.

Orlando with his artwork.

Teaching artist Sequoia Rodwell-Lacewell believes IDEAL has helped students identify who they truly are. She was particularly struck by the growth in one girl.

When she first started, she was very shy and quiet. She wasn’t quite sure of who she was or what she liked. She was questioning a lot of things. And as time went on, she allowed who she was inside to show throughout her art… She got to experience coming out of her shell.”

A high degree of collaboration was required for IDEAL since the residencies took place in multiple schools and multiple school divisions and involved a partnership with the Chrysler Museum. The idea of “community” was core to its success.

For Bayside student Lennon Anderson, making art wasn’t the most important part of IDEAL.

“It was doing art with a community. It felt welcoming. I felt I was with my people.”  

Enjoy this slideshow of a few IDEAL pictures taken by J.B. Digital Photography. 

To see many more photos and download ones you choose at no cost, head here: IDEAL Photo Album. 

There was no fee for students to participate in IDEAL, meaning Arts for Learning was only able to develop and implement this program with the support of outside funders. We knew we would be able to move forward with our ambitious undertaking once we received the largest grant in our organization’s history from the Hampton Roads Community Foundation; we’ll always be grateful for their support. Additional funders who made this initiative possible are as follows: Chrysler Museum of Art, Arts Alliance, Mr. Gary Jensen, LISC Hampton Roads, Mellen Street Creative, Norfolk Arts and Humanities Commission, Portsmouth Museum and Fine Arts Commission, Portsmouth Service League, PRA Group,  Virginia Beach Arts and Humanities Commission, Virginia Commission for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and Walmart. Our sincere thanks to all!

The IDEAL student art exhibition remains on display through June 1 at the Chrysler and is free and open to the public.

Filed Under: Art Exhibit, Arts Integration, ArtsEd, Grants, News, Program Spotlight, Residency Tagged With: 757 arts, 757 nonprofit, Arts for Learning, Arts for Learning Virginia, Chrysler Museum, Chrysler Museum of Art, Hampton Roads Community Foundation, IDEAL, IDEAL residency, Norfolk Public Schools, Portsmouth Public Schools, teaching artists, Title 1 schools, Virginia Beach City Public Schools, visual arts

Helping Create the Change to Invest in the Arts

April 8, 2025 By Cindy Sherwood

“What do you like best about the ACT OUT theater residency?”

  • “I like acting on the stage.” Sariyah, Cradock Middle School
  • “I like the teamwork part and just coming together.” Nyla, Cradock Middle School
  • “I like coming up with a storyline/idea/concept.” Lyla, Cradock Middle School
  • “I like the scripts.” NaYomi, Cradock Middle School
  • “I got to have fun and I got to create a lot of different things.” Sania, Waters Middle School

A big round of applause for the students, artists, and educators who made our pilot theater program, ACT OUT, a success. Students performed last Friday in the Portsmouth Arts Festival Theater Showcase, demonstrating what they’d learned about acting and much more to family and friends in the audience.

In addition to the benefits to the individual students who participated, we’re thrilled that ACT OUT has jump started Portsmouth Public Schools’ plans to expand its theater program. With strong enrollment in our spring residencies at Cradock, Waters, and Churchland Middle Schools, we’ve shown the interest is there. According to Joe Harmon, Coordinator of Secondary Performing Arts, PPS is hoping to offer theater classes at all three of its high schools in the future, beyond the single one now at Churchland High School.

Teaching artist Dai Poole worked with both staff and students at Churchland and Cradock Middle Schools, where he says there’s a shared belief in the “transformative power of the arts within a well-rounded education.”

Through theater, students gain invaluable skills—teamwork, public speaking, problem-solving, memory retention, and more—that serve them both on and off the stage. Sharing my firsthand experience as a working professional helped make the dream feel tangible, and that, to me, makes it all worthwhile. I strive to be the kind of inspiration I once needed at their age.” 


 

During the twice-weekly, six-week residency, students learned introductory concepts of theater arts, including character development, improv, and stage awareness, while exploring personal strengths and creative expression.

Demonstrating what they’d learned, Waters Middle School students presented “Tales from the Enchanted Forest” at the showcase, guided by teaching artist Katherine Willet.

