OMN

Everyone who helped Ventero make open mic night a successful fundraiser deserves a big round of applause. Same goes for all of our kick butt performers too.
Maddie (in photo) graced us with an entertaining passage from the back of her lunch package (trust me, it was hilarious). Rhonda played a beautiful new song called "If I were a Bird". Bill graced us with his exceptional talent on the banjo. And Nate, our beloved MC, read some really thoughtful poetry he had recently written. A big thank you to Melissa for manning the coffee shop and being such a trouper. We are very happy with how open mic night seems to be taking on a life of its own. For those of you who enjoyed having the Haunted Windchimes, we'd like to have them back next month so maybe if we could all facebook them we could collectively hound them into coming. The next open mic night will be April 18th.
~Vicky

R.A.I.N. Art Student

Karolyn Walker














Here is Karolyn Walker's first art assignments under Randy's supervision. She is one of our RAIN art students and will continue to receive free art lessons with the possibility of an art scholarship in her future.

More and more it is becoming apparent that the arts are truly beneficial, not only as valid areas of study in their own right, but also because they tend to improve academic performance in general. Those who teach the visual arts see how the children respond, how their motivation stimulates productivity, and how their involvement in the creative process causes them to blossom and become even more productive. But what's so encouraging for arts advocates is that the arts are finally being acknowledged by authorities as beneficial. A report in Soundpost (vol. 17, 1990, p. 21) states that "students who take arts courses tend to have higher scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) than those who do not." It continues by saying, "the more arts courses a student takes, generally speaking, the higher his or her SAT scores." That the arts actually tend to improve students' verbal and numerical skills can be seen only as a bonus by those who already value the arts for more aesthetic reasons. Furthermore, problem-solving skills, which are essential in today's world, are readily available through stimulating and art assignments - assignments that require the children to produce numbers of novel ideas and then to make a series of choices to complete them. Such exercises require a number of important cognitive skills. Contained in the list below are some of the most commonly accepted benefits that visual arts education provides for children: Heightens self-esteem Develops problem-solving skills Allows for expression and creativity Improves visual discrimination skills Develops self-discipline and responsibility Increases motivation to learn Provides fulfillment through productivity Creates cultural and historical awareness Develops ability to make aesthetic judgments Tends to improve academic performance