Lady Lead (LL) was founded five years ago, by Louisa Higgins, Administrator, Visual and Performing Arts, and Sarah Scheideman, Artist from Palm Springs Unified School District. It was created as a way for middle school girls of promise to interact with female art mentors while doing an arts and crafts project. The girls sit together at a community art table while doing the art project to facilitate the feeling of being at home, or friend’s home, and chatting. The goal of Lady Lead is to improve the girls’ grades, attendance, or behavior – because they feel more engaged with school. The seventh grade girls currently in the program at each middle school were in the program last year as sixth graders. The hope is to add a new cohort of sixth grade girls at each of the six middle schools once the artists can attend campuses again as it is important when starting with a new cohort to have a face-to-face connection.

This semester Lady Lead is still going strong, virtually of course. The students will meet with Lady Lead Artists Sarah Scheideman and Katrina Dippner once per month September through December. In their school cohort they will do a different arts and craft project each month. The artists have made these fun projects meaningful and helpful related to COVID and Distance Learning. This semester they will have also added a new component, Check-in Fridays. The girls from the different middle schools can Zoom in with Sarah and Katrina either 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. or 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. and talk. It is unstructured time where the girls can talk about whatever they want from what is going on in their lives to girlie stuff like fashion and beauty. It is also a time the girls can ask questions about their craft project or show other projects they have created.

You can check-out the Lady Lead’s Instagram channel @LadyLead. The program administrator is Barbara Anglin

SEPTEMBER 2020

• Theme: Creating/Building Your Safe Space // INNER WORK.
• Craft Project: Make a Safe Space for your Desk Area.
• Workshop: Your Social Nucleus Workshop + Show and Tell (art projects).

OCTOBER 2020

• Theme: Self-Care // REFLECTION + HEALING.
• Craft Project: Self-Care Journal that we will reference throughout the year.
• Workshop: Positive affirmations about yourself collage + Show and Tell (art projects).

NOVEMBER 2020

• Theme: Creating Strong Woman Bonds through Pen Pals // SHARING AND LOVING OTHERS.
• Craft Project: Give something to someone else that you would want… pen pal program.
• Workshop: What do you seek in friendship? Creating authentic connections at a distance + Show and Tell (art projects).

DECEMBER 2020

• Theme: Celebrating a Journey of Self-Care // SELF LOVE.
• Craft Project: Face Mask Zoom Party! Sharing stories about self-love, pen pals, year reflections and resolutions for next year.
• Workshop: Show and Tell art and self-care – 5 tips and tricks… nail designs, hair designs, styling, getting ready for holiday season and how to present yourself.

Amplifying Arts Flyer Volume 4

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.