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. Murrieta Valley USD joins Moreno Valley USD (showcased last month) as a Riverside County school district winner of this prestigious award.

In case you aren’t familiar with the Golden Bell Awards, they are intended to promote excellence in education and school board governance by recognizing outstanding programs and governance practices of school boards in districts and county offices of education throughout California. Golden Bell Awards reflect the depth and breadth of education programs and governance decisions supporting these programs that are necessary to address students’ changing needs. 

The Horizons Unlimited arts program, which is operating in all Murrieta Valley USD elementary schools, focuses on bringing equitable arts opportunities into elementary classrooms and exposing students to a diversity of genres in the arts. Early exposure increases developmental potential and benefits students for the rest of their lives. The program creates a safe space for students to explore their talents and build their confidence under the direction of a professional teaching artist. The program provides a unique approach to teaching cultural awareness and empathy.

For more questions about this innovative and award-winning program, please contact Carol Hernandez, Arts Coordinator, Murrieta Valley USD, at chernandez@murrieta.k12.ca.us.

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.