It seems like 2022 flew by like a pigeon headed for the ASA courtyard at lunch! I have been so excited to hear about the adventures and endeavors many of you or your families and friends have shared with me. Traveling so many paths, ASA alumni span a breadth of accomplishments that never cease to amaze me. Congratulations and keep on sharing the good news! Special thanks to those of you who have stopped by to say hello or attended career day last year.
Improving communication continues to be one of ASA’s main priorities, and in this release of The Pigeon Post, we have linked the 3rd edition of The Bridge created by our Core Equity Team (CET). It is a publication designed to be one of the communication links between students, faculty, and administration. This issue introduces this year’s CET, our priority initiatives, and some student news.
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We are also sharing a revised Equity Statement developed collaboratively by members of the Core Equity Team, faculty, students, administration, and adopted by the Board of Directors. I hope you will take a moment to read this edition of The Bridge and follow the link to our updated DE&I webpage. We are also celebrating the inaugural edition of The Red and The Black - a newspaper written by and for the students of ASA . Finally, it is not too early to save the date for Showcase on June 1, 2023, once again at the Phoenix Arts Museum (special discount tickets are available for you).
I hope you will stay connected with ASA this year - and share this newsletter so we can reconnect with more of our alumni. Wishing all of you a joyful and fulfilling 2023, and hoping to see you in person or on our social media pages.
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Leah Fregulia
CEO/HEAD OF SCHOOL
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Whatever happened to Taylor Upsahl? You might’ve studied choir or piano or guitar with her. Maybe you went to her first show at the Salty Senorita when she was a freshman…did anything ever come of that? These days she is simply UPSAHL, and if you have been paying attention to alternative music coming out of L.A., then you know something tremendous did.
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After experiencing success in the Phoenix music scene while still in school with the releases of Viscerotonic and Unfamiliar Light, UPSAHL moved to Los Angeles in 2018 and was the first artist signed by the relaunched Arista Records, a subsidiary of Sony, that same year. Her strong musicianship and clever, unabashed lyrics have built an ever-increasing fan base with the release of each standalone single and EP, culminating in People magazine placing her in their 2022 emerging artists gallery on the heels of the Lady Jesus album launch.
Don’t wonder how her unique brand of electro-vibed, alternative pop translates in a live show, check out This is My First Live Album or go see a show when she is near you. Capping off her first headline tour with an exhilarating appearance at the ZONA Music Festival 2022 on December 4th, her strong vocals and rock edge carried her songs from the studio to the stage and added a new dimension to her singles. The crowd was enthusiastic to welcome UPSAHL home from a tour that made strategic appearances around the US and Canada, Australia and then Europe from September through late November. Remembering her roots, she made a callout from the stage at Hance Park to Arizona School for the Arts!
UPSAHL told Phoenix.org in September: “I started going to the Arizona School for the Arts when I was 10 years old, I graduated high school there. Every morning we’d do our academics, and after lunch we would just have arts classes all day long. It was great to be surrounded by a bunch of people who were studying dance, theater or music. It was a very supportive place to grow.”
We are so proud of UPSAHL’s growth beyond ASA and want to see where her latest musical endeavor, Sagittarius, takes her. She told Rolling Stone in last week’s issue, “I genuinely feel like I found the happiest version of myself this year, so I can’t wait to build off of that in the next year.”
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Spencer Dennis, 2013, performed in Ten Tiny Dances at Taliesin West in March.
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Scott Fitsimones, 2015, spoke about his vision for decentralized autonomous organizations building the next great city at TED2022 in April.
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Jessica (Hernandez) Wooley, 2013, became ASA’s 5th grade Life Skills teacher. She and her husband Cody also added to their family with the birth of their son, Nash Maverick Wooley, on April 17th. Ms. Bledsoe is a very proud Bambom.
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Mark Jacobson, 2007, had two great acting gigs in November, appearing as Gabe Kaplan in the first episode of Hulu’s Welcome to Chippendales and The 12 Days of Christmas Eve on Lifetime with Kelsey Grammer and Spencer Grammer.
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Chase Klein, 2022, (pictured above) made a special guest appearance at ASA’s Holiday Spectacular Band Concert on Wednesday! He played with a school class on the last song at the last session. Special thanks to all of our alumni who popped over to campus to say hello and share some cheer.
