A Summer Art Institute for

Teachers & Administrators

June 13, 2023

Hosted by Nevada County Superintendent of Schools at Nevada City School of the Arts

A full day of interactive workshops for inspiration & joy!

Early registration is encouraged as space is limited in each session!

"Arts Integration is the investigation of curricular content through artistic explorations. In this process, the arts provide an avenue for rigorous investigation, representation, expression and reflection of the curricular content and the art form itself."

~Gene Diaz, Lisa Donovan, & Louise Pascale (2006)

The goal of this event is to build the capacity of teachers & administrators to integrate the arts into core curriculum.

Keynote Speaker: Merryl Goldberg

Merryl Goldberg is a Professor of Music at California State University San Marcos and Director of the ART=OPPORTUNITY campaign of Center ARTES, a university center dedicated to restoring arts to education. Her publications include Arts Integration: Teaching Subject Matter Through the Arts in Multicultural Settings 6th edition (2021) as well as other books, articles, chapters, editorials, and blogs. In 2018 she was awarded the Wang Family Excellence Award for Outstanding Faculty Teaching in the CSU (23 campus) systemwide. Merryl serves on the Board of CREATE CA and is Trustee for CSSSA (California State Summer School for the Arts). Merryl’s undergraduate degree is from New England Conservatory of Music, and her Masters and Doctorate are from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. A professional musician herself, Goldberg knows first-hand the powerful role arts play in students’ ability to excel in education, attain better jobs, and become empathetic citizens. Originally from Boston, Goldberg's undergraduate degree is from New England Conservatory of Music and her Masters and Doctorate is from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Go Red Sox!

Featured Workshop Presenter:

Shelly Covert

Shelly Covert is the Spokesperson for the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe. She sits on the Tribal Council and is community outreach liaison. She is also the Executive Director of the non-profit, CHIRP (the California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project), whose mission is to preserve, protect and perpetuate Nisenan Culture. Nisenan Ancestral Homelands are located in the foothills of Northern California. Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribal members are direct, lineal descendants of the original Nisenan families who were here before gold was "discovered" in their waterways, bringing on the gold rush. All Tribal members remain in their Ancestral Homelands today. The Nevada City Rancheria was terminated through an act of Congress in 1964 and their reservation was sold. The Tribe still awaits the reversal of this termination. Learn more at NISENAN.ORG.

Workshop Presenters

[Rachel Martino]

Prior to teaching, Rachel was Program Director at several Girl Scout Camps over the course of 7 years, providing her ample experience in working with age groups 5-17 in creative programming, management, and mentorship. Now, she teaches Kindergarten at Nevada City School of the Arts, where she was able to redesign the core curriculum into arts integrated and common core centered units. Inspired by her love of theater and music, she wrote a new Kindergarten Musical last year and is now teaching Middle School Theater as well. In addition to teaching full time, she is currently in the process of obtaining her Master's degree in Educational Psychology. She hopes to improve her practice in reaching and teaching, at-risk and high need students, through a developmentally appropriate, SEL focused, and engaging environment.

[Steve Hansen]

This year marks Steve's 30th year in the Nevada Joint High School District. Most of his time in the district has been in the English classroom, but his TOSA work included standards implementation, state testing, and curriculum support. He has worked with NCSOS as a County Coach in the curricular areas of history and English, and has done extensive work in the area of Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS). Steve has also worked with the county in the area of Improvement Science, specifically as that science is applied to Differentiated Assistance. The past few years, he has been working in the area of Restorative Practices, and as the RP Coordinator for his district, he trains staff, promotes relationships and community-building on campuses in the district, and co-coordinate RAYS (Restorative Accountable Youth Solutions), the alternative to suspension program.

[Andrea Conte]

Andrea was born in Cordoba, Argentina, and begun her career in Visual arts after attending the Universidad Nacional De Cordoba, wherer she received a degree in Graphic Design from the Colegio Nacional de Monserrat. Later on she moved to the U.S. and graduated Summa Cum Laude at CSU Chico with a B.A. in Art Education in 2003. She received her teaching credential and a Master of Arts in Education from Chapman University in Sacramento in 2005. Andrea has taught Visual Arts at both the elementary and High School level for almost 20 years now. She has traveled extensively, and participated in several long term workshops.

[Samantha Jones]

Over the last 20+ years Samantha Jones and has been been an elementary classroom teacher (TK, Kinder, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grades), a 1st-6th grade science teacher, and is currently an art teacher at Nevada City School of the Arts. Samantha holds a California Art credential and a Multiple Subject credential with a supplementary authorization in science. She is a sketchbook artist and especially loves teaching drawing.

[Kimberly Ewing]

Kimberly is an educator (since 2000), specializing in Arts Integration. She is also a local performing artist: dancer, broadcaster, actor, singer, and is part of an all-female comedy improv group, MenoPosse. Kim recently received the Dr. Leland & Sally Lewis Performing Arts Award 2023 from Nevada City Chamber of Commerce for her community work in the performing arts.

[Sandra Rockman]

Sandra has been active in local theatre as an actor, director, playwright, and teacher of theatre arts since 1978. She has also been using focused improvisation/theatre arts tools to assist local organizations such as Nevada County Environmental Health, InConcert Sierra, and Nevada County Community Leadership Institute in developing better communication and teamwork.

[Becky Browning]

Becky teaches full time Musical Theater at Lyman Gilmore Middle School. In the past 9 years, the program has grown to over 100 students. They stage two productions a year, participate in festivals, host numerous educational field trips and other arts related activities for our students. She has taught drama, dance and singing for the past 18 years in the elementary, middle school and high school levels. Becky has her BA in Musical Theater and her single subject credential in English and History. She also currently serves a a board member for the California Educational Theatre Association.

[Eileen Blodgett]

Eileen holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Art Education and a master's degree in Educational Technology. She has supervised programs for delinquent teenagers in San Francisco and taught ESL in Japan and California. She has trained teachers with World Learning for USAID funded program for the first high school exchange students from the former Soviet Union’s 14 Newly Independent States. She has served as Chair of the Art Department and ESL Department of Lassen College. Eileen is an Art Instructor for Nevada City Schools and developed curriculum and taught for

NCSOS' Artists in Schools Program. She is currently a private Art Instructor in Nevada County in the areas of Painting, Drawing, Printmaking, & Mixed Media.

[Meghan Salter]

From 2003-2021, Meghan Salter taught ELA, social studies, drama, art, technology, and study skills to sixth through eighth grade students at Union Hill Middle School. She minored in art history and has a supplementary authorization to teach Introductory Art. From 2021-23 in the role of SEL TOSA, Salter supported implementation of the CalHOPE grant, working with teams to strengthen Tier 1 Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) strategies at sites throughout Nevada County. With a Master of Arts in Education (Curriculum and Instruction) and a thesis project focused on the adolescent brain, Salter is passionate about connections between education and neurosciences. This informs her work with SEL and the Nevada County Network Improvement Community Universal Design for Learning (UDL) project. Salter sees arts integration as critical in engaging all students and developing the whole child.

[Lily Gicker]

Lily has been a high school teacher in Nevada County for 15 years. Her passion is alternative education, and she has taught at the juvenile hall, Earle Jamieson, and is currently at Silver Springs, where she teaches art and English.