Abacoa & Alton Neighbors January 2021

J a n u a r y 2 0 2 1 | Abacoa &Alton N E I G H B O R S 11 The Middle School of the Arts Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to raise the funding needed to provide Bak Middle School of the Arts with the resources, opportunities, and experiences required for the highest quality arts enriched education. The Foundation strives to meet the needs of the students providing ancillary dollars beyond those provided by the Palm Beach County School District. In addition, the Foundation provides support for Bak’s efforts to promote and expand diversity, cultivates academic and art achievement, and nurtures social-emotional growth, while utilizing a unique arts curriculum. Bak MSOA is a choice performing arts public middle school that serves 1,360 students throughout the County. The diverse student population is over 54% minority and 27% Free and Reduced Lunch. The school’s mission is to empower students to gain the knowledge, skills, and self-confidence needed to reach their potential in the arts, academics, and in life. While admission to Bak is talent based, academically the school is the top middle school in the county and was one of only 25 schools in the nation to earn the 2020 Blue Ribbon of Excellence designation for Exemplary High Performing Schools . Bak is comprised of eight arts disciplines that include Band, Communications, Dance, Piano, Strings, Theatre, Visual Arts, and Vocal. The School provides students the opportunity to learn using professional equipment and training with top-notch arts industry professionals. Given the statewide limitation in educational funding, and the continual cuts of overall arts funding, the MSOA Foundation exists to ensure the preservation of the programs at Bak. The Foundation was organized in 1999 by a group of educational advocates who were faced with the diminishment of arts funding in public middle schools. In 2002, Dora Bak provided a generous $1.5 million gift which led to the creation of an endowment fund to perpetually allow the Foundation to continue its mission. To date, the Middle School of the Arts Foundation has provided over $3.5 million dollars to Bak MSOA. The dollars donated are primarily used to fund the Artist in Residence Program, which underwrites industry specific arts professionals to work with the students throughout the eight disciplines. Area artists are used when possible to keep dollars local, further contributing to Palm Beach County’s arts economy. The Foundation also funds educational technology and art area specific needs, such as cameras, sound equipment, art supplies, and instruments for which dollars are not fully funded in the School’s general budget. As the effects of the COVID pandemic are felt throughout every part of our community, funding for the arts and arts education programs have been the first to suffer. The Middle School of the Arts Foundation’s commitment is stronger than ever, turning toward private entities and foundations to assist us in bridging the financial gap and supporting our County’s art scholars. We ask that you consider supporting our Foundation in its mission to Save the Arts for the students of Bak MSOA. To learn more about the MSOA Foundation, or to donate, please visit www.msoafoundation.org. CHARITY SPOTLIGHT Middle School of the Arts Foundation By Susy Diaz Piesco     FREE      