Adam Sheldon, Director
Dear CAS families,
Welcome to the first edition of CASNews – your source for the latest updates, arts content, and events from the BaldwinWallace University Community Arts School! CASNews will highlight what is happening at CAS and across our BW campus. Because this monthly newsletter is for you, our families, we invite you to let us know what arts-related content would be most interesting or helpful. Meanwhile, we hope you enjoy this month’s edition!
A Successful Summer of Adaptation
This is a challenging time for all of us. Many of you have had to adjust to new ways of learning, working, and going about daily life. Even with the uncertainty around us, we’ve heard from so many of our students and parents who describe their weekly lessons and classes as a source of happiness and hope. One thing that remains clear – continuing to engage in the arts is critical now more than ever.
This summer, our CAS staff and faculty worked hard to find creative ways to continue high quality arts-based learning for our students. We were excited to launch CAS UNBOXEDTM – a 5-week, all-virtual program that brought the arts directly to students’ doorsteps. More than 400 registrants participated in the program, including nearly 200 students who took advantage of grant-funded tuition assistance. With such success, we have continued CAS UNBOXEDTM into the fall, giving students even more ways to stay engaged with the arts.
Fall Classes and Ensembles Begin
The safety of students, faculty, and staff has remained our highest priority as we considered the return to fall programs, and have seen a smooth transition back to virtual, hybrid and in-person learning this semester. We have been working side-by-side with the BW Health and Safety Taskforce to implement policies and practices that align with recommendations from medical professionals and scientific research. Though some programs may look different than in the past, high quality instructors and dedicated students are still the foundation of our community.
Music ensembles have found new ways to stay connected with each other, meeting virtually to engage in discussion, private lessons, and project-based learning. Many private lessons continue to meet virtually, while select lessons will transition to in-person throughout the next month. Our 10-week sessions of music, visual art, and dance classes are well underway, and the enthusiasm we’ve seen from students has energized our faculty and staff. Many one-time, in-person fall workshops are still accepting registrations and are open to students of all ages. We appreciate your cooperation with our safety protocols which has allowed everyone to continue to learn in a safe way.
Looking Ahead
Although the leaves here on campus have just started their annual display of autumn color, our CAS team is working diligently to plan for upcoming spring and summer semesters. We continue to make programming decisions that are informed by the latest science, public health guidance and knowledge from our Baldwin Wallace University community. We anticipate introducing more options for in-person classes and activities while also continuing to offer completely virtual ways of participating. More information about Spring 2021 classes and ensembles will be available in the coming months.
We look forward to staying connected with you, our CAS community, and finding new ways to bring the arts into our lives. As always, we welcome your questions and comments as we learn and grow together.
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