This school year, thousands of Volusia County Schools students will experience arts and sciences through two exciting new programs – the Peabody Auditorium Foundation’s In-School Touring and Scholarship program and the Lohman’s Museum of Arts & Sciences Field Study at MOAS.
The new Peabody Auditorium Foundation program will provide live cultural performances and scholarships, benefitting over 7,000 VCS students, beginning this fall. The annual program will be part of the Foundation’s Youth+Art=Success! outreach program, which provides local students, including some who are underserved due to financial need, with the opportunity to attend cultural programs, free of charge.
Beginning in October, PAF will offer free in-school cultural programs at 13 VCS elementary schools and five VCS middle schools. In early 2022, PAF will underwrite the cost of providing selected VCS high school students with a live cultural experience. Four high schools will be selected annually and provided with complimentary tickets to attend a professional theatrical performance at the historic Peabody Auditorium in Daytona Beach. In addition, PAF’s Arts & Culture Scholarship Program will award 10 merit-based college scholarships annually to high school seniors who plan to pursue a cultural education in an arts field. One scholarship will be awarded at each of VCS’ 10 high schools.
“Volusia County is very grateful to the Peabody Auditorium Foundation for creating this innovative program to enable our students to see live cultural performances and to award scholarships to outstanding graduates who plan to pursue studies in the arts in college,” said Volusia County Schools Superintendent Dr. Scott Fritz. “Our schools offer a broad range of performing arts classes in music, dance, and theater, and we know that cultural arts are important to students’ academic development and success in school and life. The new In-School Touring and Scholarship program will be a wonderful addition to those experiences.”
Also starting this fall, VCS 5th and 8th graders will visit the Museum of Arts & Sciences in Daytona Beach for a fun and engaging day of science education at MOAS, approximately 10,000 students per year. The program is being funded by a generous donation from Lowell and Nancy Lohman to the FUTURES Foundation for Volusia County Schools.
“The Day at the Museum is designed to inspire future scientists to pursue their love of science education,” said VCS Superintendent Dr. Scott Fritz. “We are grateful to Lowell and Nancy Lohman, to the museum’s leadership, and our School Board for making this innovative learning experience possible.”
The VCS Science Department and MOAS developed the academic program. Classes will take a bus to the museum for a planetarium show, science stage show, and other activities such as touring museum exhibits including the Giant Ground Sloth and the Charles and Linda Williams Children’s Museum. The field study will be aligned with state standards, reinforcing important concepts assessed on the 5th and 8th grade Florida Statewide Assessments.
