Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Monday, June 26, 2023
EdVestors Announces Over $460,000 in Arts Expansion Grants to Boston Public Schools
EdVestors Announces Over $460,000 in Arts Expansion Grants to Boston Public Schools
New grants to 65 schools highlight ongoing commitment to expand and ensure equitable access to quality arts instruction
(Full list of grant recipients and photos included at the end)
BOSTON (June 1, 2023) – EdVestors awarded over $460,000 in BPS Arts Expansion grants to 65 Boston Public Schools (BPS) to support equitable, quality arts education for the 2023-2024 school year. The citywide, public-private partnership expands and ensures equitable, quality arts instruction for all students. Since its inception in 2009, the initiative has increased the number of BPS students receiving arts education by 17,000 annually while emerging as a national leader in expanding access to arts education.
The grants were announced as part of the annual BPS Citywide Arts Festival, which is taking place this week from May 31st to June 2nd on the Boston Common. The three-day event celebrates the artistic talents of BPS students by featuring music, dance, and theatre performances from schools across the district.
“Congratulations to all the students who exhibited their artistic talents across the city this week,” said Mary Skipper, Superintendent of Boston Public Schools. “A robust arts education is a key component of a well-rounded curriculum, and these grants will ensure that our students have equitable access to high-quality arts programs. As we continue to recover from the impact of the pandemic, arts play a pivotal role in helping students re-engage with their peers, teachers, and school communities, and improve their social-emotional skill development and overall
well-being.”
BPS Arts Expansion brings together local foundations, the school district, arts organizations, higher education institutions, and the Mayor’s Office. These groups, working in tandem with students, families, and school staff, have allowed Boston to emerge as a national leader in expanding quality arts education. BPS Arts Expansion continues to focus on expanding access to equitable arts education and deepening arts experiences, while building systems to sustain a high level of arts education long into the future.
“Arts education often gets overlooked, but its importance to the personal, academic and social-emotional development of youth cannot be overstated,” said Marinell Rousmaniere, President and CEO of EdVestors. “Boston has become a national leader in arts learning opportunities, and this progress would not have happened without the enthusiastic support of BPS leadership, the Mayor’s Office, and our committed funders and dedicated partners.”
Core donors to BPS Arts Expansion include The Barr Foundation, The Boston Foundation, Linde Family Foundation, and The Klarman Family Foundation, which helps support this model public-private partnership that funds arts organizations and teaching artists in schools. In addition, Boston Public Schools has committed to over 23 new arts teachers at the high school level as part of the new graduation requirement. More information on BPS Arts Expansion is available at http://www.bpsarts.org.
ABOUT EDVESTORS
EdVestors’ mission is to advance equitable, meaningful education that prepares every Boston student to activate their power and shape their future. We drive toward our mission by 1) activating people and resources, 2) learning and iterating in context, and 3) influencing system change. We believe that continuously attending to all three of our drivers ensures our activities will create impact. Since 2002, EdVestors has raised and invested over $42 million in school improvement efforts through EdVestors’ Racial Equity Seed Fund, BPS Arts Expansion, the School on the Move Prize, Zeroing in on Math, and Career Pathways. Learn more at www.edvestors.org.
#BPSArts4All @bpsicreate @edvestors http://www.edvestors.org
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
East Boston Resident, Libby Murphy, Elected to the Board of Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts
Waltham, Mass. (June 20, 2023) – Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts (GSEMA), the largest girl serving organization in Massachusetts and 10th largest Girl Scout council in the United States, elect Libby Murphy of East Boston to the Board Nominating and Development Committee during the council’s Annual Meeting, which was hosted on May 11. Voting members of the council elected this year’s slate, which includes three new adult board members, four new girl board members, and three new Board Nominating and Development Committee members.
With over 16 years of experience in the construction industry, Libby serves as Project Executive at Suffolk. A founding member of Suffolk’s national Women Who Build Employee Resource Group, she provides invaluable mentorship and professional development opportunities to nearly 200 women in Suffolk’s Northeast region. Prior to this, Libby managed complex construction projects for numerous academic and life sciences projects including at the John W. Olver Design Building at UMass Amherst, Boston College, and Cambridge’s Kendall Square. She is enthusiastic about getting girls and young women into STEM fields, something near and dear to her as a Girl Scout alum.
She is involved with Suffolk’s Rebuild the Ratio initiative, providing mentorship and accentuating representation of women in construction. In this capacity, Libby leads a group of women to build a Girl Scout curriculum surrounding its 10 year partnership with Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts. She also hosts educational and volunteer initiatives ranging from career days and hard hat tours for students, local food drives, and extracurricular activities for special needs students. She serves on the Regional Committee of Suffolk’s employee-run charity, The Giving Circle, and partners with Wonderfund during the holiday season as a part of Suffolk’s Giving Tree. Libby is an active member of Boston’s Professional Women in Construction. She received her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from University of New Hampshire.
“Our Board Nominating and Development Committee is so vital to helping us find the right Board Members to help us advance the Girl Scouts mission,” said Barbara Fortier, Chief Executive Officer, Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts. “Our organization is fully dedicated to providing all girls, no matter their circumstances, unmatched opportunities to be their best selves, champion causes, embrace the outdoors, and gain perspectives from peers outside their social circles.”
For more information on Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, please visit their website, www.gsema.org, or follow their social media channels, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, for the latest updates on the organization.
About Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts
Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts (GSEMA) is 31,500 strong, with 20,000 girls and 11,500 volunteers in 178 communities in eastern Massachusetts, building girl scouts of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. GSEMA is the largest girl serving organization in Massachusetts and the 10th largest Girl Scout council in the United States. Girl Scouts is the preeminent leadership development organization for girls. To volunteer, reconnect, donate, join, or learn more, visit gsema.org.
Friday, June 16, 2023
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