In recognition of extraordinary and significant contributions to the arts in Kentucky, SCAPA has been selected as a recipient of a Governor’s Award in the Arts.

From the President Jennifer Gorena

Dear SCAPA,

Happy New Year to all and welcome back to the second half of our school year. Whooosh… that's what the first half can feel like, but there's more to come. Typical events and activities in a normal week move us along quickly and we sometimes find ourselves farther along in the calendar then we realize. A great tool to manage this pace and keep in tune with SCAPA activities is the Calendar of Upcoming Events found in this newsletter. Elementary parents please keep in mind your child will choose a minor so it's a good idea to attend events outside of your major and see what all our penguins are doing.

Huge Thanks !! FOAS greatly appreciates those who were able to gift wrap at Amazon this year, we did well but could always use more wrappers for next year. If you are curious about this program please feel free to send me an email and I'll be happy to elaborate. Thank you very much if you used the School Rewards Zone link for Amazon from the FOAS home page or if you were able to use your Kroger re-loadable card. That money goes straight to the needs of our art areas and students. These are a few of the easy ways to help raise funds without purchasing anything that wasn't already in your budget. Any of the small things that we can do to help fund all the needs of the students at SCAPA are greatly appreciated!

On to business for 2012. We will continue to work to support efforts to match our Lucille Little grant for the Center for the Arts. The deadline is approaching and we must show the school board and the city that we support the work that our board is doing to fund our performing arts center. This is the next level of achievement for SCAPA as it would provide a venue not only for our arts areas to work together but for our arts offerings to expand. Please support our capital campaign and visit http://www.scapacenterforthearts.org/ to learn more and donate.

FOAS must also continue to discuss and refine our strategy for fundraising. This has been a unique year as we've tried some new approaches, and some things have worked while others have not. But we are all FOAS members and we must continue to support the needs of our art areas and students. We are a unique environment and our needs are great. We cannot thrive without everyone's support. Please make an effort to join our next FOAS meeting to learn about what we do and to help us do it better.

Productions!!!

• All of these tickets are currently available for purchase.
• Dance Scapa - March 16-17 Opera House - $12/students and $14/adults in advance ($13/$15 at the door)
• Into the Woods - March 29-31 Opera House - $12/students and $14/adults in advance ($13/$15 at the door)
• Hamlet or Did Father Reeeealy Know Best - April 19 - 21 Beeler Aud. - $8/students and $10/adults at the door
• Keep bringing in those Box Tops – CLIP MORE/EARN MORE.

Go Penguins! Go Generals!
Jennifer Gorena gorenas@insightbb.com

From Beth Randolph, Bluegrass Principal

Dear SCAPA Family,

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a fabulous winter break and holiday.  I trust your time away from school was enjoyable, relaxing, and rejuvenating.  As we head into 2012, let’s pull together to make SCAPA even better than it is currently.  One way we can all contribute to this is by participating in the capital campaign’s mission to match the $450,000 Lucille Little grant by August 31, 2012.  By giving, you are ultimately furthering our school’s goal of building a state-of-the-art performing arts center for SCAPA one day.

SCAPA’s need for a performing arts center is great.  In our current location, there is not one room in the building large enough to hold our school population and parent group for an assembly or performance.  Last year we held our Kentucky Core Content Test (KCCT) celebration in the multi-purpose room.  Congratulating and honoring the top scoring middle school in the state was not an easy task.  Much of the floor space was taken just by seating the 276 students who were to be recognized.  Once the students were in the room, the parents began taking their seats.  It wasn’t long before the room was filled to capacity.  Many parents and grandparents were left straining to hear the ceremony from the hallway.  Musical performances like band, strings, and vocal concerts create similar circumstances.  The room fills to capacity quickly, but then the added frustration is that there is no way to elevate all the performers so that audiences can adequately see the students performing.  Recognizing these problems, our larger performances dictate that we must find other venues for the students’ performances.  Annually we rent at great expense the Lexington Opera House as well as other community theatre spaces.  Although grateful for the adequate spaces to perform, moving to these locations creates other challenges.  Chief among these trials is the lack of being able to perfect the production in the performance space.  Additionally, our performance dates are at the mercy of the place where we perform, not necessarily when we would like them to be.  The time has come to give the SCAPA students the performance space they deserve.  Together, we can make this happen.

SCAPA’s capital campaign has been in the works for many years.  Last year, it became more visible to the school community when it secured a Lucille Little grant in August of 2011.  With this great news, the clock to raise the matching funds began to tick.  Now, a quarter of the way into our year to match the funds, it becomes more urgent for all of us to pull together and contribute.  Collectively, we CAN raise the necessary funds for this match, but we need everyone’s help and attention to reach our goal.  Please plan now and budget what you can, to contribute to this worthwhile endeavor.  Our students are worth the sacrifice.

These are exciting times for SCAPA.  With the renewed interest by the school system and the city in our school, even greater artistic and academic opportunities are on the horizon for our students.  Your contributions are vital as well in making our school the absolute best.

• Penguin Pride by Beth Randolph
  

From Vicki Ritchie, LHS Principal

Dear Friends of the Arts,

I hope everyone had a peaceful and restful winter break, because we have a jam-packed month ahead! In January, students will be meeting with their counselors to make course selections for next fall. Please be on the lookout for your child’s schedule choice card and return it with your signature after discussing the best choices for your student.

