ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A pilot program offering classes in several arts-related subjects is starting next week at Trexler Middle School in Allentown.
It’s an initiative of the Fine Feather Foundation, a nonprofit headed by Andrene Brown Nowell, who is also an Allentown school board director. The group offers art-based afterschool and summer activities to at-risk youth.
- Fine Feather Foundation is piloting an arts program at Trexler Middle School
- It will offer classes in courses like podcasting, modern dance and music production
- Arts programs have declined in the school district over several years due to budget deficits
Rome Neely, the community school coordinator for Trexler said many art classes in the district have vanished over the years, exacerbated by the pandemic. While officials with the Allentown School District argue it offers plenty of afterschool programming, some community members said there’s a need for more after-school programs that appeal more broadly to today’s students.
“Our students here in the Allentown School District, they find it much easier to communicate with adults and with one another through the expression of music and through art,” Neely said.
“Once these programs were starting to fade away, you saw the problems that started to exist because now our students had no way of interacting with us.”
Future-focused art classes
Nowell said she’s on a mission to get arts back into the city’s schools. She said she’s focused on incorporating arts into afterschool programming until she can get art integrated back into the regular school day.
“And not just the general art program that we normally know the schools to have, but more futuristic art programs,” she said. “Art programs that our students are interested in, that they can make a career out of, and just to engage our students so they can use both sides of their brains.”
There are seven courses kids in the pilot are able to choose from, such as podcasting, film production, music production, poetry, modern dance and digital art. The programs from Fine Feather are not typical of the activities the school district offers, Nowell said. They’re unique to her organization. She said she met with families and did surveys to discover the type of classes students were interested in.
“We have made sure that whatever we provide the students is something that they are interested in,” she said. “And it’s art that’s preparing them for the future as well.”
“Once these programs were starting to fade away, you saw the problems that started to exist because now our students had no way of interacting with us.”Rome Neely, community school coordinator for Trexler Middle School
Art and music classes have been axed over the years due to budget woes, Neely said. Music, art, gym classes and library time were significantly cut starting in 2011 because of financial strains. By 2015, 400 positions in the district had been eliminated. That year, the school board restored 20 arts-related positions.
“Then of course when COVID hit, [arts classes] really went away a lot and the kids really struggled with social skills,” Neely said. “So, there are classes still in place in certain areas of the district. However, it’s not as strong as it used to be.”
Other after-school programs
District officials cite the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community grant program as offering enrichment opportunities for kids.
All but two Allentown schools have after-school programming through 21st Century. It provides homework help, tutoring and some activities, such as hip-hop dance, art and music.
David George, project manager of 21st Century, said more of the fun activities the program offers are found at the elementary school level. He said that's because the focus for more advanced grade levels is on helping students pass their classes, advance to the next grade and graduate high school.
George said there’s room for 2,169 students in the 21st Century program. The elementary programs are full and some of the middle school and high school programs are filled. But attendance can vary and it’s not required to participate.
“On a Monday in our high schools, our students might not have the best participation because it’s the first day after a weekend, but if you look like Wednesday and Thursday you know before the Friday tests and quizzes come along, you see all of a sudden there might be 10 kids on Monday, 15 on Tuesday; Wednesday-Thursday 40 each. You wonder why? Well, because they want help passing their tests.”
Imani Pineda is 10 years old and attends the 21st Century. Pineda said the best thing about the after-school program is that “it gives me good food, it treats me good, it helps me learn.”
A call for more options
Dieruff High School Principal Michael Makhoul said recently the city needs more after-school programs for Allentown kids. He said the school district offers a variety of sports activities, dozens of clubs and also tutoring. But recreational youth programs offered by nonprofit groups in the community have declined over the years.
“It benefits, of course, the schools because kids who can start off in sports at a younger age learned a lot of the different soft skills that they bring with them into the schools,” he said. “I’m sure you know the benefits of being a part of an athletic team or group or club or organization or something that teaches you teamwork and gives you that structure and that prosocial development.”
Neely said 21st Century does a great job, but agreed with Makhoul that more after-school programs are needed. He said organizations like Fine Feather and Community Action Lehigh Valley, a nonprofit aiming to target poverty in the community, are supplying arts programs to other schools throughout the district for free.
The Fine Feather pilot starts March 14 and runs through May 19. Each class holds 30 students. So far 170 kids have registered for the classes.
