A PARENT’S PERSPECTIVE
The Arts at Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) has many Students Arts Showcases available each year for parents and teachers to submit student artwork in art, music, poetry, film, theater, dance, and fashion. In this edition, we are sharing the thoughts and feedback from a parent whose two children have submitted and been recognized in several categories of the arts. Please enjoy reading this parent’s perspective on the value of the arts! 

How did you hear about the various arts contests that RCOE offers?
I found out about the RCOE art contests when searching for pictures related to the 2022–2023 science fair. The RCOE Arts website showcased talented kids and it was uplifting to see the pride they demonstrated in their work.

Why did you decide, as a parent, to assist your children in submitting their work?
My children love the arts, and we thought it would be fun for them to participate. They were also eager to showcase their creativity, so I made sure that their creations were submitted. My eldest was the first to participate in the “Get Your Style On” contest, and it was fun to watch him problem-solve, work within a budget, be creative, recycle, and learn to sew.

Why do you think that the arts are an important part of your children’s education?
As a parent, I think it’s important to allow kids to express themselves artistically because it helps them develop and enhance their motor skills, self-confidence, creativity, problem-solving skills, and attention, which are skills that they need in school and life. Both my kids have ADD/ADHD and art has really helped them with their attention and concentration. I also believe that art has helped them do better
academically and it’s been an outlet for them to express their feelings. Further, art helped my youngest, who is a former Regional Center consumer, develop her fine motor skills and my oldest minimize his anxiety and stress during COVID.

What was it like for your children to receive recognitions from the county for their artmaking?
My children were so proud of themselves, and they felt honored to receive recognition for their hard work. It also boosted their self-esteem and showed them that art, in its many forms, is valued and important to others too. As a parent, I was overjoyed to see them develop their passion for art and to receive recognition for expressing their creativity.

What words of encouragement can you share with other parents who might consider submitting their children’s work next school year?
We as parents can continue to support our children as they grow, shine, and flourish by encouraging them in their artistic endeavors. Art benefits our kids in so many ways, and we are fortunate because the RCOE Arts program is a great platform to showcase our Riverside County kids’ artistic talent, creativity, and ingenuity. The program also offers several contests throughout the year therein there’s several opportunities for your child to be recognized for their artwork. As a parent, I would strongly encourage you to submit your child’s artwork to the RCOE Arts program.
The process is simple and fast and all that’s required is to upload a picture of your child’s creation and submit a one-page entry form.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 1

Innovative approaches for equitable and exciting opportunities in the visual and performing arts for students during school closures from Riverside County Arts leads.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 2

Meridy Volz's "Art with Heart" program at Indio Juvenile Hall was an instant success, and she was determined to continue teaching even as COVID-19 prevented her from entering the facility.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 3

The Our Town Cultural Arts Program brings the cultural arts into elementary school classrooms in the Murrieta Valley Unified School District, engaging students in the traditions and cultures of the citizens who make up our community and the students who sit in our classrooms.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 4

Lady Lead (LL) was founded five years ago by Louisa Higgins, Visual and Performing Arts, and Sarah Scheideman, Artist from Palm Springs Unified School District as a way for middle school girls of promise to interact with female art mentors while doing an arts and crafts project.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 5

Riverside Unified School District's performing arts students join in a partnership project with the community.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 6

In the spring of 2020 the Val Verde Unified School District initiated a Student Quarantine Art Contest, inspired by the Getty Challenge. Students were asked to select a piece of artwork from Google Arts and Culture and re-create it.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 7

The Moreno Valley Unified School District’s Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) program was reinvented in 2015 as an investment for all students and has proven to be an exceptional program with its recent Golden Bell Award designation.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 8

In this month’s edition of Amplifying the Arts, we would like to celebrate the California School Board Association Golden Bell Award received by Murrieta Valley Unified School District’s VAPA program called Horizons Unlimited. 

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 9

Riverside County Office of Education, Visual and Performing Arts, is proud to partner with the McCallum Theatre Education to present its online series.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 10

Riverside County Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) is pleased to partner with Desert X to announce its student and family resources for the 2021 Exhibition.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 11

The Riverside County Office of Education is proud to support Mono County Office of Education (MCOE), which is one of the four collaborative counties in the Region 10 service region of the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA).

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 12

As we start a new school year, RCOE VAPA would like to share several noteworthy arts recognitions in Riverside County from the spring and summer, as well as a few new events just around the corner.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 13

Riverside County Office of Education Visual and Performing Arts partnered with Inlandia Institute to create the inaugural Riverside County Teen Poet Laureate event. 

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 14

In the Spring of 2021, Louisa Higgins, Arts Administrator, and Peggy Burt, Arts
Consultant, began an in-depth study of the new Arts Framework, which was published in 2020.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 15

Riverside County Office of Education Visual and Performing Arts is pleased to partner with the Palm Springs Art Museum to promote their new online program.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 16

RCOE VAPA is partnering with CSSSA to get the word out about their Summer School for the Arts!

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 17

The past two years have seen our share of individual and collective trauma based on the effects of the worldwide pandemic. RCOE VAPA continually strives to make arts trainings available that are topical and relevant. One such offering is “Documenting Trauma Through Comics.”

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 18

Riverside County Office of Education is partnering with The Redlands Symphony to promote this year’s OrKIDstra music education program to you and your students; an original animated video of a performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s immortal Peter and the Wolf.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 19

Louisa Higgins, Arts Administrator and Jeannine Flores, Los Angeles County Office of Education Arts & STEAM Coordinator have just wrapped up their yearlong project on behalf of CCSESA. Their revised unit of the Creativity at the Core Module 12 is entitled Leadership in Arts Education.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 20

Louisa Higgins, Arts Administrator and Jeannine Flores, Los Angeles County Office of Education Arts & STEAM Coordinator have just wrapped up their yearlong project on behalf of CCSESA. Their revised unit of the Creativity at the Core Module 12 is entitled Leadership in Arts Education.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 21

The Arts at Riverside County Office of Education is very pleased to be able to partner with KQED in sharing some free and valuable resources for Riverside County teachers.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 22

Louisa Higgins, Arts Administrator and Jeannine Flores, Los Angeles County Office of Education Arts & STEAM Coordinator have just wrapped up their yearlong project on behalf of CCSESA.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 23

Arts as Life! is very low cost (only $23.00 per teacher/class) and open to all TK–12 teachers, administration, staff, and counselors.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 24

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 26

New for 2023 is the RCOE Get Your Style On Fashion + Art Competition. This contest gave the opportunity to link the worlds of art and fashion through a creation while showing off one’s creativity and design prowess!

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 27

Louisa Higgins, Arts Administrator and Jeannine Flores, Los Angeles County Office of Education Arts & STEAM Coordinator undertook a yearlong project on behalf of the California County Superintendents. Their revised unit of the Creativity at the Core Module 12 is entitled Leadership in Arts Education.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 28

This edition of Amplifying the Arts highlights the RCOE partnership with the Palm
Springs Young Playwrights Festival (PSYPF). PSYPF promotes and encourages theatrical creative writing to all elementary, middle, and high school students within Riverside County.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 29

Each year, The Arts at Riverside County Office of Education holds two competitions that center on poetry; “If I Speak, Will You Listen?” Spoken Word Invitational and the Teen Poet Laureate competition.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 30

In the five years that the Arts at RCOE has been in existence, we have been striving to promote and expand the arts for the over 430,000 students in Riverside County.