We encourage students to take the most challenging courses they can. If students are interested in signing up for Advanced Placement (AP) courses for next year, they can find out more information at our AP night, January 26, at 6:00 pm in our library. We will have staff on hand to answer questions about the AP courses and requirements.

We will welcome our incoming 8th graders and parents to an 8th Grade Open House on January 24, 2012. Students from the Class of 2016 and their families can meet staff and find out about our school and activities we offer. Counselors will also explain course requirements and answer questions about scheduling.

I’d like to remind families again that Juniors will take the ACT here at Lafayette on March 6, 2012. In order to prepare for the test, all juniors have access to an ACT online prep course. All students can use the program at home at any time and we have Saturday practice sessions scheduled here at LHS beginning this month.  For more information about the program or how to register for one of the Saturday sessions, please see our webpage under “TCA ACT Parent Letter.” You can also call our counseling office for more information about the ACT.

Happy New Year!

Vicki Ritchie

Table of Contents

by Carolyn Waterbury-Tieman

Making a Wish Come True

Two years ago, in the January, 2010 edition of this newsletter, I shared my "Wish List for a New Year." The next to last item on that list was:

On a more personal note, I wish that SCAPA had an on-site performance facility so that ALL of our students had a place to share their art form.

Well friends, this wish is on its way to being granted, possibly in a way few of us dared to imagine. What was the dream of a steadfast group of current and alumni SCAPA parents and staff has become a dream shared by the entire SCAPA community, the Fayette County School District, and even the city of Lexington. It is hard to describe what this newfound commitment to and enthusiasm for SCAPA's future means to those of us who have been working toward this goal for nearly 10 years.

A wish worth making is a wish worth making come true. We have all been reminded that it is not realistic to make a wish and sit back waiting for it to be granted. We have to become active participants in the wish-come-true process. Together we are going to build the SCAPA Center for the Arts. There are many ways you can contribute to this effort. Here are a few suggestions for how you can help:

• Have a family meeting to discuss your commitment to donating to the SCAPA Center for the Arts. Ask family members for ideas about how they would like to contribute.
  
• Label a jar or container "SCAPA Center for the Arts" and place it on your counter. Drop loose change in this jar rather than on your dresser or table. Empty the container each month and donate what you collect.
  
• Encourage your SCAPA student(s) to contribute a portion of their allowance to your family's SCAPA Center for the Arts container each week.
  
• Take the money you would normally spend on a trip to the coffee shop (take your coffee from home), going out to lunch (pack your lunch) or dinner (cook dinner together or eat leftovers), going out to the movies (rent a movie instead), etc. and put the money you save in your SCAPA Center for the Arts container. If you do this just once a week, you will be surprised how quickly it adds up.
  
• Tell your extended family, friends, and co-workers about this worthwhile endeavor and ask them to make a donation. Provide them with printed literature about the SCAPA Center for the Arts (available at BG SCAPA) or send them to the SCAPA Center for the Arts website, www.scapacenterforthearts.org. If you need help answering questions, do not hesitate to contact Rita Polzin (b.polzin@insightbb.com or 351-0391), President of SCAPA Center for the Arts Board, Beth Randolph, or me (carolyn.tieman@fayette.kyschools.us).
  
• If you have business or professional contacts that you are willing to ask for a significant donation, contact Rita Polzin and she will put you in touch with Lee Ellen Martin, our fundraising consultant, to assist you in making these asks.
  
• Get the name of your SCAPA student(s) or your family's name on a seat in the SCAPA Center for the Arts. See "Get Your Seat for the Arts" in the Announcements and Reminders section of this edition of SCAPA Lines and Notes.
  
• Whether you can make a financial commitment to the SCAPA Center for the Arts or not, you can definitely be a vocal advocate. Learn everything you can about this endeavor and educate those you come into contact with about the need for this facility.
  
• Volunteer your time and talents to the activities and fund-raising events that will take place over the next several months to meet the Lucille Little Grant challenge of $450,000.00.

We need every member of the SCAPA community to share the vision and invest in SCAPA's future. This is an opportunity to be part of something great – great for SCAPA, great for the district, great for the city of Lexington. Together we can make this wish come true and keep arts in the hearts of generations to come.

Prior to her role as SCAPA Arts Facilitator, Carolyn Waterbury-Tieman was a Parent/Family Life Educator and licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She was the author of The Parents’ Toolbox for The Lexington Family Magazine as well as Pastoral Parenting for the Church of the Resurrection newsletter.

Calendar of Upcoming Events

(Please check the SCAPA Calendar regularly for updates)

Table of Contents

Announcements and Reminders

Get Your Seat for the Arts

The curtain has been raised on the SCAPA Center for the Arts Fundraising Campaign. Now is the time to get your seat for the arts!

Get Your Seat for the Arts

SCAPA Center for the Arts Receives $20,000 Gift!

