- Jackson School of the Arts, located in Downtown Jackson, offers dance, theater, tai kwon do, and art classes to children in Jackson.
- Their tiered tuition makes it possible for all children in the area to have access to the arts.
- The Sponsor a Student campaign grants $11,000 to students each month.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Jackson School of the Arts (JSA) is a local nonprofit whose mission is to make sure children have access to the arts, no matter their background. They offer programs such as dance, art, theater, gymnastics, tai kwon do, and even childcare.
Cherie Good, Executive Director of JSA: "So when I give a tour, I normally ask people where their 'heart for the arts is,' and the reason why I ask that is because I'm partial to dance. I've done twenty years myself. I know the confidence it gave me when I was little I was very quiet and shy, and it just allowed for me to find confidence in a healthy way and to allow for me to express myself."
Students at JSA pay with tiered tuition, ranging from a scholarship level to full price. Enrollment has tripled in the past two years, causing the school to launch its "Sponsor a Student" campaign, to make tuition assistance possible so that the school lives up to its mission.
"You see this nice, beautiful building, and lot of people don't know we're a nonprofit, or that 70% of who's enrolled is a lower-income participant.We want to share that out and ask our community to come around us and help support these students so they can keep exploring," says Good.
JSA awards more than $11,000 per month in tuition assistance. The community's support also makes it possible for no student to be turned away. However, it's not just the classes that can be beyond the budget. The school also provides costuming for programs like dance, so that scholarship students show up to class feeling just as confident as their peers. As a mom of two kids who enjoy classes themselves, Cherie sees that excitement for the arts every day. Not only through her own kids, but through all students.
Good says, "I think there's nothing better than seeing a new student come in who is uncertain of what art program they might like, and then them finding it and being excited about it, and then on top of that, them really stepping into it and stepping out of the class with a whole other level of confidence."
Students will be picking up paint brushes and putting on their ballet shoes starting September 5th. JSA hopes to consistently find a seat at the table when students enroll.
Good continues, "I think that's that purpose piece of wanting to make sure every child gets that opportunity to do that and when they find it, we celebrate that and we get to do that day in and day out here."
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