ST. THOMAS AQUINAS COLLEGE TO HOST CAMPAIGN FOR ARTFUL RESISTANCE: A CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS

St. Thomas Aquinas College will host the Second Annual Campaign for Artful Resistance: A Celebration of the Arts on Saturday, September 27, 2014, 1 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. in the Romano Student Alumni Center, announces Dr. Michael Shaw, professor of education at the College. This event is free and welcomes families, educators and the public.

This event is an initiative designed to recognize and restore arts education in the curriculum. The Celebration also includes free performances and hands-on workshops including: jazz performer Christopher Dean Sullivan; other music, theater, and yoga workshops; Chiku Awali African Dance Theater, the Spartan Comedy Club; the STAC Art Therapy Club; and storytelling with The Storycrafters. The Arts Celebration will be highlighted by a Special Family Concert by Tom Chapin & the Chapin Sisters. Chapin is an entertainer, singer-songwriter, storyteller, and Grammy Award-winning musician.

This event is co-sponsored by St. Thomas Aquinas College, Rockland Teachers’ Center Institute, Rockland Reading Council, and Save Our Schools. Van Houten Farms (Orangeburg, N.Y.) will be donating apples for refreshments at the Celebration.

This is one of many arts events across the country organized by Save Our Schools, a national organization to support whole child education that centers on advocacy to change current test-based curriculum and view public education as a civil right.

“This event will by a joyful day of interactive music, singing and hands-on workshops in theater and art for families and educators. This event is one of many arts celebrations across the country to send the message that education needs to teach the whole child rather than just prepare students for tests,” said Shaw. “The Campaign for Artful Resistance is the initiative of Save Our Schools, a national grass roots organization that is working to create a vision of schooling that centers on an end to high stakes testing and evaluation; equitable funding for all public schools; curriculum developed for and by local school communities; teacher, family and community leadership in forming public education policies; and professional, qualified, and committed teachers in all public schools,” added Shaw.

About Save Our Schools
Save Our Schools is dedicated to public education as the cornerstone of a democratic society. They are committed to education policy and actions that allow students, teachers, families, and communities to work together to meet the needs of all children. For more information, visit http://saveourschoolsmarch.org/.

For more information about The Campaign for Artful Resistance, contact Dr. Shaw at 845-398-4079 or mshaw@stac.edu.

St. Thomas Aquinas College is an independent liberal arts college located on 60 acres in Rockland County, NY which provides education at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The College’s 2,800 full and part time students can choose from more than 100 different majors, minors, specializations, and dual degree programs across three Schools: Arts & Sciences, Business, and Education. The College is recognized by U.S. News & World Report in the Top-Tier for Regional Universities, by Colleges of Distinction in both its New York and Catholic editions, by Affordable Colleges Online as a top College in New York for Return on Investment, and is included as a Military Friendly School®. St. Thomas Aquinas College is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools; its School of Education is accredited by National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE); and its School of Business is accredited by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE). For more information, visit www.stac.edu.