In late October, 2011, the president of the board for the SCAPA Center for the Arts, Rita Polzin, submitted a contribution request to the Trim Masters Charitable Foundation, Inc. Trim Masters, Inc. designs, develops, and manufactures automotive interior trim and components for the automotive industry. They established this foundation to grant funding to local organizations that promote youth development. The SCAPA Center for the Arts has received a check for $20,000.00. Thank you Trim Masters for investing in the future of SCAPA!

Lafayette Drama Department Presents "Cinderella"

You won't want to miss seeing the following Lafayette SCAPA students in the Lafayette Drama Department's production of "Cinderella."
The dates are January 26, 27, and 28 at 7:00pm and January 29 at 2:00pm. The cost is free for kids under 5, $8 for students, $10 for adults, and $12 for reserved seating.

Cinderella Cast

• Cinderella - Virginia Newsome
  
• King - Forrest Loeffler
  
• Queen - Raven Lockwood
  
• Stepmother - Abby Tikhtman
  
• Portia - Julie Wilson
  
• Joy - Drew Jennings
  
• Prince Charming - Michael White
  
• Fairy Godmother - Emma Centers
• Ensemble
  • Isaac Hine-Williams
    
  • Colton Ryan
    
  • Mead Ryder (Steward)
    
  • Cameron Taylor (Chef)
• Dance Captains
  • Sydney Jahnigen/Caroline Pelligrino

Madrigals to Sing in World Choir Games

This year, for the first time, the World Choir Games will come to the United States and we are fortunate enough that they will take place just up the road in Cincinnati during the month of July. The Lafayette Madrigal Singers will be competing in the Champions Division (open to choirs by invitation, world ranking at other competitions, or prior qualification.) By virtue of their performance at the Southern Division American Choral Director's Association in 2010 in Memphis, the Madrigals qualified for the Champions division. This is a tremendous honor as the finest choirs in the world come together to compete. Lafayette is very proud of this accomplishment and the alumni whose outstanding past work made this invitation possible.

• More Information

Lafayette Choir Invitational

• Thursday January 19, 2012
  
• Workshop: 4:15-8:45pm
  
• Free Concert: 8:00 pm.
• Information and Registration Online
  

Lafayette Choir Invitational is an event for students in Grades 7-11 interested in joining choir. The event consists of a workshop and performance with all six Lafayette Choirs. Students will get the opportunity to work with the directors, get to know other choir students, learn more about what awaits them, and learn more about the audition process in the Spring. Free pizza dinner provided.

Thinking About Changing Your Major??

Every year we have a few students who discover an interest in a SCAPA arts area other than their current major. As we get closer to audition time, I would like to take this opportunity to share with everyone the procedure for changing your major at both SCAPA Bluegrass and SCAPA Lafayette.

Any student who is currently enrolled in SCAPA may apply for a Change of Major.

1. All major change auditions will take place will take place within 10 days of submission of the major change application and, if approved, will go into effect for the next school year.
   
2. No major changes will be granted during the school year. This places any student at an unfair disadvantage by going in to a class weeks or months behind the rest of the class.
   
3. Major Change forms may be picked up, beginning on January 15th, from the following locations:
   · Bluegrass: Yvonne Erbe (Counselor) or Carla Pleasant (G/T Facilitator)
   · Lafayette: Carla Pleasant (Room 101 in SCAPA Bluegrass), your Lafayette HS Counselor or from any SCAPA Arts Teacher.
   
4. The due date for all Major Change Applications is March 1 of every school year.
   
5. Students may select only one area in which to audition for a major change.
   
6. Once the Major Change form is returned, you will be contacted by the appropriate Arts Teacher. At that time, you will schedule the Major Change audition with the specific teacher according to a time and date that is convenient to all parties.
   
7. After the Major Change audition takes place, you will receive written notification as to the outcome (Approved or Not Approved).
   
8. If your Major Change is APPROVED, your counselor will be notified so that they can make the appropriate changes to your schedule. If your Major Change is NOT APPROVED, then you will remain in your current arts major for the upcoming school year.

Please Note: If you are a current 6th or 7th grader and are wishing to audition in the area of your current minor, you need to complete the major change application as soon as possible!!!! Your minor selection can not take place until your major change audition is completed.

Thank You From Military Missions

Dear Friends:

On behalf of Military Missions, Inc. and the soldiers who serve in harm's way, I would like to thank you for your support and participation in OPERATION S.E.N.D. CHRISTMAS 2011! We are so grateful for your willingness to have a donation box placed at Bluegrass SCAPA. Not only do we appreciate the donations gathered, but we are thankful for the opportunity to spread awareness to the community.

I am certain that the soldiers who received the packages were overwhelmed by the encouragement, support, and gratitude shared in each box. The packages surely put smiles on their faces and the troops greatly appreciated knowing that Americans back home are supporting them.

During the month of March we will be collecting care package items for OPERATION S.E.N.D. EASTER. If you are interested in participating in some way, or would be interested in placing a donation box out for this purpose, please contact our office at 859-221-9477 or send an email to info@military-missions.org. You can find specific information about OPERATION S.E.N.D. EASTER at www.opsend.org.

We send packages to our troops on a year round basis. We are always in need of monetary donations to offset postage costs. Tax deductible donations are always greatly appreciated. As well, if you would like to write letters, make cards, or contribute to encourage the soldiers at some point in the future, we would be honored to include your cards and donations in our packages.

