Fall 2024 Newsletter

Student art depicting fall leaves//

Arts Day Off Camp in October//

Photos courtesy of AWE Student Board Member Allie Fontaine//

The cast of the WAHS 2024 spring musical, The Addams Family. The addition of a sound shell to the WAHS auditorium would benefit all performing groups at WAHS and Henley for years to come.//

Hello AWE Supporters!

This is the fall newsletter for the Arts in Western Education (AWE) nonprofit, to keep you updated on our arts community in the Western Albemarle High School Feeder Pattern schools.

Now more than ever, we are committed to supporting the arts, which bring our community together and show our children that there is a place for everyone. In this email:

1. Donation Match Update!

2. Arts Day-Off Camp Recap

3. Classroom Spotlight: Ceramics

4. Become a Sponsor

5. Upcoming Arts Performances

Arts in Western Education (AWE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports the arts in the six K-12 public schools in western Albemarle County: Brownsville, Crozet, Ivy, and Murray Elementary Schools; Henley Middle School; and Western Albemarle High School. AWE's goal is to support our arts teachers so they can provide a rich and robust arts education for every student. Because of your support, the Western School District has a thriving arts community, even when county funding is limited.

Thank you!

Donation Match Update!

We have raised $3,200 toward our goal of $6,000, and we need your help to raise the remaining $2,800 by December 31. All donations will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Leone Family Fund. Our goal is to purchase a sound shell for the Western Albemarle High School auditorium, which will greatly improve the acoustics for all groups performing in the space: choir, band, orchestra, drama — everyone!

Please help us meet this tremendous matching goal by donating via the blue “Donate Here” button below! Every dollar helps!

DONATE HERE!

Donate using the button above, or mail a check to Arts in Western Education, P.O. Box 542, Crozet, VA 22932. Checks can be made payable to Arts in Western Education. All donations are fully tax deductible. AWE’s tax ID is: 46-2950342.

Arts Day-Off Camp - Fall 2024 Recap

On Friday, October 25, AWE hosted Arts Day-Off Camp, a one-day camp for K-5 students full of fun exploring crafts, art, music, dance, and theater. We were thrilled to welcome 75 children at Murray Elementary and enjoyed making paper sculptures; played drama games; saw a preview of Henley’s fall musical, Finding Nemo; tried out a variety of stringed instruments from the Henley & WAHS orchestra; and made art care packages for patients at UVA Children’s Hospital.

Thank you to our partners who helped put on this great event: Rose’s Inspiration Station, Live Arts, Craig Ames, Liz Vaughn, UVA Child Life Program, and numerous Western Albemarle parents. Thank you, also, to Murray Elementary’s PTO for co-sponsoring the event. Scholarships are provided through school counselors, and all proceeds from Arts Day-Off go back to Western Albemarle Schools’ arts programs.

Our fall camp sold out very quickly, so save the date for our next Arts Day-Off Camp on March 17 at Crozet Elementary!

In the Classroom: Ceramics

In WAHS Ceramics 3 and 4, students in Mrs. Chatterson’s class had a pottery throwdown. The goal: to see who can make the tallest and most even cylinder! Follow AWE on Instagram to stay updated on arts news in the Western Feeder Pattern schools.

Become an AWE Sponsor

Would your business benefit from advertising with AWE? Sponsors are highlighted in front of our audience of over 3,700 families in the Western Feeder Pattern through features on our website, ads in our annual arts newspaper and at ArtsFest, and through these e-newsletters. Sponsorships start at $250, and all sponsorship dollars support AWE programs and teacher grants, enabling us to better fund the arts in our schools.

Learn more about sponsorship by contacting AWE Vice President Mairi Townsend: mairi.kincaid@gmail.com.