Dance students at Coolidge Middle School in Phoenix are thrilled with their new studio.
“I can’t keep them off the mirrors!” said Creana Fobbs, a Coolidge teacher and creative director, emphasizing how excited they are “to be able to see themselves in the mirrors while dancing or during class in general.”
“For dancers the mirrors serve as a great teaching/learning tool,” she said.
The dance studio is just one element of the school’s new Fine Arts Center, which also features a black box theater, studio for recording podcasts and videos, a STEM and architectural lab and orchestra instructional spaces.
The center was publicly unveiled Friday by current and former administrators at South Holland School District 151, along with a handful of student ambassadors.
Already in use by students, Fobbs said the new space “has really enhanced their experience.”
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“They feel like this is their space,” she said.
Superintendent Kathryn Varner said the district’s dedication to the arts escalated when it partnered with the Van Moody Arts Academy, which now works in conjunction with the new center offering weekend classes to students.
“It has grown — blossomed,” said Varner.
Van Moody Arts Academy founder and director Mario Moody, who helped plan the center, was Coolidge’s band director for a number of years and said he holds a special place in his heart for the district’s burgeoning arts program.
During a tour of the new center, Moody, now the director of Fine Arts and Enrichment for School District 151, pointed out paintings of famous artists and scientists that line the walls.
“All of our walls have this empowering theme,” he said. “It’s to give our kids a different experience.”
Participating in the arts has many benefits for students, Moody said. For example, the podcast lab offers students not only a chance to discuss current events, but articulate some of their stresses, he said.
The school’s orchestra program started with five students three years ago and today has 81 members, Moody said. He added the district invested in musical instruments so students could participate even if they couldn’t afford them.
Staff who attended the ribbon cutting beamed at the new center and festivities.
“It means that all the work that has been put in place for years has come to fruition,” said Jerald MacNair, principal of Madison School in South Holland. “Think about what the chances are of our kids reaching their full potential. We’re doing amazing things … for the entire south suburbs,” he said.
While a number of staff helped with the new center, former Superintendent Theresa Hill, now in that role at Homewood-Flossmoor Community School District 233, was the instigator. Early on, she invited Moody to come on board and help create the new arts program. Before coming to District 151, she had been an assistant superintendent in Barrington, where she had more resources for arts education.
“She wanted to see if we could have the same thing for students here in the south suburbs,” Moody said.
Hill said District 151 paid for the $4.3 million center over four years with assistance from a Illinois Property Tax Relief Grant, while also watching its overall spending, she said.
“I am so excited to be here,” Hill said at the ribbon cutting. “When you get to go upstairs, you are going to be blown away. Our children in our community have something that is unmatched anywhere else at the elementary and middle school level.”
Douglas Hamilton, who preceded Hill as superintendent, pointed out the district was a “family,” with the many staff who had attended school in the district.
“It’s a collaborative effort,” said Hamilton. “You will see a facility that thrives. At one time, we were the pariahs of the area, now we’re a beacon.”
The new arts center is also helping the district broaden its cultural horizons, according to Maria Macias, whose Mexican folklore dancing classes will benefit from it.
“This is a big opportunity for the Latinas,” Macias said. “They’re giving the opportunity to us and this is something beautiful.”
Terry Wells, Phoenix’s longtime mayor, said he was one of the “proud products of District 151,” and taught social studies at the middle school.
“Whatever happens at Coolidge is reflected back into our community,” he said. “Together we will keep arts alive.”
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.