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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to congratulate Niles Township
4 High School District 219 in Skokie for receiving the Kennedy
5 Center Alliance for Arts Education Network and National School
6 Boards Association Award on April 17, 2007; and
 
7     WHEREAS, The Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education
8 Network and National School Boards Association Award is given
9 to school districts who demonstrate support for all four
10 artistic disciplines in their arts education program,
11 including visual arts, music, theater and dance; the district
12 must also make instruction and programming available for all
13 students throughout the district; the ways in which the school
14 district develops collaborative partnerships with the cultural
15 resources available in the community are an important
16 consideration as well; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Niles Township High School District 219 has proven
18 a commitment to exceptional arts education in its community
19 through its distinct emphasis on the arts within the
20 curriculum, high student involvement and achievement, strong
21 parent involvement, and quality teaching and support staff; the
22 Niles Township Board of Education has a Fine Arts budget that
23 is 4.53% of their annual instructional budget, higher than most

 

 

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1 Boards of Education nationwide; between 2001 and 2003 the
2 District completed reconstruction of its arts facilities,
3 including the construction of two state-of-the-art black box
4 theaters, which enable the students to learn how to execute all
5 aspects of a theatrical production; the Board strives to make
6 all of these growing opportunities available to every student
7 by implementing programs to assist with arts fees, instrument
8 lending, and establishing an Alumni Giving Back program;
9 students are also given access to professional artists in
10 wide-ranging fields through numerous artist-in-residence
11 programs; and
 
12     WHEREAS, The arts programs within Niles Township High
13 School District 219 have received recognition from notable
14 professional organizations; Niles North High School's music
15 program has been honored three times with the National Academy
16 of Recording Arts and Sciences designation as a Grammy
17 Signature School; District 219's theater programs have been
18 invited twice by the American High School Theatre Festival to
19 perform at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland; drama
20 and music students are routinely chosen to participate in their
21 respective All-State festivals; numerous teachers have
22 received teacher of the year honors within their disciplines;
23 and
 
24     WHEREAS, District 219 has established a strong commitment

 

 

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1 to reach out and promote the fine and performing arts as a way
2 to build a better, more connected community; a commitment to
3 the arts makes Niles Township High School District 219 Board of
4 Education a model for arts education in Illinois and throughout
5 the country; therefore, be it
 
6     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
7 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
8 congratulate Niles Township High School District 219 on
9 receiving the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education
10 Network and National School Boards Association Award; and be it
11 further
 
12     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
13 presented to a representative of Niles Township High School
14 District 219 as a symbol of our esteem and respect.