They designed their own costumes and then built them. Watching them come up with ideas for what they wanted to do and seeing those ideas come to life is amazing.”

Cradock students presented “Middle School Challenges” at the showcase. Teaching artist April Uhrin says students did a great job rehearsing, taking direction, and offering insight and ideas after she demonstrated different aspects of theatrical styles and storytelling during one session. And she was pleased with the growth she saw in students who participated throughout the residency.

Towards the end of our sessions, I could see the difference in their confidence along with comfort level on stage.”

“What do you like best about the ACT OUT theater residency?” 

“Everything.” John, Waters Middle School

Filed Under: ArtsEd, Program Spotlight, Residency Tagged With: 757 arts, 757 nonprofit, Arts Ed, arts education, Arts for Learning, Arts for Learning Virginia, arts integration, arts-in-education, Portsmouth Public Schools, residency, teaching artists, theater, theater arts

Teaching Artist Profile: Dino O’Dell

October 14, 2024 By Cindy Sherwood

(Many thanks to Arts for Learning Maryland for this terrific article and interview with Dino O’Dell. Below is a lightly edited version.)

Music moves us. Its rhythm, melody, harmony, and lyricism catches our ears, inspires us, stirs our imaginations, and sticks in our heads. If you ask us, that sounds a lot like great teaching!

Dino O’Dell uses the power of music to teach and engage students of all ages. A teaching artist, award-winning musician, and former elementary school music educator, Dino has been writing and performing for young audiences for 20 years. Today, he travels across Virginia (and the country!) to perform participatory assemblies that transform traditional academic lessons into joyful, fun, and creative experiences.

“My background is in children’s theater,” Dino says. “It’s shaped my teaching philosophy. The goal is to create ways for students to engage with the performance—whether it’s through clapping, singing, or movement. We simply tap into what already resonates with students—such as music and stories.”

Dino’s programs cover topics like science, outer space, geography, history, and animals. And by bringing young viewers into the performance, he’s creating memorable learning experiences for kids and their teachers.

For example, in Imagine Your Journey, Dino teaches students about the continents, using catchy tunes that encourage students to sing along and make corresponding dance moves. For North America, students mimic a basketball shot, nodding to the popular sport in the region; for South America, they swim in the Amazon; and for Europe, they eat an imaginary Italian pizza!

Movement and lyrics contain information. Rhythm and melody make it easier to recall,” Dino explains. “Music is the key that opens the door to the room of knowledge. And the knowledge contains the content derived from the lyrics and dance moves.”

Dino incorporates many styles of music into his work, including blues, folk, reggae, ska, funk, and classical. “Exposing kids to a variety of styles and structures is so powerful,” he says. “They may not recognize that they’re hearing a jazz tune, but they feel a different kind of groove, they experience syncopation, and in the process, their awareness of what’s out there and what’s possible expands.” Here’s an example!

At Arts for Learning Virginia, we see a truth illustrated in all of Dino’s programs and those of our other teaching artists: creativity uniquely resonates with young people. “Kids are naturally creative,” Dino says. “In many cases, they aren’t self-conscious yet, and convincing them that what they’re learning is also fun and interesting is easy. It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of.”

Dino will be on tour in Virginia the week of February 24th, 2025. We’re booking visits to schools, libraries, and community centers now!

To learn more about Dino and explore his programs available for your school or classroom, visit his artist profile on our website or contact Katie Driskill, School and Community Relationships Coordinator, at 757-961-3737 or  scheduling@Arts4LearningVA.org.

Filed Under: Artist Spotlight, ArtsEd Tagged With: 757 arts, 757 nonprofit, Arts Ed, arts education, Arts for Learning Virginia, arts-in-education, Dino O'Dell, music education, teaching artist

A Night to Remember: Cheers to 70 Years!

October 1, 2024 By Cindy Sherwood

Staff members of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, with President and CEO Deborah DiCroce holding a plaque commending the organization for its exceptional support of Arts for Learning Virginia and other regional nonprofits. Also pictured (far right) is Tyler Williamson, CEO of FACT, Families of Autism Coming Together. The event was held September 26, 2024 at the Westin in Virginia Beach.

