Minutes 5-2-96 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

Civic Cultural Commission Page 4 Minutes of May 2, 1996 ITEM 2-UPDATE ON JOHN GILL DANCE PROGRAM-ROSINE BENA Rosine Bena spoke about her experience teaching dance to the children of John Gill School. She said it was one of the most difficult experiences but also very rewarding. She mentioned she has put in 71 hours of her time so far and is planning to donate more of her own time because she feels the program is very worthwhile. Ms. Bena explained she changed her original design of the program and took the students in smaller groups. She said that many of the John Gill students are non-English speaking and were having problems communicating in class, but she saw amazing results with the children in the dance program. She has realized it i� very important for children to have dance and she spoke about three of her "success stories". Ms. Bena said dance is meaningful for everyone and has found that children do not learn the same. She did a presentation to the John Gill staff regarding her career and the children were able to benefit from this presentation. She will make the same presentation on Thursday, May 9 at 11:15am at John Gill School and invited all to attend. Ms. Bena stated she has developed a plan for a 10 week summer dance program for 25 John Gill children at a cost of $6,500.00 which will include herself and several other dancers as instructors. She will donate $3,350.00 towards the program; the dancers will donate $400.00 and she will be applying for funding from the Peninsula Community Foundation and the Civic Cultural Commission for $1,375.00 each. She felt that she did not want to drop the program because of the enthusiasm and excitement of the children. She felt that with donations, selling items, and grants, the program could be self-supporting. Commissioner Fischer said she attended the instruction of the first grade class and was very impressed with the level of instruction the chil�.ren are receiving. She spoke about the value of the program and how it benefits the children. She stated she would like to continue the program and possibly expand to another school. Commissioner Filippi said he saw three sessions of classes and was very supportive of the program. The Commissioners all spoke in favor of the program and its value to the children. Chairperson Piulle said she truly appreciated the time Ms. Bena has donated but felt the Commission needs to assess how much the program actually costs. Ms. Bena mentioned she has provided one John Gill student with a fully paid scholarship. M/S Redington/Fischer: To state in the minutes the Civic Cultural Commission's appreciation to Rosine Bena for her energy and her program and to officially recognize her efforts.