Kyrene Teachers Receive City of Tempe Arts Grants

Posted October 2021

Eight Kyrene School District teachers are celebrating the award of grants from the City of Tempe for everything from Mariachi accordions and elementary ukuleles to professional accompanists for concerts and supplies for student theatre productions and art projects. Each year, Tempe awards grants up to $750. Eight Kyrene fine arts, performing arts and music teachers each qualified for the grants. The funds will go towards projects at four Kyrene schools for the 2021-22 school year.

Kyrene del Norte

Music teacher R. Scott Harnisch will use the grant to support Norte’s winter musical production.

Kyrene de la Mariposa

Music teacher Angie Marshall will use the funds to purchase ukuleles.

C.I. Waggoner

Art teacher Brooke Warwick will use the funds to purchase supplies for Waggoner art classes and clubs.

Music teacher JulieAnne Weissberg will use the funds for additional instruments for the Waggoner Orff music program.

Kyrene Middle School

Chorus teacher Hannah Kimball will pay for professional accompanist services for student concerts.

Orchestra and Mariachi teacher Julio Contreras is adding accordions to his popular Mariachi program.

Art teachers Kimberly Schneider and Chiu-Chu Ting collaborated on their grant submissions and will each use the funds to pay for art supplies for KMS art classes and clubs.

Many of these teachers are repeat recipients of the Arts in Education grants, with Contreras earning the award for the fourth year in a row. These grants promote continued learning and creative expression by enhancing the offerings Kyrene schools provide. For more information about the arts in Kyrene, visit www.kyrene.org/finearts.