It was an evening none of us here at Arts for Learning Virginia will ever forget. What a joyous way to celebrate our legacy of seven decades of enriching lives through the arts! We have hundreds of wonderful photos to share, thanks to JB Digital Photography. Enjoy browsing through them here.

A4L CEO Chris Everly honored the Hampton Roads Community Foundation for its “deeply meaningful work it does in the community as a whole—our entire community is better for the Foundation’s initiatives and the hard topics it has brought into the light.” Accepting the award was HRCF President and CEO Dr. Deborah DiCroce.

We are humbled by her words:

Arts for Learning has made a tangible, audible, visible difference in our region for decades thanks to its inspiring work to provide arts education by artists for students.”

Dr. Amelia Ross-Hammond, A4L Board President Dr. Michael Geller, and CEO Chris Everly.

We are also moved by a proclamation from Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer, presented by Virginia Beach City Council member Dr. Amelia Ross-Hammond. Dr. Ross-Hammond is the founder and chairman of the Virginia Beach African American Cultural Center and Director Emeritus of the Arts for Learning board.  The proclamation states that Young Audiences/Arts for Learning has “enriched the lives of countless students and families through diverse and dynamic arts programming.”

Along with scrumptious appetizers and drinks during the cocktail hour, Cheers to 70 Years featured a collaborative mixed media collage, led by teaching artist Asiko-oluwa Aderin. In the interactive project, guests were asked to reflect on what the arts mean to them and write brief thoughts on paper leaves, which will form the vibrant canopy of a final piece created by Asiko.

Guests later enjoyed exceptional artistic performances as they ate their dinners.

A4L poet Stephanie Lask delivered two original poems. While playing exquisite melodies for guests, Norfolk Public Schools’ Strolling Silver Strings served as living examples of the impact the arts have on students’ lives.

And A4L singer/songwriter Roberta Lea gave a heartfelt performance on the transformative power of music.

Thank you to our amazing sponsors for your generosity and for making Cheers to 70 Years a tremendous success!

Our staff worked hard to make “Cheers” a memorable evening–and they’re now hard at work again doing the day-to-day business of running an arts-in-education nonprofit. That means organizing and scheduling and creating and communicating and planning–but more than anything collaborating. They do so with artists, educators, and community partners, who share a vision of all children, regardless of circumstances, having access to an education that’s made whole by the arts.

Thank you to all who came and celebrated with us! If you weren’t able to be at Cheers to 70 Years but would like to support our work, you can donate here.

A4L CEO Chris Everly, Programs and Community Engagement Manager Aisha Noel, Operations Coordinator Stephanie Jackson, School and Community Relationships Coordinator Katie Driskill, and Chief Operations Officer Anna Heywood Green.

Filed Under: ArtsEd, Cheers to 70 Years, News Tagged With: 757 arts, 757 nonprofit, arts education, Arts for Learning, Arts for Learning Virginia, arts-in-education, Barnes Brock Cornwell & Painter, Cheers to 70 Years, Cherry Bekaert, Cooper Realty, Cushman & Wakefield, Enspire Energy, Hampton Roads Community Foundation, KPMG, Mancon, Mellen Creative, Norfolk Public Schools, sponsors, teaching artists, TechArk, Tidewater Community College Educational Foundation, TowneBank

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Main Office
Arts for Learning
420 North Center Drive
Suite 239
Norfolk, Virginia 23502

Phone: 757-466-7555

Main Office

Arts for Learning
420 North Center Drive
Suite 239
Norfolk, Virginia 23502
Phone:
757-466-7555

RAISE Up in Hampton City Schools

“As a teaching artist, when we meet a kid, they’re a whole entire person. They have experiences and not all those experiences are pleasant, so coming to the classroom with that mindset and knowing that they carry baggage with them as do we… it’s about approaching them with compassion but also recognizing that they’re more […]

Join the A4L Mailing List!

Sign up to receive the latest news on arts integration from Arts for Learning! Thank you for supporting arts-in-education.

Select list(s) to subscribe to


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Arts for Learning Virginia. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
At Arts for Learning Virginia, we’re proud to be part of the Virginia Commission for the Arts’ Passport Program. While Passport holders typically receive free admission and 50% off classes at participating organizations, all our programming is always free—no discount needed. To learn more about our public events, check out our calendar of events page here.

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