Newsletter May 2019

Welcome to The May 2019 Edition of the Official Alumni Newsletter, where we connect you with news and updates from The National Alumni Association of The Cincinnati School for Creative and Performing Arts.

ALUMNI BRAVO!

‘The Official Alumni Newsletter, where we connect you with news and updates from The National Alumni Association of The Cincinnati School for Creative and Performing Arts.’

May 2019

OUR ALUMNI TEAM WORKS HARD!

Our Association is dedicated to giving back and celebrating SCPA and it’s students! We truly have a creative and diverse group of board members, committee members, and alumni volunteers who help us get the job done, 24/7 365 days a year! Here’s a slight sneak peak of what we’ve been up to behind the scenes! We can’t wait to show our Alumni family some of the things we are working on and can come together to create!! There are plenty of opportunities to get involved to come!

ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT SURVEY

SCPA Alumni,

We want to hear from our Alumni family about how we can better ourselves as an organization! Please take the time to fill out this short engagement survey below!

Link to survey: 
https://forms.gle/aPvBqQimtxZfKPAu8

This survey is about your involvement with our SCPA Alumni Association. Please read and answer the questions with honest feedback so our Alumni Board can serve you better based on the data you provide.  All submitted answers are completely anonymous and will not be shared outside of the Alumni Board of Directors and it’s Committees. Please feel free to share your thoughts.

We are excited to hear back from our Alumni community and look forward to using your responses to serve you better in the future.

Sincerely,

National Alumni Association of the Cincinnati
School for Creative & Performing Arts (NAAcSCPA)

ALL CLASSES INVITED TO OUR
2019 ANNUAL ALUMNI FAMILY & FRIENDS PICNIC! 

Summer Time is upon us and so is the chance to connect with the various generations of our Alumni Family! Join us for our Annual Alumni Family and Friends Picnic! 

Food, Drinks, Games, Raffles, and Alumni Gear  will be provided on July 21st 12:30pm – 6pm. Lunken Airport Playground at the Spirit of 76′ Shelter! 

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and scpaalumni.org

STAY TUNED FOR OUR JUNE ISSUE OF THE ALUMNI BRAVO NEWSLETTER! 

TO CELEBRATE ALL THINGS CLASS OF 2019!

COMING SOON!

Are you ready to show your SCPA Alumni pride? It’s still in the works!
Make sure you follow the SCPA Alumni Association on all social media platforms for the announcement of when and where you can purchase our new alumni merchandise!
ALUMNI MAY SPOTLIGHT: BETHANY HERTZIG
This months alumni spotlight goes out to SCPA Class of 1982 Alumni, Bethany Hertzig!

As the 2019 school year comes to an end, Bethany will be making SCPA history! She will become the first person to graduate and retire from SCPA.  Dedicating 30+ years of her career to Cincinnati Public Schools; her first teaching assignment was 2nd Grade at Roselawn Condon School. The remainder of her teaching career has been teaching 3rd grade at Schiel Primary School for the Ars and The School for Creative and Performing Arts! Bethany has been an amazing asset to the Cincinnati School for Creative and Performing Arts and along with her brother David (also an Alum) helped revive the SCPA Alumni Association from 2015-2017.

Bethany Hertzig and her dedication to SCPA and it’s mission to produce students of both academic and artistic success has been unmatched and our Alumni family wishes her luck on the next chapter of her life!


ALUMNI HAPPENINGS!
Supporting SCPA Alumni personal Events, Shows, Busineess, Films and Music.
Submit your “Alumni Happening” to info@scpaalumni.org.

We’d love to shine a light on SCPA alum Neel McNeil. Neel was spotlighted in last week’s Chicago Tribune, having earned a $1.6 million grant to build a new theater space for the Definition Theatre, where she serves as Executive Director.

Click the link to read all about it: 
https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/ct-ott-definition-theatre-new-home-south-side-0510-story.html?fbclid=IwAR33pVPLM3RS4YvAz14VKob51wJ3ojyjGORxQV-xkD_ADwPTjGMZylTGi_0
Come out and support Class of 2013 Grad and NBC’s The Voice Alum Tyshawn Colquitt as he hosts an Open Mic at Riverfront Live! 

