Shared Vision 

For many fine art programs such as theater, art, band, choir, and others, they often do not receive as much as the spotlight as other programs such as STEM classes or athletics. For example, a basketball or football program will have the spotlight on them during a school game while the school band plays in the background. At a majority of schools, fine arts is a program that is underfunded in every aspect from technology, supplies, and even staff professional development. 

Proposing a grant to fund the fine arts programs at Leavenworth High School will help those students excel in an activity they have dedicated much of their high school careers to. Giving students access to 21st-century technology allows them students to compete with others at the same level and helps level the playing field for young musicians, artists, and playwrights.  

As our team worked through proposal, we never worked from the same location and, as a result, relied heavily on digital communication. While this began with messages through the NAU Canvas platform, which were effective in introducing ourselves to each other, the speed of responses was too slow for what we needed. As a result, we used Google Chat to communicate, which resulted in much better response times from all team members. Once the line of communication was established, Vi Hawes, our technical editor, shared a Google Doc and Google Site with the rest of the team. The Google Doc was used to share links to articles and create rough drafts of the subsections that are now included in this website. When sharing ideas in the Google chat, we all proposed ideas, but it was our shared passion for an increase in funding for fine arts that drew us to this topic. Once the subject was solidified, we then focused on how to incorporate technology into the fine arts, and through Alyssa Wilson's experience at Leavenworth High School and Jack Mitchell's experience with the UCLA Marching Band, we discovered that there was potential to introduce iPads into the Fine Arts classrooms to greatly enhance the student experience as well as make education more sustainable.