Blessings,

Beth Pennington, Founder

SCAPA's 2011-12 Winter Coat Drive

It's time to go through your closets and clear out the coats and other cold weather clothing that no longer fits. The coat you can't wear today might keep someone else warm tonight. We will be collecting new & slightly used coats through January 20th. Please drop coats off in front of room #224 (Ms. Stayton's room). Coats will be taken to Hart's Dry Cleaners for cleaning and distribution. Thanks for your support!

From Ms. Erbe's Desk

Reminder to parents/guardians of 8th grade students to look for and read communications from Mrs. Erbe, counselor, regarding preparations for 9th grade high school course selections. The communications are in paper form: Letter #1 sent home with students on December 1; Letter #2 = January 9; Letter #3 = at conference. On Jan 9 high school counselors will meet with students grouped by individual high schools they plan to attend. Students will receive course selection information that needs to be reviewed and signed by parents. Parents/student conferences with Mrs. Erbe are scheduled between Jan. 11 – 23, when all registration materials are due.

Friends of the Arts School (FOAS) Meetings

As a SCAPA Parent, you are automatically a member of the Friends of the Arts School (FOAS). We meet each month and our work is vital to SCAPA. We need everyone of you to become and active member of FOAS! You can start by attending the following meetings at 6:30pm in Room 146:

• November 15
  
• December 13

If you want to be in the know and have a say, this is the place to be.

• Meeting Minutes
• Lafayette SBDM Website
• Meeting Minutes

Table of Contents

Recent Events

SCAPA Seniors Delight NSAL

During the December 11th Holiday Tea and meeting of the Kentucky Chapter of the National Society of Arts and Letters, held at The Woodlands, these three SCAPA seniors and a SCAPA freshman shared their talents, delighting the audience with beautiful music, words and images. Thank you to these young people for representing their majors and their school so very well:

• Alex Whitley, piano
  
• Ross Thomas, visual arts
  
• Evan Chethik, drama
  
• Despina Wilson, voice

BG SCAPA Piano/Strings Recital

On November 17, the Strings students of Mrs. Campbell and Piano majors of Dave Gillespie gave a recital for a very receptive audience. Students performed string solos, piano duets, string ensembles and mixed string and piano ensembles (please create a link for the attached program and put it here). The music represented a variety of genres including classical and jazz. To catch the broadcast of this event, check the Channel 13 listing at the FCPS website.

Colonial Days in Room 232

The Colonial Day activities pictured here transpired in Mr. Lindsey's classroom on Tuesday, Dec.6th. Besides "churning" butter by hand for crackers and making homemade applesauce, students played marbles, checkers, chess, the Royal game of Goose, Snail, Eleven Men's Morris, pick-up-sticks, jacks, and did some readin', writin', and 'rithmatic. We learned how imagination was necessary in the little leisure time children had from their labor-intensive chores. Extra credit was given to the many students who fashioned era-appropriate clothing from what they had at home to wear to school that day.

SCAPA Pianists Perform at Castle Post!

Submitted by David Gillespie

On Sunday, December 4th at 1:00pm, our very own SCAPA pianists performed for the Salvation Army's yearly tour of the Castle Post ("the Castle") on Versailles Road. This charity event usually draws a very large and curious crowd, who buy tickets and thus make a donation to tour the building and to marvel at the wonderful Christmas displays within. Our piano majors were asked this year to volunteer their services and provide music for this lovely event…and they came through as only SCAPA Penguins do! The students played beautifully and received many compliments, and in the end, provided a nice touch to a very worthwhile and charitable cause. And now, these SCAPA pianists can honestly say… "I played the Castle!" Those pianists who donated their talent were: Riley Bishop, Carson Crovo, Sara Bidarian, Becky Wang, David Seder, Ben Henault, Krista Manche, Margo Lawson, Hannah Whitley, Alex Whitley

A big SCAPA salute and a sincere thank you to each of them for serving as such excellent SCAPA ambassadors!

SCAPA Bluegrass and Lafayette Orchestra Students Join Forces

SCAPA Bluegrass Middle School String Majors and LHS Chamber Orchestra are planning to perform together in the spring (t.b.a.), so on Monday afternoon, December 12th, the BG String Majors took a field trip across the parking lot to LHS and played some fun music including "Alice in Wonderland." We'll let you know when the concert is scheduled.

BG SCAPA Students Perform at Red Mile

SCAPA students were invited to perform during a luncheon for the Professional Women's Forum held at the Red Mile on Wednesday, December 7th. The art areas of creative writing, drama, voice, visual art, band and strings majors were represented by the following students:

Creative Writing: Amir Abou-Jaoude, Victoria Hall, and Carrie Ackerman

Drama: Ella White

Voice: Hannah Hetzel-Eben

Visual Art: Audrey Fields, Joseph Waterbury-Tieman, Peyton Hawk, Spencer Burt, and Maddie Farrer

Band:

Abney, Stephen A
Aldridge, Lane C
Bennett, Hope K
Cox, Katelyn G
Crandall, Julia K
Douglas, Olivia G
Eckert, Emily P
Heltzel, Quinn B
Langdorf, Allison J
Marra, Christopher M
Mullins, Seth P
Pellegrino, Matthew A
Potter, Haley R
Queen, John B
Roney, Wesley S
Scripps, Margaret R
Smiley, Anna N
Wrightson, Abigail M
Yonts, Matthew A

Strings:

Elizabeth Robbins
Madison Jones
Azure Rowe
Ella Cunningham
Abbie Higgins
Bailey Yates
Evan Johnson
Alexia Umberger
William Arnold
Amber Adkins
Emily Putman
Leila Abou-Jaoude
Macy Jundi
Laurie Davis

Thank you all for being such wonderful representatives of SCAPA!

