District 24 recognized for art program

District 24 leaders were recently recognized for their commitment to maintaining a strong art program. The Valley Stream elementary school district was one of two to be recognized with a Special Citation Award by the New York State Art Teachers Association.

The district received the award at NYSATA’s state conference in Tarrytown on Nov. 18. Brooklyn Avenue School Principal Dr. Scott Comis represented District 24 to accept the honor. The only other district to receive the award was Babylon in Suffolk County.

Art teacher Jane Berzner, a past president of NYSATA, nominated District 24 for the award, specifically Superintendent Dr. Edward Fale and the Board of Education. “I wanted to recognize their commitment to art education,” she said. “They’ve always been very supportive. In light of all the cuts that have gone on in education, they have maintained a solid commitment to the visual arts.”

Berzner, one of two art teachers in the district along with Patricia Horowitz, is a past president of NYSATA. She said that District 24’s leaders have been very generous in allowing her to take an active role in the organization. For five years up until this year, Berzner was in charge of preparing the annual art exhibit for the New York School Boards Association conference. Fale and the board gave Berzner the time she needed to prepare the display.

She also said that the district has provided her and Horowitz each with a full-time art aide. That, Berzner explained, affords the art teachers extra time to prepare their lessons and work with their students. “Having the aides has been invaluable to creating a program that is exceptional,” Bernzer said.

Berzner noted that art projects often relate to topics that students are studying in class. It could be about culture or history based on their social studies lesson, or patterns and symmetry which ties into math. “Art is never taught in isolation,” she said. “We’re able to do these kinds of things because of the district’s commitment to us.”

The art teachers are also encouraged to find opportunities to showcase student work through exhibitions and competitions, a directive Berzner said comes from the top. District 24 always sends select pieces for the School Boards Association art show. This year, one student even had their work chosen to become part of the permanent art collection at the New York School Boards Association building in Albany.

Fale said he and Board of Education members have always encouraged participation in various arts shows. With all the emphasis on English and math in schools, he said he doesn’t want other subjects to get lost. “At the local level,” he said, “we have to work even harder to make sure we maintain programs in the visual arts and music.”

He praised the efforts of his two “outstanding” art teachers for their work to maximize the talents of children.

Board of Education President Frank Nuara said that in tough financial times, the arts have become a diminished priority in many schools. “District 24 has proudly maintained its commitment to the arts,” he said. “For a district, we’re really honored to receive the award and receive the recognition.”

That District 24 was chosen for the award came as no surprise to Berzner, who said she also submitted letters from other staff members attesting to the strength of the art program. She hopes that Fale and board members take pride in this recognition. “I think that they’re very proud of what our students have accomplished, that we’re looked to by other districts as a model,” she said. “They do recognize the quality of the program.”