12/14/2020
Discovering The Smith Center / Education and Outreach / Retrospective Series
While most Southern Nevadans know The Smith Center best for its music, theater and dance performances, the nonprofit impacts tens of thousands of students and teachers each year through its education and outreach initiatives.
12/9/2020
Education and Outreach
Before The Smith Center’s doors closed earlier this year, the center was seeing an annual average of 70,000 students, teachers and chaperones attend student matinees at The Smith Center, at no cost to schools thanks to the generosity of donors.
10/21/2020
Education and Outreach
Nominations opened this week for The Smith Center’s sixth-annual Heart of Education Awards, recognizing outstanding Clark County School District (CCSD) educators who go above and beyond for their students and schools.
9/29/2020
Education and Outreach
When Kelly Wagner first heard about the Oct. 1 mass shooting, the teacher immediately thought, “I could’ve been there.” Wagner had faithfully attended the Route 91 Harvest music festival every prior year, she explains, and decided to take a break in 2017. Wagner says, “I knew we had to do something.”
9/14/2020
Education and Outreach
After initial weeks of conquering technology and building student relationships through screens, teachers have a strong grasp of what helps students thrive during at-home learning… And what does not. The Smith Center polled award-winning educators for insights to help us all navigate the remote learning environment.
9/14/2020
Education and Outreach
Kim Law cares for as many as 150 animals in her role as head of the Zookeepers Club at Mabel Hoggard Elementary School, a club that teaches students compassion and more. To celebrate her inspiring work, The Smith Center honored Law as one of the top 20 teachers for its fifth-annual Heart of Education Awards.
8/26/2020
Education and Outreach
Full-time learning at home can feel unusual for students – but using the arts can help ease this transition. Physical activity stimulates the brain and can promote better academic performance. The Smith Center offers ideas to give young ones quick breaks during the day, which will have them moving and even gaining early exposure to the arts.
8/17/2020
Education and Outreach
“It’s an experience I’ll never forget,” remembers Rosa Crumpley. Now 15, Crumpley first performed on stage at The Smith Center in just third grade. Side by side in handmade costumes, she and her fellow classmates performed a song-and-dance number from their elementary school’s very first musical production, “Disney’s The Jungle Book KIDS.”
8/13/2020
Education and Outreach
“When I was in 5th grade, my younger sister was getting ready to begin kindergarten, and I spent all summer creating and printing off worksheets to help her trace her letters,” Crystal Massengale remembers. Now after just five years of teaching at E.W. Griffith Elementary School, she makes a tremendous impact.
8/13/2020
Education and Outreach
For as long as William Love can remember, he has looked up to his father as his personal hero. That’s why he followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a Clark County School District (CCSD) teacher. Now teaching at Liberty High School, Love created a Success 101 program to mentor at-risk freshman — with a resulting drop in failure rates.