Musical Gift

During lunch on Dec. 14th the BG Middle School Band majors and minors presented a musical gift to their fellow Bluegrass SCAPA students. This has become a SCAPA tradition and a highlight of the holiday season. As you can see, the music put the students into the holiday spirit! Thank you to Ms. Barker and Dr. Akel as well as all the band students for this delightful opportunity to celebrate together!

Building Relationships

By Eva Aldridge
7th/8th Grade Language Arts Teacher

Each year SCAPA opens its arms wide to receive many visitors. Some come from within our own community while others hail from outside the county or even the state. However, they all have one thing in common. They want to know how our school is so successful academically and artistically. If you ask anyone on our staff, we will each say our success begins with building relationships.  
At the beginning of this school year, Rebekah Reeves, our Literacy Coach, noticed that our new fourth grade students were still uncomfortable being around the “big” kids. (Translation: 8th grade students.)  After discussing this with the fourth grade teachers, the four of us decided to pair our 8th grade students with our new fourth graders using their majors or minors as a starting point. This way we knew each pair of “buddies” had at least one thing in common--a love of their arts area.  We decided we would initially ask the students to write a letter of introduction to one another. Despite the age difference, both sets of young people truly enjoyed receiving a letter from their “buddy”. Many students included a special picture they had drawn. We followed this with our first Buddy Breakfast. Thirty minutes before school began, the 4th and 8th grade students met their buddies, shared a breakfast treat, and watched the school news together.

We have continued this program with a special event each quarter and during our most recent Buddy Breakfast, which occurred the last day before winter break, I was able to take some photographs. You’ll notice that although students are paired up with their buddies, they are also sitting in small clusters.  As I snapped pictures, I noticed some were even holding hands and sharing their winter break plans.  

We are now halfway through the school year, and our new fourth grade students are perfectly comfortable being around our “big” kids who really aren’t scary after all. Both sets of students have been practicing their writing skills, and our “senior” students have been developing their leadership skills as well. In the future, we are planning an opportunity for our 8th graders to assist their buddies with their reading as well as their writing. But, academics aside, the greatest benefit every one of these students has had is that they have practiced building relationships. At SCAPA we truly are a “family” of creative learners.

SCAPA Hallways

Recently, during one of my trips through the hallways at BG SCAPA, I was struck by the numerous creative assignments gracing our walls. It reminded me that not all parents have a chance to walk these hallways and admire our students’ work, so I thought it might help to add a section to the newsletter where these are showcased. Not only is the work impressive, but the creative nature of the assignments our teachers design for our students is inspiring. We are so fortunate to be a part of the SCAPA learning community! - Carolyn W-T

Ssshh... Say it with Your Hands!

Hand Studies Using a Complementary Color Scheme

Submitted by Jennifer Thompson

For the creation of these artworks, the Middle School Art Minors researched Sign Language and selected a combination of letters, a word, or a phrase that could be communicated using three hand signs. Since the students had to write about these artworks, their hand signs were to be meaningful or significant in their everyday lives.

After selecting three hand signs, students had to choose a complementary color scheme that would best represent their piece. To create the drawings, students lightly sketched their hands, analyzing both the form and delicate details involved in these studies. In addition to learning how to draw hands, the students had to shade the positive and negative areas of their compositions. As a result, understanding value became a crucial element in their artworks as well as the technical skill of shading.

Skills that were built during the construction of these artworks include: creative usage of Sign Language, building a foundation for complex drawings, understanding value and shading, and being able to describe the subject and artistic decisions included in the piece.

Read/Write/Math Rotational Course

SCAPA 8th graders explore their chosen career in the Read/Write/Math rotational course. Students research possible colleges specializing in their field, comparing both in-state and out of state, along with the required coursework. Part of the research includes tuition, room & board, living expenses, as well as financial options for expenses. In addition, students investigate "a day in the life of….", salary range, and mathematical uses encountered in their possible future career. Career exploration has truly become one of the most anticipated and useful areas of study for the SCAPA 8th grader.

Ms. Beals' 6th grade science class

Ms. Beals' 6th grade science class studied the characteristics of fungi and how they are further classified. Students were then asked to create and illustrate an informative and entertaining poem about fungi. These are on display across the hall from Ms. Beals' room.

SCAPA in the Community

SCAPA Serenades Breakfast with Santa

Emily Putman, Amber Adkins, Leila Abou-Jaoude and Elizabeth Robbins and Mrs. Campbell performed a medley of holiday music for The Children's Advocacy Center of the Bluegrass and Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky's Breakfast with Santa on Saturday morning December 19 at Victorian Square. Their musical contribution to this special event was sincerely appreciated!

