By Rosemary Daniels | Correspondent

In the current economy, where many parish schools are closing or combining, finding a way to fund arts education is often difficult.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Asbury Park reached out for a grant that would help them keep the arts alive in their school.  The Arts Education Scholarships for New Jersey Schools started in 2010, and is co-sponsored by Young Audiences of New Jersey and Target Corporation.

Young Audiences, Inc. is the country’s foremost arts education provider for elementary and high school students. Locally, they facilitate 4,500 programs each year for students throughout New Jersey and eastern New York state. YANJ and Target award six to seven grants each year to New Jersey schools. The grants can range up to $10,000.

According to Liz Winter-Kuwornu, director of residence at YANJ, “We look at the size, location, and the level of financial need at each school. We also look at the extent of arts education currently in the school.”

While seeking potential candidates in the Asbury Park area, YANJ asked one of the artists they worked with for a recommendation. Molly Johnson, an Ocean Grove printmaker who works in OLMC’s after-school program, told them, “I’m standing in one right now.” Molly told YANJ about the school, and then worked with Danielle Acerra of The Friendship Train to complete the grant application. In November, the school was notified that it had been awarded one of the coveted grants.

Winter-Kuwornu observed, “OLMC’s application was very strong. They mapped out exactly what they wanted- to bring more arts in to the school, and they explained that they had very limited resources. We knew that Asbury Park was an area in need, and we felt this was a good school to help.” As the liaison for the program, Liz visits the school throughout the year to check on their progress.

The school is expected to match the grant on a one to five basis. In return for their $6,500 grant, the school is expected to contribute in cash or in-kind services, an amount equal to $1,300. According to Emily Welch, first year art teacher at OLMC, these in-kind services can include providing supplies and materials for a program, or allocating a teacher’s time for professional development, planning or coordination.

The grant for Our Lady of Mount Carmel enabled them to host three arts assemblies and an artist-in-residence program. The first of these assemblies, “Poetry and Percussion”, took place in January, and explored the relationship between rhythm and the spoken word.

On Feb. 26, the Catskill Puppet Theater brought the story of Hiawatha to life for 120 of the OLMC students. Using hand-crafted fiberglass puppets, founder John Potocnik and his assistant presented the story of the young Iroquois hero as he seeks to understand his destiny, and how to work peacefully with others in his tribal nation.

The children enjoyed watching the life-like puppets, especially the antics of the animals in the story. Miranda Pena, 8, said, “It was funny, because of the puppets and the voices.” But she also noted that the lesson was “that you should always forgive”.

Gerardo Abraham, 10, most enjoyed the bear popping out of the cave during the presentation, but when asked what he learned, he said, “What I learned is that the true enemy in your body is hate”.

Principal Sister of St Joseph Sister Jude Boyce is very pleased with the partnership. She says, “The programs experienced thus far as a result of this grant have been excellent.  The first assembly entitled ‘Poetry Meets Percussion’ enticed our junior high students to reconsider their idea  of poetry.  The second program for the younger grades was an excellent lesson in puppeteering and Native American history.”

Their final assembly, an improv workshop for fifth through eighth graders, will take place May 7.

In late March, Johnson will add to her role when she returns to the school as the artist-in-residence.  She will be working with the students on a three-phase art adventure. The children will create their own silk-screened t-shirts as a memento of the project. They will also focus on poetry writing. Finally, they will bring it all together by creating a banner to be displayed outside the school, which will include silk-screened images and poetry. The banner’s theme will tie in with the school’s spring show.

Johnson is very enthusiastic about the possibilities. “Not every kid is good at schoolwork. They struggle with classes, with fitting in, or with language difficulties. Art gives them a chance to fit in, and even to excel. It’s also a chance for them to get positive feedback.”