What a year!

The MSA Class of 2007

Marin School of the Arts’ first graduating class achieved record scholarships this year, over $2,000,000 worth to very prestigious colleges including Wellesley, William Patterson, Lewis and Clark, Barnard, Michigan, Indiana, Tufts and UC Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, San Diego.

It was also an award-winning year, winning over 90 awards including: California All State Band winners: Laura Sisk (’07) and Josh Voeltz (’08); All State Jazz Choir: Erin Greenwell (’08); Lenaea Drama Festival winners: Gold for Original Script, “All Scrambled Up” by Sam Turnbull (’07), and Silver awards to Sam Turnbull (’07) and Dana Pollak (’07) for their performance of this piece;Corrina Carter (’07) second place in the Jack London writing competition; Max Brier (’10) and Weylin Rice (’09) first and third places in the Russian River Watershed Association Video competition; Michelle Stanford (’08), third place in the Coca-Cola Art of Harmony Competition; Linda Steele (’09), a scholarship to attend the Alonzo King PreProfessional Summer Program and the MSA Advanced Jazz Band coming in third at the Reno Jazz Festival and the Advanced Combo (Erin Greenwell (’08), Seth Honig (’08) and James Harman (’08) who also came in third.

For full details, see College and Scholarship Lists and 2006-07 Awards List.

MSA has been shortlisted for the California Education Dept. Golden Bell Awards

The Golden Bell Awards program, now in its 28th year, promotes excellence in education by recognizing outstanding programs in school districts and county offices of education throughout California. Golden Bell Awards reflect the depth and breadth of education programs necessary to address students’ changing needs. This awards program contributes to the development and evaluation of curriculum, instruction and support services by:

• Seeking out and recognizing sustainable, innovative or exemplary programs which have been developed and successfully implemented by California teachers and administrators;
• Recognizing and supporting educators who invest extra energy and time to make a demonstrated difference for students;
• Promoting models which have made a difference for students; and
• Focusing on the commitment to ensure that the needs of all students are met.

Alumni News

Keleki Gottschalk, MT '06 snags role in Iolanthe.

Keleki has been cast as a Fairy in the 60 year old Univ of Michigan Gilbert & Sullivan Society's production of Iolanthe. UMGASS is one of the most highly respected Gilbert & Sullivan companies in the country. For more information Google UMGASS. The University of Michigan Gilbert & Sullivan Society was founded in 1947, and is dedicated to performing the works of Sir William Schwenck Gilbert and Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan. For more than fifty years, we have carried out this grand mission at least twice every year, utilizing the talents and skills of a diverse assortment of students, faculty, staff and community members in the greater Ann Arbor area (which currently includes New York City). Today, we are one of the most highly respected Gilbert and Sullivan companies in the country, known for our commitment to every show in the G&S canon (except for one for which the music has been lost), and notorious for our bold creativity in presenting 19th Century opera to a contemporary audience.

Zak Franczak, MT '05

Zak made it to the final 9 at the auditions for Beach Blanket Babylon - for the full story read the SFGate article.

Congratulations to MSA Director, Mark Peabody:
Named Marin County Teacher of the Year

By Jamie Oppenheim Staff Writer
Novato Advance
Tuesday, July 3, 2007 2:23 PM PDT

Marin School of the Arts teacher, director and founder Mark Peabody sat in his office last week and tried to humbly detract attention away from himself when asked about being named Teacher of the Year by the Marin County Office of Education.

“My feeling is I want my educational ideas to come first, not me,” said Peabody. “It's really nice, but it's kind of embarrassing at the same time.”

According to Marin County superintendent of schools Mary Jane Burke, Peabody was selected because of his pioneering ideas.

“In addition to teaching music, he used his incredible energy and infectious commitment to students to enlist the help of many people to realize his dream of having a Marin School of the Arts (MSA) at Novato High School,” Burke said.

Some people wait their whole lives for great ideas. Others have them and can't quite figure out how to put them into action, but Peabody toyed with an idea for years and was able to form it into a successful creation: MSA.

His first year teaching at Santa Rosa High School, he spent a lot of time sitting in the vice-principal's office, telling him about his idea for education reform. Most of these ideas went into forming MSA, Peabody said.

The basic vision behind the school was that if a student didn't have an arts program at their own school due to budget cuts, then that teen could attend Marin School of the Arts, he said.

The art programs Peabody planned to offer would be of such high quality it would safeguard them from being cut in the future, he said.

It's obvious upon first meeting Peabody that he thinks outside the box. This is what separates him from someone doing an average job.

“I'm always getting ideas. I really work hard to realize those ideas,” he said. “Creativity is a skill like anything else. If you study math you get better at math.”

One of his newest ideas, creating a contemporary music class, will be unveiled to students this fall. He decided he would create a class to reflect the job market.

“Contemporary music is the most viable career path,” Peabody told Novato school district trustees at last week's school board meeting. “Why isn't anybody teaching the music we are listening to.”

Twenty-eight students have already signed up for the class, said Novato school district superintendent Jan La Torre-Derby.

Winners of the county teacher competitions are eligible for the state Teacher of the Year award and then select teachers can apply for the National Teacher of the Year competition.

Peabody expressed doubt that he would win the state competition because of his unconventional views on education, but he will still try.

Although he thinks of himself as somewhat of an outsider, Peabody's ideas are celebrated. MSA was named a California Demonstration School this year.

Other schools from different districts have toured MSA in hopes of starting performing arts high schools in their own towns.

Peabody appeared pleased that his vision is making an impact. “To me this is a whole trend to re-invigorate public education,” he added.