SCAPA Spotlights

This section is reserved for recognizing accomplishments by SCAPA students, parents, faculty and staff. Please send arts accomplishments to Carolyn Waterbury-Tieman (carolyn.tieman@fayette.kyschools.us). Space limitations will determine how many we can include in any given month.

KMEA selects all-state musicians after competitive auditions Every year, high school students across the Commonwealth compete for spots in several all-state music groups. After surviving the initial cut, they qualify for live auditions in December. Those who win seats travel to Louisville in February for three days of intense rehearsals with renowned conductors. The groups then perform as featured ensembles at the Kentucky Music Educators Association's state conference. Fayette County Public Schools congratulates these young musicians from Lafayette SCAPA chosen in 2011-2012. Concert band Jessica Abney, clarinet; Joseph Wrightson, alto saxophone; Aaron Burns, French horn Symphonic band Chloe McIntosh, flute; Emily Rayens, flute; Andrew Burton, clarinet; Danny Alford, trombone Symphony orchestra Stella Sharpe, oboe; Will Lovan, trumpet: Ole Wendroth, violin; Darcy Cassidy, violin; Lucy Becker, violin; Michael Goffinet, violin; Sarah Takahaski, viola; Alexander DeMoll, cello; Anna Wilson, cello; Emily Farrer, cello; Katie Jones, cello; Robert Wendroth, cello; Benjamin Healy, bass; Taylor Eggers, bass Commonwealth strings Da Yup Kim, violin; Will Marshall, violin; Sarah MacDonald, viola; Cody Taylor, cello; Janie Herbener, cello; Julia Mead, cello; Michael Takahaski, cello. High school singers to perform in all-state choirs About 1,200 students across the state vied for slots in the Kentucky Music Educators Association's 2012 High School All-State Choirs. Vocalists in grades 10-12 auditioned in quartets – all performing the same piece, sung a cappella; they also had to sight-sing. Only 15 percent of a school's choral enrollment is allowed to audition, so many schools hold preliminary tryouts. The Lexington-area district of KMEA usually has the most students auditioning, making it all the more competitive. KMEA chose the top 560 students and assigned them to one of three choruses: a mixed group of men and women, a women's choir and a men's choir. The groups will perform at 8 p.m. Friday Feb. 10 at the Kentucky Center for the Arts in Louisville during the KMEA state conference. Henry Leck, founder and artistic director of the Indianapolis Children's Choir and director of choral activities at Butler University, will lead the SATB* choir. Cristi Miller, a master teacher, conductor and composer based at Heritage Hall Schools in Oklahoma City, will guide the SSAA* choir. Craig Jessop, dean of the Caine College of the Arts at Utah State University, will direct the TTBB* choir. Congratulations to these participants from Lafayette SCAPA: SATB choir: Amie Huesman, Megan Peterson, Carolina Balling, Rowan Calkins, Brodie Craig, Haley Goode, Kathryn Dressman, Tomer Eres, and Colton Ryan SSAA choir: Sydney Jahnigen, Caroline Keegan, Kelli Crawford and Rachel Wilson TTBB choir: Conner Sands, Cameron Mahan, and Tanner Hoertz * Key: S, soprano; A, alto; T, tenor; B, bass For more information, contact Debbie Sogin, (859) 381-3533. SCAPA Student Receives Music Awards In early December, Julia Knight travelled to Dalton, Georgia to the Georgia and Tennessee Country Music Awards via the Tennessee Country and Gospel Music Association of which she is a member. Congratulations to Julia for being named: Song Writer of the Year CD of the Year Entertainer of the Year for her age group. Follow the link to view her performance: http://youtu.be/qppjy9L0rxU Students of the Month Congratulations to the following students of the month for exhibiting outstanding character values! Be sure to read their individual profiles on the wall in the Bluegrass SCAPA foyer. Grade 4 – Thomas Ward Grade 5 – Jacob Chapman Grade 6 – Margo Lawson Grade 7 – Evan Johnson Grade 8 – Kelsey Waltermire Nancy Campbell Selected for 2012 GSA Faculty SCAPA is proud to announce that Ms. Nancy Campbell has been selected to serve on the Instrumental Music Faculty for the 2012 Governor's School for the Arts. The program will be held from June 17 to July 7 at Transylvania University. This is an extraordinary opportunity for Ms. Campbell to share her musical gifts and passion with high school students from across the state. We know they will be enriched by their experience with such a dedicated teacher and musician. Congratulations Mrs. Campbell! Nancy Campbell has served as the Orchestra Director at the School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCAPA) Bluegrass since 1996. She also serves as Orchestra Content Leader for Fayette County Public Schools. Nancy has been a string faculty member for the Music for All Summer Symposium in Illinois and Indiana, and was a consultant for the Music Expressions series published by Alfred. She is President of the Kentucky Chapter of the American String Teachers Association, Inc. and Past Orchestra Chair for the Kentucky Music Educators Association. Additionally, she serves as a Mentor Teacher in the University of Kentucky String Project. She is cofounder of L.O.V.E. (Lexington's Original Viola Ensemble) formed in 2007. For her creative use of electric instruments, technology, and alternative styles, Nancy was named Yamaha Certified String Educator, which recognizes string teachers using innovative ideas and pushing the boundaries of string education. In 2010, she was named KMEA's Middle School teacher of the year and received the KY ASTA Distinguished Service Award. She is one class away from receiving her Rank I certification. 2012 KMEA Conference The middle school band students at the School for the Creative and Performing Arts under the direction of band director, Robin Barker and assistant band director, Karen Akel, have received the distinction of being one of two middle school bands from the state of Kentucky selected for feature performance at the 54th annual Kentucky Music Educators Association Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.  They will be the only featured performing group from Fayette County Public Schools.   The 2012 KMEA Conference will be held February 8-11, and offers professional development opportunities for music educators; performances by the All-State Choirs, Bands and Orchestras; and performances by featured music groups. Numerous applications and audition recordings from elementary, middle school, high school and college choirs, bands, and orchestras were sent to the KMEA selection committee for review. After careful consideration, the KMEA selection committee chose twenty-four feature groups for this year’s conference.  Twenty groups were high school or college groups; four groups were elementary and middle school/junior high. The SCAPA band students have gone through many hours of practice and preparation, and would be honored to have the support of the SCAPA family at this prestigious event.The SCAPA Middle School Band KMEA Conference performance will be on Friday, February 10th at 3:05 p.m. at the Kentucky International Convention Center, Cascade Ballroom A-B, in Louisville, Kentucky. The SCAPA band will be opening with a Sousa march, The Rifle Regiment followed by a band arrangement of the tenor aria, “Nessun Dorma,” from the Puccini opera, “Turandot.  The third selection with be “The Lords of Greenwich,” a new piece by Robert Sheldon. SCAPA Band welcomes Dr. Earle Louder, featured guest euphonium soloist, who will perform, “Danny Boy,” with the band.  He remains in great demand, nationally and internationally, as guest soloist, clinician, adjudicator, and conductor.  His performances have taken him throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, China, Japan, and South America.  He is acclaimed as one of the world's finest euphonium virtuosos. The band will conclude their KMEA performance with “La Madre de los Gatos,” by Brian Beck.  The School for the Creative and Performing Arts Middle School Band has been invited to perform this program in a joint KMEA Preview Concert with the University of Kentucky Symphony Band on Monday, February 6th, at 7:30 p.m.  The concert will be held at the University of Kentucky Singletary Center for the Arts in Lexington, Kentucky. This will be a great evening to come out and enjoy some fine music, especially for those who are unable to attend the SCAPA band performance in Louisville.

