The Bellingham School District Board-appointed K-12 Fine Arts Task Force has been created and is meeting twice per month from now through April.

The task force consists of parents Kelly Bashaw, Pam Behee and Tom Kunesh; music teachers Terri McKee and Nick Strobel, art teacher Lonnie Schang; and staff Sherrie Brown, Gordon Grissom, Jeannie Hayden and Deirdre O'Neill. Deputy Superintendent Susan Zoller is the committee chair. The committee plans to add an additional community member and teacher to the task force.

Minutes of the task force's meetings are available on the Web at http://www.bham.wednet.edu/staff/committee.htm

The task force is charged to complete the following activities by April:

• Review the alignment of the district's K-12 fine arts curriculum with the Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs);
• Ensure the equity, sustainability and balance of academics and fine arts elective offerings at the middle schools; and
• Develop suggestions or a proposal for improvements in curriculum and/or program offerings.

The Board appointed the task force to study these issues following community response to a change in scheduling at Fairhaven and Whatcom Middle Schools. Fairhaven and Whatcom joined Kulshan and Shuksan Middle Schools this year in offering one elective per trimester and consistent academic time in reading, writing, math, science and physical education/health. Examples of these middle school elective offerings are art, band/orchestra/music, world language and technology.

More after-school activity funds were added at every middle school this year to support fine and performing arts activities. Every school surveyed middle school students during the first few weeks of school this year to determine what offerings would interest students at each school.

Each middle school will offer a minimum of one of the following three after-school fine arts activities, in addition to an elective during school, based on students' interests and the availability/qualifications of an adviser:

• Fairhaven: Photography, choirs, art club, debate club, and "improv" and drama
• Kulshan: Photography, drama, hip hop music/dance, drawing, other types of dance and painting
• Shuksan: Visual art, drama, hip hop music and dance
• Whatcom: Drama, digital photography, guitar club and art club

Additional fine and performing arts activities may be scheduled at some of the middle schools through funding provided by parent organizations or Associated Student Body Resources.

For more information about the task force or activities, contact Susan Zoller at 676-6512.

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