Click this link to hear Tyshawn sing on NBC’s The Voice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCpCKX0NNbs
Make sure you catch 2015 Alum Maliyah Gramata. She will be performing on stage in Cincinnati – at the Ensemble Theatre, in The Wolves. Showing June 1-29
Congratulations to SCPA Alum Robbie Todd on being a 2019 Legends Ball the honoree! 

This was an amazing weekend of gospel music. Fred Hammond was the headliner for the opening concert and Robbie was also the co-host of the event!
Congrats to SCPA Alumn Mikayla Renfrow for a wonderful performance in Childrens Theaters production of Sleeping Beauty! 

The show ran at the Taft Theater from April 27th – May 5th 2019
CLASS REUNIONS!

CLASS OF 1982 (37 years)
Destination Reunion in San Diego, CA! 
June 27-30, 2019
Click the link for more info!
https://www.facebook.com/events/2330601610298161/

CLASS OF 1984 (35 Years) Cincinnati,OH 
Friday, July 5, 2019 at 8 PM – 12 AM
Cost is $15 per person
  Quality Hotel Conference Center Cincinnati Blue Ash (5901 Pfeiffer Road, Cincinnati)


ALUMNI CLASS NOTES! COMING SOON!
A New section of the SCPA Alumni newsletter and Website where you can submit your various life updates and keep your fellow peers engaged with your life today!

Have you recently….

Got Married?
Given Birth?
Opened a new business venture?
Been featured in the media?
Been casted in a show?
Won an award? 
Celebrated a milestone?
Released a new album or song?
Created a video?
Retired? 

To submit your Class Note click the link here: https://forms.gle/nERgzeNDRJqqrxmD6


SCPA NEWS AND EVENTS!
Supporting SCPA and all the current events and achivements made by Students and Staff in Arts and Academics 

SCPA WINS ARTS SCHOOL NETWORK INNOVATION AWARD!

FROM THE DESK OF THE SCPA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR


The Arts Schools Network announced that The School for Creative and Performing Arts is the 2019 Arts Innovation Award winner. SCPA is being nationally recognized for our innovative program/approach to career development for our students. MALITA (Making A Living In The Arts) is a one-of-a-kind career development program designed to: help shape our students’ professional identities as artists; prepare them to successfully navigate their transition to college; and, position them for a successful career in arts. It builds on the work that our amazing teachers are doing, helping students take their artistic talents out, into the world.

Given our desire to continuously improve student learning outcomes and position our students for success post-SCPA, and the opportunity to leverage relationships like our existing partnership with the Cincinnati Opera, and specifically, Evens Mirageas– we launched the program/pilot this past year. Evans Mirageas, The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director of Cincinnati Opera served as the lead facilitator and convener of MALITA, along with SCPA’s Artistic Director, Angela Powell Walker. Together, they created a learning environment, much like a maker space: a place in which our students could share their curiosity, especially about their futures as artists; and, gather to share ideas and knowledge with local and nationally renowned arts leaders. Together, they worked on the central question: How do I make a living in the arts? Literally, students were afforded an opportunity to imagine and invent their career identities, nurturing their nascent possibilities.

SCPA is being recognized with the Arts Schools Network’s 2019 Arts Innovation Award for our efforts to change the narrative of ‘starving artists’, so that our students can rather, develop their professional identity as a ‘thriving artist’.

SCPA STUDENTS PERFORM WITH BLACK VIOLIN

In April, SCPA students had the opportunity to perform live with popular Hip-Hop/Classical Violin Duo, Black Violin. 

Black Violin is a talented group comprising of two classically trained instrumentalist, Kevin Sylveter and Wilme Baptiste, who go by the stage names Kev Marcus and Wil B.  Kev Marcus plays the Violin and Wil B plays the Viola.  The two met in high school, went to different colleges, then late reconvened to create the musical group Black Violin.  They play a variety of music, but are best known for experimenting with the genre of hip-hop using stringed instruments.