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Drop us a line and let us know what you are up to, we would love to hear about it. Click here to submit an Alumni Note or send an email to alumni@goasa.org.
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New Directions
The past couple of years have been ones of growth and change for ASA from the ongoing restructure of the bandshell area to the restructure of the administration team going from a two Vice Principal to a three Dean -- Dean of Arts, a Dean of Academics and a Dean of Students -- platform to better support our students. We have learned a great deal through feedback channels offered to all of our stakeholders and continue the progress of making Arizona School for the Arts a safe and positive creative learning environment.
Since 2020, a lot of our collective work has been focused in the area of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. With the help of some outside experts ASA was able to put together an action plan that included practical education for our faculty and staff, devising an Equity Statement and forming a Core Equity Team (CET) composed of members of the Board, Administration, faculty, student body and parent community. Over the past semester, the CET has worked assiduously on revising the ASA Equity Statement, updating the DE&I page on our website, and keeping us all apprised of their doings in The Bridge. We hope you will take a look at all of the great work they are doing!
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As an alum of Arizona School for the Arts, you know firsthand the benefits of the arts + smarts education you received here, and as a public charter school, the funds we receive from the State do not entirely cover the first-rate college preparatory program informed by the performing arts that we provide.
Our dynamic Development Team comprised of Leslie Religioso, Development and Marketing Director and Min Skivington, Donor Relations and Marketing Manager, have managed to create opportunities for our community to contribute to the ASA mission in several great ways.
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Their primary focus as the calendar year ends and tax season begins is the Public School Tax Credit for Arizona residents. Single taxpayers may donate up to $200 and married taxpayers filing jointly may donate up to $400 to the school of their choice and the taxpayer will receive a matching tax credit on that year’s tax return. You do not need to have a child attending ASA to use this great benefit; it is open to all Arizona taxpayers. Full details of how the tax credit works as provided by the Arizona Department of Revenue, and if you wish to participate and make your one-time donation to Arizona School for the Arts, you can do so through our website. The funds collected from Tax Credits benefit extracurricular clubs and activities, and Life Skills classes.
They have also instituted the Year-End "Mini-Challenge" for the Annual Fund. The goal is to reach $450,000 BY DECEMBER 31, 2022! No amount is too small to help us reach this milestone because these funds are essential to funding our arts programs. Donations can be made on the Annual Fund page on our website where you can also find information about dedicating your donation or discovering if your employer makes matching contributions.
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Thank you for giving back to ASA! |
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In each Pigeon Post issue we feature some of the extraordinary people who have attended and graduated from Arizona School for the Arts, but this is just a tiny fraction of the creative, innovative, diverse and marvelous young people who have shaped ASA as much as we have shaped you.
Two years ago we began a new tradition with the Alumni Award Honorees. We are now looking for nominees for the 2023 Showcase and we want your suggestions. Who knows our alumni better than the alumni themselves?
There are two categories:
The Distinguished Alum Award Honoree will be someone who graduated from ASA ten or more years ago.
The Rising Star Alum Award Honoree will be a graduate of less than ten years.
You are welcome to nominate in either or both categories using this form. Nominations can be funny, heartfelt, concise, or any combination thereof but please let us know why your selection manifests the core values of ASA in their daily life. The nomination period will end at close of business on March 24, 2023, after which they will be vetted by a selection committee and then the final nominations will go to the judging panel. Both groups will be made up of long-term staff and faculty with a knowledge of our students.
Please participate and stay tuned to see if your nominee becomes one of our Honorees at the 2023 Showcase!
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STAY INFORMED: If you have classmates with whom you are in touch but we may not be, please forward this newsletter to them and let them know we would like to hear from them! Sign-up to join our alumni mailing list via the Alumni Connection Links at goasa.org/alumni.
JOIN THE ASA PARENT ALUM FACEBOOK GROUP: This group is for parents or caregivers of Arizona School for the Arts alumni only and is not open to student alumni (unless they are now parents of alumni), current ASA students, or other relatives of ASA alumni. Join now!
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Arizona School for the Arts inspires creative thinkers and leaders through providing an innovative concentration in college preparation informed by the performing arts. |
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© 2021 Arizona School for the Arts |
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