For Immediate Release: VAPA Foundation Announces 2022 VAPA Enhancement Program Recipients

 

November 3, 2022

For Immediate Release

VAPA Foundation Announces 2022 VAPA Enhancement Program Recipients

Thirty-eight SDUSD Teachers Received Funding for Visual & Performing Arts

Isabella Virzi, Beck Ellman Heald, isabella@behmedia.com, 760-798-6648

San Diego, CA – The VAPA Foundation, whose mission is to increase access to and enhance the quality of arts education in the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD), recently announced thirty-eight teachers will receive awards to support for visual and performing arts programs not covered by school budget. The VAPA Enhancement Program, or VEP, enables any San Diego Unified teacher to apply for funds to enhance the quality of and access to arts education in the classroom or school.

This year, the VAPA Foundation granted a total of $63,000 and nearly $190,000 in VEP awards since its inception in 2017. This funding was made possible in part by a sponsorship from UC  San Diego and the California Art Council. As the organization has grown, VAPA Foundation was able to increase the amount of money awarded to teachers this year.

“Our organization literally exists to provide this exact support to arts teachers who struggle for supplies to conduct their creative school programs,” stated Jon Bailey, president of the VAPA Foundation board of directors. “After a couple of tough years for schoolkids dealing with pandemic interruptions, we’re very happy to have increased our donation budget to allow an expanded number of grants in 2022. These teachers have a tremendous positive impact on our students, and we are honored to support their successful arts programs.”

 

2022 Grant Recipients

Name School Arts Discipline
Adrienne Asdal Dingeman ES Music
Annette Barcelona SDSCPA Dance
Phillip Barham Ericson ES Dance
Victoria Barham Doyle ES Dance
Teresa Behnke Hardy ES Visual Art
Jason Berman Millennial Tech MS Media Arts
Brian Black Crawford HS Visual Art
Anne Brady Scripps Ranch HS Visual Art
Seanha Choi SDSCPA Visual Art
Terri Clark Henry HS Dance
Nathan Elias Kocivar Roosevelt MS Music
Wyatt Ellison VAPA Music
Kathrine Engan Innovation MS Music
Tammy Evans Salk ES Visual Art
Monica George-Halling Garfield ES Dance
Sarah Hillard Millennial Tech MS Visual Art
Tyler Johnson Madison HS Music
Karen Koehler Silvergate ES Music
Daniel Kriley Mira Mesa HS Theatre
LeAnn Leyden Hearst ES Visual Art
Suzanne Long Correia MS Visual Art
Ryan McCann Wegeforth ES Dance
Carrie Miller Knox MS Dance
Heather Mollica Cadman ES Dance
Krista Nelson Madison HS Dance
Kris Nieder Longfelllow K-8 Visual Art
Eric Nielson Mt. Everest Music
Dee Parrish Mission Bay HS Visual Art
Meera Ramanthan Zamorano ES Visual Art
Richard Rogalski Henry ES Visual Art
Jessi Rogawski San Diego HS Visual Art
Abraham Shklar Henry HS Visual Art
Samantha Sibbet Benchley Weinberger ES Visual Art
Travis Smith Morse HS Visual Art
Erin Summers Alcott ES Arts
Marielena Teng Challenger MS Music, Theatre
Noah Wilke VAPA Music, Visual Arts

 

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The VAPA Foundation is a local San Diego nonprofit whose mission is to increase access to and enhance the quality of arts education in the San Diego Unified School District. The VAPA Foundation believes that an education infused with the arts transforms the lives of young people. By using data, VAPA targets its programs to schools that demonstrate the most need. VAPA often collaborates with local artists and organizations to bridge the gap between them and SDUSD through its programs. They have served 105,793 students and supported 260 teachers. For more information about the VEP program please visit: https://vapafoundation.org/vep-funding/ or https://vapafoundation.org/

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