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SCAPA Introductions

Academic News

Science with Ms. Beals

January is a busy month for SCAPA's young scientists! In addition to participating in SCAPA's science fair, the 7th graders are currently working through a rigorous unit of study of motion and forces. The attached pictures show the 7th graders conducting an experiment of the effect of the incline of a ramp on the weight of a cart. The 8th graders are currently studying electricity. Attached are pictures of Seanna Bryant's "hair-raising" and experience and Ella White's "light bulb" moment with the Van de Graaff generator.

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Arts News

BG Visual Arts

BG Vocal

BG Band

• Band News
  

LHS Orchestra

• Lafayette Orchestra

LHS Band

• Lafayette Band News
  

LHS Vocal

• LHS Vocal Newsletters

LHS Visual Arts

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Club and Team News

SCAPA Varsity MathCounts

The SCAPA Varsity MathCounts team finished the season undefeated after beating Sts. Peter and Paul in yesterday's match by a score of 17-8. Students participating with the varsity team yesterday were Antonio Anton, Riley Bishop, Gavin Burt, Stephanie Stumbur, and Josephine Wendroth. Please be sure to congratulate these students (along with Lane Aldridge and Azure Rowe, who were unable to compete with the team yesterday but participated in the first four matches) on a wonderful match and a fantastic Math Bowl season.

The Junior Varsity took their lumps yesterday, losing by a score of 19-4. However, they had to compete against Sts. Peter and Paul's varsity team as they did not bring a JV team. The students still did very well and are to be congratulated on a very fine season. The following students participated with the Junior Varsity team: Leila Abou-Jaoude, Aaron Choate, Emily Jones, Krista Manche, and Elizabeth Yates.

This concludes our fall Math Bowl season, and we will begin in January working towards the Bluegrass Chapter MathCounts competition to be held in late February. We have a wonderful team and an excellent opportunity, with some hard work, to qualify for the state competition this year! Please encourage these students to continue their outstanding work when you see them.

Thanks to everyone for their continued support of the SCAPA MathCounts team this year!!

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Alumni News

Alumni! We Want To Know What You Are Doing!

We would like to make plaques to hang outside each of the arts rooms with the names of graduates and what they are doing professionally. Mr. Love has one on the wall just outside his door. Every year he takes his new 4th graders out in the hall, reads the names of past students and what they are doing, and tells the current students that if they dedicate themselves to their work, someday their name will be on the plaque. This is a great motivator! We want every arts teacher to have the opportunity to do the same thing. Please send me your name, year you graduated, major and what you are doing professionally so that we can expand and maintain this tradition. My address is carolyn.tieman@fayette.kyschools.us. We are looking forward to hearing from you and celebrating your success.

