athfesteducates.org

AthFest Educates, a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing music and arts education for young people in Athens-Clarke County, has awarded its winter 2015 grants. 

Among the winners of these awards is Didi Dunphy of the Lyndon House Arts Center. The $3,050 grant will be used to purchase equipment needed to create a stop-motion animation and video program for fourth and fifth graders. The students will create characters, scenes and stories, as well as experiment with lighting techniques and camera angles to produce two-dimensional and three-dimensional media products. 

Other grantees include Rachel Osborne of Whit Davis Elementary and David Osborne of J.J. Harris Elementary, who will each develop programs within their respective schools utilizing ukuleles to teach musical skills.

Jonathon Dolce of the Athens-Clarke County Library received a grant that will enable fourth and fifth grade students from Fowler Drive and J.J. Harris Elementary Schools to join an after school shadow puppetry program.

Susie Criswell of Alps Road Elementary received a grant that will allow first and second grade students to use different musical instruments to learn “musical math” and explore concepts such as patterns in skip counting and how to read an analog clock.

AthFest Educates produces two annual fundraisers, the AthFest Music and Arts Festival and the AthHalf Half Marathon. Proceeds from these events fund the organization’s grants, which are issued in September and January each year.

AthFest has issued nearly $200,000 in grants throughout the Athens community which fund music and arts non-consumable equipment, music and arts program experiences, and art-based and music-based professional development for educators.

AthFest Educates awarded over $15,000 to local schools and agencies this winter. For more information and a complete list of recipients, visit athfesteducates.org.