ASA’s 25th Anniversary
A Look Back with an Eye to the Future
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Welcome to the inaugural issue of the Arizona School for the Arts alumni newsletter, ASA Alumni Pigeon Post.
I am so excited to launch our new quarterly newsletter, designed especially for you, our alumni. Through these regular issues, we hope to keep connected with you, expand our alumni network, share our plans and aspirations, and take some nostalgic looks into the past.
Anniversaries, particularly milestone anniversaries, have the automatic effect of making one reflect on what has been. In many ways, you and ASA have grown up together. Just as you were shaped by your time with us, ASA as an institution was shaped by you. We could not allow our twenty-fifth anniversary to pass by without taking the opportunity to reach out to ASA’s legacy, our alumni.
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25 Years of Inspiring
Creative Thinkers and Leaders
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Arizona School for the Arts will celebrate a vision for the future by looking back and highlighting 25 of the thousands of student who have turned their tassels as ASA graduates in our first 25 years! Visit goasa.org/alumni for more alumni features and updates.
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CAMERON AMANDUS
Class of 2012
“The diverse background that I had from ASA gave me experience in the arts that so few people received at that point, as well as a solid academic background that encouraged hard work and out of the box thinking.”
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MEGAN QUINN
Class of 2005
“I felt that creative and critical thinking was the foundation of all our classes, not just the arts, so it became part of the way we experienced and thought about the world and interacted with others, much to our benefit.’’
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Jesús López
Class of 2018
Honorary Alumni Member
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Alumni find many ways to remain connected to the school. One special way is filling the role of the Honorary Alumni Member on the Arizona School for the Arts Board of Directors. It is a two-year term filled by an alumnus or alumna who applies, and is screened and voted into the position by the Board.
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The Equity Group
During a conversation with students a few years ago, Social Studies Chair, Ricky Livoni and Kim Brown, 11th Grade History Teacher, discovered that there were certain aspects of Arizona School for the Arts that made students of color and other marginalized groups of students feel unsafe. Having worked together on projects such as the Black History Museum and Inclusivity Day, Mr. Livoni and Ms. Brown thought it would be advantageous to their coworkers at ASA to host a discussion about equity issues as they related to the school community.
During the discussion last year, 7th Grade Academic Team Leader and 7th - 8th Grade Piano teacher, Aiko Mancini, brought a middle school and arts perspective to the discussion, “I honestly don't remember when I had that ‘aha, this is vital work!’ moment -- it's been a long process of learning about my own positionality and the work I personally need to do to be anti-racist,” Ms. Mancini shared, “[I] felt very strongly that this work needed to be something that the whole staff at ASA needed to be doing, that we needed to be listening to our students and families of color, and that if I wanted this to happen, I needed to step up and get involved.”
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Get Involved
You know what it’s like to get settled in at the beginning of a new school year at Arizona School for the Arts, but a very unusual year has gotten underway for our students. Many of the connections they make will be online at least through the end of the semester, so a wonderful way you can share words of advice and encouragement is through our social media outlets.
Want to share with the kids an inspirational piece of music via a video on Instagram? Do you have some sage advice in 240 characters or fewer to Tweet? Post a poem on our Facebook page! While you’re there check out all the fantastic posts from our students creating art at home and give them a round of applause. You can give their days a little lift from wherever you are, just click a link below to get started:
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Keep in Touch
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.
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Arizona Public School Tax Credits Make A Difference for You and ASA Students! |
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Help support Arizona School for the Arts by making your donation online now. Arizona residents have a great option available to make a donation to ASA with the Public School Tax Credit. 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 dollar-for-dollar tax credit on that year’s state tax return. You do not need to have a child attending ASA to use this great benefit; it is open to all Arizona taxpayers!
The funds collected through Tax Credits benefit extracurricular clubs and activities, life skills class, and college counseling. For more information, you may send your questions to alumni@goasa.org. Full details of how the tax credit works as provided by the Arizona Department of Revenue can be found here.
Just Three Simple Steps for A Brighter Future!
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STEP 1: CLICK HERE to make your secure donation online.
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STEP 2: File your AZ taxes and claim the credit on Tax Form 322 HERE.
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STEP 3: Receive your dollar-for-dollar tax credit on your Arizona state taxes!
Consult your tax advisor for details and advice on your specific situation.
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As a non-profit charter school, Arizona School for the Arts receives operational funds from the State of Arizona, but did you know that the first-class arts education that you received and ASA still continues to provide is not fully covered by these funds? The school makes up the shortfall through private donations contributed by the ASA community in great and small ways.
You could become an ASA donor just by registering and shopping! With a few easy steps to set-up your participation in these rewards programs you can make your purchases count with donations to Arizona School for the Arts:
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Visit smile.amazon.com and link Arizona School for the Arts to your Amazon account. Shop on AmazonSmile and the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to ASA.
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Register ASA’s NPO #83762 or Arizona School for the Arts with your Fry’s Rewards card online at fryscommunityrewards.com to earn money for ASA every time you shop.
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The new and improved Box Tops mobile app scans your store receipt, finds participating products, and instantly adds Box Tops to earn cash for ASA. Visit boxtops4education.com and get started today.
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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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© 2020 Arizona School for the Arts |
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