“Black Violin sounded amazing by themselves but the performance was applified when I saw SCPA Orcestra members join them on the stage at Music Hall.” SCPA staff members raved.

Black Violin has shared stages with top names including Kanye West, Aerosmith and Tom Petty, and has creatively collaborated with the likes of Wu-Tang Clan, Wyclef Jean and Alicia Keys.

SCPA DRAMA ENSAMBLE NOMINATED FOR CAPPIES AWARDS!

The Cappies of Greater Cincinnati recently announced this year’s nominations, and SCPA’s Drama Ensemble earned 18 nominations!

ALL NOMINATIONS LISTED BELOW!

1. The Play “Clue”  Best Play nomination
2. Lead Actress in a Play – Elaina Baker
3. Lead Actor in a Play – Marta’e McKinney
4. Supporting Actress in a Play – Annalyn Gauger
5. Supporting Actor in a Play – Jacob Walker
6. Featured Actress in a Play – Eva Schramm
7. Featured Actor in a Play – Hassan El-Chelkh
8. Comic Actress in a Play – Janie Nalbandia
9. Comic Actor in a Play – Joe Hamzy
10. Best Ensemble in a Play
11. Stage Management – Emily Muench
12.Costumes – Sofia Aparicio-Gallagher, Janie Nalbandian, Isabella Siska, and Grace Yearout
13. Lighting – Angela Crawford and Crew
14. Props – Jordain Addis, Annalyn Gauger, and Joe Hamzy
15. Sound – Eva Schramm
16. Hair & Make-Up – Elaina Baker; Best Critic Team
17. Best Female Critic – Jane Nalbandian
18. Top Critique – Jane Nalbandian.

View all of the nominations via the link below! 

https://www.cincicap.com/awards?fbclid=IwAR1evsyPiR4RKz9-WbI-QgDgBc_qZsHM5AhwxPmkujoECf0VfwvnVpStXps

SCPA STUDENTS GOT A SPECIAL SCREENING AT A FILM ABOUT AN SCPA HISTORY TEACHER

Harvey Lewis is a high school history teacher at SCPA who is known internationally for something other than teaching. 

Mr. Lewis is also a professional ultra-runner. Known all around the world for running races all over. He’s most known for winning The 135-mile 
Badwater Ultramarathon. Badwater is touted as the World’s Toughest Race, a non-stop race beginning at Badwater, Death Valley, and ending at the Mt. Whitney Portal. The race features non-stop running through extreme elevation climbs (17,000’ cumulative vertical ascent), 100 °F temperatures during the day, cooler temperatures at night, and what many would consider adverse overall conditions. Lewis completed the race in under 24 hours in July of 2014.

If you thought that was impressive, Mr. Lewis recently in association with Road-id starred in a film called Like Harvey, Like Son. SCPA Students got a private screening this past month.

The movie follows Harvey Lewis and his 78-year-old 
father-turned-crewchief as they navigate remote wilderness and unpredictable weather on their 2,190 mile journey to the top of Mount Katahdin and the entire Appalachian Trail. It took the Lewis men less than 50 days to run the trail from Georgia to Maine.

Harvey is always teaching his students the importance of healthy living and exercising. Mr. Lewis has developed a vegetarian club that meets every couple weeks in his classroom to have veggie inspired lunches. He also has created a running club for high schoolers that run around the city after school and participate in races like the flying pig marathon. He also helps train K-3 students in the after school program for the kids flying pig marathon. Every year Harvey conducts the annual Blood Drive at SCPA in honor of 2013 Alumni Yoseph “Yodi” Hawkins. 

If you’d like to see the trailer for Like Harvey, Like Son click the link: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLRhL39Rddo
 

SCPA 5TH GRADERS HAVE BACK STAGE TOUR OF LOCAL 12 NEWS!

5th grade science students got a behind the scenes tour of WKRC – Channel 12 on May 7th, to learn about weather, broadcasting, and video production. They also made it on the 12 o’clock news broadcast – live! What a great example of student learning/SCPA’s dual curriculum in action – arts and academics – from meteorology to live broadcast performance! Thank you Mr. Ciani for making learning come alive!

