This issue is packed with stories and opportunities from across New Jersey's arts education community. We are sitting down with visual art teacher Tracy Kovacsofsky, who has been part of building one of the most beloved K–12 art shows in her district at Chatham Middle School, and sharing news of a free dance workshop in Summit, a TEDx event featuring arts education voices at Shore Regional High School in West Long Branch, and an upcoming advocacy day in Trenton. Plus, students and schools making headlines in the news. Read on for all of it.
This month, we're spotlighting Tracy Kovacsofsky, a visual art teacher at Chatham Middle School in Morris County who has spent all 29 years of her teaching career in the same building where she started. In our conversation, Tracy shares how she approaches differentiated instruction, what it took to build a K–12 art show that now draws over 4,000 community members each spring, and what it looks like when students take ownership of their own creative growth.
Shore Regional High School in West Long Branch is hosting its second TEDx event on June 13 at 4 p.m., organized by senior Max Oster. This year's lineup includes student speakers Jemma Harris, a musician and songwriter exploring how sound shapes memory and identity, and Aahana Verma, a youth advocate focused on artificial intelligence policy, as well as Dr. Matthew Zakreski, a clinical psychologist and founder of The Neurodiversity Collective, and Kristina Hill, Executive Leader of Education at Appel Farm Arts and Music Center in New Jersey.
Asbury Park Dance Festival, in partnership with the School of Nimbus Dance: Summit, and with generous support from John and Jody Arnhold, is excited to offer FREE dance workshops, led by acclaimed dance artists and educatorsBrandon Coleman and Anne Souder.These two distinct classes give intermediate and advanced dancers ages 13+ an opportunity to learn from experienced professionals in a fun, supportive environment, explore new movement styles, build technique, and gain confidence.
New Jersey nonprofits are bringing their power to the State House.
On Monday, June 22, nonprofit leaders from across the state will gather in Trenton for NJ Nonprofits Advocacy Day, a day of advocacy, visibility, connection, and shared presence.
NJ Nonprofits Advocacy Day is a chance to step closer to the policy-making process, build relationships, connect with leaders across our sector, and make sure the people doing the work are part of the conversation.
This is not just a day to gather. It is a day to be visible, to be counted, and to stand with colleagues across missions, communities, and regions as one unified voice for New Jersey’s nonprofit sector.
