News
January 07, 2015
Napa, Calif. – January 7, 2015 – The Napa County Office of Education (NCOE) is pleased to announce that Napa Valley Festival del Sole, one of America’s premier music and lifestyle festivals, has awarded $56,000 to bolster arts education programs in elementary schools throughout Napa County. The gift, made possible through Fund-A-Need donations at the Annual Festival Gala held at Meadowood last July, fulfilled every wish submitted to the festival by elementary art, drama and music teachers for the 2014-15 school year.
“It is an honor to help strengthen arts education programs in our local schools,” stated Festival Board Chairman, Darioush Khaledi. “We are grateful for the generosity of festival patrons who make it possible for Festival del Sole to ensure our community’s students have access to a quality arts education, which plays such an important role in their overall academic, social and emotional development.”
As a part of Festival del Sole’s mission to nurture young artistic talent and support arts education, for the second consecutive year, the festival invited Napa County elementary schools to submit a Wish List for art, music and drama classroom supplies. The Wish Lists included items such as instruments, pastels and brushes, Adobe Photoshop software, Mariachi costumes, dramatic play scripts, and a Spanish/English bilingual singing program. Grant recipient schools are: Bel Aire Park Elementary, Browns Valley Elementary, El Centro Elementary, Howell Mountain Elementary, McPherson Elementary, Napa Valley Language Academy, Phillips Elementary, St. Helena Elementary, Salvador Elementary, Shearer Elementary, Stone Bridge School, West Park Elementary, Yountville Elementary.
According to Dr. Barbara Nemko, Napa County Superintendent of Schools, “The arts add immeasurably to our lives, whether it is the beauty of music, dance, and the visual arts, or the passion and emotional growth that comes through theatre and cinema. They bring us joy in every aspect of our lives, yet sadly are the first things to be cut from schools in tough budget times. We are so appreciative of the funds we have received from Festival del Sole, which have helped to keep the arts alive and well in Napa County.”
Festival del Sole will begin accepting applications in April 2015 from Napa County public secondary schools for the 2015 “Wish List for Tomorrow’s Talent” in the areas of drama, art and music. For more information contact Jan Sabo, Napa County Office of Education, 707-253-6999.
About Napa County Office of Education: The Napa County Office of Education - your partner for educational excellence - is a flexible, county-wide educational resource that offers a broad range of student services in response to changing community needs, supports and collaborates with local school districts, and disseminates research-based best practices to educators locally and statewide.