SCPA MUSIC STUDENTS HAVE MASTER CLASS WITH CSO CONDUCTOR

SCPA Musicians  recently had a master class with the Symphony’s Associate Conductor, Keitaro Harada. SCPA has  created a rich partnership with the CSO that is helping to develop our next generation of artists. Thank you CSO and Keitaro Harada.

CONGRATULATIONS TO TEACHERS, STAFF AND STUDENTS HOSTING A SUCCESSFUL
7th & 8th Grade Dance!

CONGRATS TO THE
33rd ANNUAL CORBETT-MAYERSON AWARD WINNERS


FROM THE CLASS OF 2020

Jalaysia Bell – Drama
Ava Sine – Dance
Annaly Gauger – Vocal Music
Jerry Colbert – Musical Theater
Eve Schramm – Stage Management
Jonah Kolik – Visual Arts
Leah Hartmann – Visual Arts


 

NAACSCPA ANNOUNCEMENTS!

BECOME A MEMBER OF OUR ALUMNI ASSOCIATION!

Click the link now to create a profile on our website, Learn about membership levels, and  officially become a member of the NAAcSCPA!

https://scpaalumni.org/membership/

Submit your SCPA Story!


The SCPA Alumni Association is looking to put out Alumni Stories!  Send us your personal account of How having an arts education influenced your current career.  Submissions can be sent t0 info@scpaalumni.org!

Please include a picture with your submission. Those who submit stories have a chance to be featured in an Alumni Newsletter or other media publication. 

PHOTO AND VIDEO GALLERY

Check out our media library on the scpa alumni website. You can help build our gallery by sending in picture/videos of shows and events of years past so everyone has a chance to look back on our days at SCPA. Send in appropriate media content to info@scpaalumni.org and let us know as much detail and context about the photo as possible.

https://scpaalumni.org/media/

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and scpaalumni.org

SCPA IN MEMORIAM

Want to stay updated on our Alumni and SCPA family that has passed on.  Click the link below!
https://scpaalumni.org/scpa-in-memoriam/

EVENTS, REUNIONS, & SHOWS!

Want to stay updated on our Alumni and SCPA Events in 2019? Check out the link 

https://scpaalumni.org/events/

MISSED THE ANNUAL BOARD MEETING? 

Thats okay! Catch up with us via Facebook Live https://www.facebook.com/hammelrath/videos/10216079270888809/!

HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR ASSOCIATION? 

Email us questions at info@scpaalumni.org or just go to our website and get informed about how our SCPA Alumni Association is operating.
https://scpaalumni.org

LEARN ABOUT OUR PAST/PRESENT SUPPORT FOR SCPA

Click the link to learn all of the different ways the Alumni Association continues to support Artistic and Academic Excellence at SCPA. 

Also take our engagement survey already out on social media platforms and above in the Alumni news section.


https://scpaalumni.org/about/alumni-support-for-scpa/
 

LEARN HOW TO MAKE A DONATION

Click the link to learn all of the different ways you can make a contribution to our Alumni Association. 

https://scpaalumni.org/donations/

If you want to make a donation now. Click the button below!

DONATE TO THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

GET INVOLVED! JOIN A COMMITTEE!

We need your expertise and experience on the committees that will serve as the functioning infrastructure of the Association.We will post those committees for your review and your choice as to how you will be a part of the Association. It is through these committees that the brothers and sisters of our Association will remain connected. 
The committees listed below will not be the only ones available but will provide the foundation for our organization moving forward. If you’d like to join our committees listed below or at https://scpaalumni.org/get-involved/ please email us at info@scpaalumni.org. 

Alumni News!

Want to stay updated on news from the Alumni Association? Or have you missed something we did? We have a page dedicated to keeping you in the loop. 

This issue of the Alumni Bravo has been put together by the Marketing and Communications Committee 
Copyright © 2019 National Alumni Association of the Cincinnati School for Creative & Performing Arts, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
PO Box 40215, Cincinnati, OH 45240-0215

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