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The Right Brain Initiative and Bank of America celebrate community partnerships

A 1st grade student from Powell Valley Elementary stands in front of a collage he created with his classmates and Right Brain teaching artist Nicole Penoncello. Students connected visual art with their social studies curriculum to make this map of important locations in the Gresham area. Photo by Allie Maya.

Gresham, April 14th, 2014. The Right Brain Initiative, the arts education partnership of the Regional Arts & Culture Council, celebrated its collaboration with the Gresham-Barlow School District. With student performances and visual artwork on display, East Multnomah County stakeholders gathered at the Gresham Library to honor integrated arts programming in public schools. This school year, the GBSD became the first district in the region to bring The Right Brain Initiative to all its elementary schools.

Gresham Mayor Shane Bemis makes a statement about the value of the arts, during a celebration for Portland area arts-in-schools program The Right Brain Initiative, in partnership with Bank of America. Photo by Allie Maya.

Gresham families and educators watch a presentation by The Right Brain Initiative and local leaders. Photo by Allie Maya.

The growth of the program was possible because of the Initiative’s public-private funding model, within which companies like Bank of America playing a key role in the expansion of the program.

Bank of America has been one of Right Brain’s top corporate partners since 2010 and is a lead private funder for the Gresham-Barlow School District expansion. Nicole Frisch, Assistant Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at Bank of America in Oregon and southwest Washington said, “As longtime supporters of education and workforce organizations, Bank of America understands the critical role Right Brain plays in helping ensure students are taught to think creatively and critically. Right Brain’s programs not only provide the important arts education our community needs, but support learning in all curriculum areas, including math and writing.”

Read more about the story here: http://racc.org/about/right-brain-initiative-and-gresham-barlow-school-district-bring-arts-all-elementary-students

Elisa Klein

I’ve been a professional journalist and writer since 1987, (and long-time reporter for KOIN-TV.) As a nationally published reporter, with a Master’s Degree in Journalism, I love to report positive news and information. Journalism has also connected me with another non-profit where I served as a leader; the Northwest’s biggest writer’s organization: The Willamette Writers.