Exciting Things are Happening in Studio 222!

I know it has been a while! Seems like things are moving so very fast and furious with Studio 222!

We ended the 2008-2009 school year with 9 students moving on to high school! This was very sad as most of them were a part of Studio for three years.

The summer was crazy! We took the kids to Shiloh Camp in June. Great camp and wonderful experience for anyone who attends.

We had two, yes two, major fundraisers this summer!

We held our first Gala on June 26 at the OKC Farmers Public Market. Guest speaker was Manny Scott, one of the original Freedom Writers, who is one of the most inspirational and amazing people I know. Guest musician was our very own Graham Colton! I call him "our very own" because Graham is a huge supporter and volunteer for Studio along with being an extremely talented musician. Some members of the St. Luke's LifeLight House Band performed with Graham. The dinner was catered by The Skirvin Hotel and their food was outstanding. We also held both a live and silent auction. So when all was said and done - incredible speaker, amazing music, wonderful dinner and great auction items (and 225 in attendance), we raised over $65,000!!

Our next fundraiser was at The Greens Golf and Country Club for what could not have been a more perfect day for a round of golf! It was a fun, fun day and still waiting on final numbers but another success!

We've started the year off with a lot of new 6th graders!!! They are a great group and have already won over all of us who work with them day to day. We have three outstanding artists and this nine weeks the students are experiencing guitar lessons, mixed and visual art, and drama. I'm already impressed at what they have accomplished.

Last but not least - we are continuing to renovate our new building. As usual with construction, we've had some delays but we really hope to be in sometime in the next 6-8 weeks! It is so very exciting to see it come together! Finally being through with the plumbing, heat/air, electrical, we are seeing how the space will finally look. Most exciting are the art walls that will display all of the artwork the students create. Be looking for updates!

Challenges and Fun

January has been both challenging and fun! The month started out with some issues and some racial tension between the kids. It is so hard to believe that in 2009 we are still struggling with race. It is so disappointing to hear 11-13 year old's talk with such prejudice. We had a "family meeting" and laid things out on the table. While it was difficult and hard to listen to I think we've made a step in the right direction as to treating everyone with respect and realizing that are differences are much smaller than what we all have in common.

Last week we had a great time at the Chesapeake Boathouse down on the Oklahoma River. They gave us a tour of the boathouse and taught us how to use the rowing machines. We even got to have a race using the rowing machines and a big screen! We are looking forward to Spring when we are going to go back and actually get out on the river on the Dragon Boats!