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Arts Roundtable

The Arts Roundtable is a place where we can share valuable information about the essential role of the arts in our lives and the lives of our children. (Please submit items to Carolyn Waterbury-Tieman, carolyn.tieman@fayette.kyschools.us, by the 20th of each month.)

How to Write Good

Bob Love shared the following rules for writing good with the SCAPA faculty and staff during their holiday celebration on December 6th as a tribute to the retiring creative writing teacher, Ms. Kim Carnes. The first set of rules was written by Frank L. Visco and originally published in the June 1986 issue of Writer's Digest. The second set of rules is derived from William Safire's Rules for Writers. I got a kick out of these, especially as delivered by Mr. Love!

My several years in the word game have learnt me several rules (Frank L. Visco):

1. Avoid Alliteration. Always.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. Avoid clichés like the plague. (They're old hat.)
4. Employ the vernacular.
5. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
6. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
7. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
8. Contractions aren't necessary.
9. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
10. One should never generalize.
11. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."

And now according to William Safire:

1. Parenthetical words however must be enclosed in commas.
2. It behooves you to avoid archaic expressions.
3. Avoid archaeic spellings too.
4. Don't repeat yourself, or say again what you have said before.
5. Eschew obfuscation.
6. No sentence fragments.
7. Don't indulge in sesquipedalian lexicological constructions.
8. A writer must not shift your point of view.
9. Don't overuse exclamation marks!!!
10. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
11. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
12. Don't use commas, that, are not, necessary.
13. Do not use hyperbole; not one in a million can do it effectively.
14. Never use a big word when a diminutive alternative would suffice.
15. Subject and verb always has to agree.
16. Placing a comma between subject and predicate, is not correct.
17. Use youre spell checker to avoid misspelling and to catch typographical errers.
18. Use the apostrophe in it's proper place and omit it when its not needed.
19. Don't never use no double negatives.
20. Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.
21. Hopefully, you will use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.
22. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
23. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
24. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.
25. Always pick on the correct idiom.
26. The adverb always follows the verb.
27. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
28. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
29. And always be sure to finish what

Submit information to Carolyn Waterbury-Tieman (carolyn.tieman@fayette.kyschools.us)

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Arts Bookbag

The Arts Bookbag is a place where we can recommend books about the arts that we have found to be informative and inspiring. (Please submit titles to Carolyn Waterbury-Tieman, carolyn.tieman@fayette.kyschools.us, by the 20th of each month.)

• My Reading Life by Pat Conroy
• My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
• Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. Daniel Pink, 2009
• Keepers of the Children. Laura M. Ramirez, 2004
• The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life. Twyla Tharp. Simon & Schuster, 2005.
• The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron
• Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius by Michael Michalko
• A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. Daniel H. Pink. (2005, 2006). Riverhead Books, 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014.
• The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything. Ken Robinson. (2009). Viking, 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014.
• Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative, Ken Robinson, Capstone, 2001
  
• 5 Minds for the Future, Howard Gardner, Harvard Business School Press, 2009
  
• Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Malcolm Gladwell, Back Bay Books, 2007
  
• Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell, Little, Brown & Company, 2008

Children

• The Art Lesson by Tomie DePaola
  
• Little Smudge by L. LeNeouanic
  

SCAPA FUNdraising Opportunities

Continuous SCAPA FUNdraisers

There are 3 ways that you can financially support SCAPA all year long with minimal effort!

• When you shop at Amazon.com, use the icon on the front page of the FOAS website, www.friends-scapa.org, and SCAPA gets money for every order you make!
• Purchase a SCAPA Kroger card from Miranda Hines, 351-4931, mhines@email.uky.edu. Use your SCAPA Kroger card!
• Put a sandwich-sized baggy on your refrigerator door. Clip Box Tops for Education and put them in the bag. Turn your bag of Box Tops into your child’s homeroom each month!

Remember that when you contribute to SCAPA it benefits every student, grades 4-12, in every arts area. You can make a difference!

Box Tops For Education

General Mills Corporation, sponsor of the Box Tops For Education program, has been involved in giving to educational programs since 1996. Over the past 13 years, participating schools have earned over $300 million dollars in funding. The Box Tops program is a simple way for our school to receive money without having to write grants, sell products, work hours, or buy things we don’t want or need. As a parent, relative, or friend of SCAPA, all you have to do is clip the “Official Box Top Coupon” off of the products you already buy and use. A complete list of these products can be found at boxtops4education.com. After clipping, send the box tops to school with your student. Each homeroom teacher has a container in their classroom for collection. Each month, the box tops are collected and counted, with the top collecting homeroom earning a prize. Come on SCAPA Penguins, keep clipping and collecting those box tops. Let’s make this an awesome box tops year.

Volunteer Opportunities

Please download a copy for each of the FCPS approved volunteers in your family. Completed forms may be turned in to Ms. Barbara Talbert at the front office of Bluegrass SCAPA. Thank you so much for your commitment to making SCAPA great!

• Bluegrass Volunteer Form
• LHS Volunteer Form

Please be aware that a records check is required in order to participate in volunteer activities in the Fayette County School system.

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FOAS Board Officers and Representatives

• Officers and Representatives

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