The Moreno Valley Unified School District has been recognized as a National School Boards Association (NSBA) 2022 Magna Award winner for its commitment to equity as a Silver Award winner at the 2022 Annual Conference and Exposition on April 3, 2022, in San Diego. The district is one of 15 winners across the nation receiving this honor.
Sponsored by NSBA’s flagship magazine, American School Board Journal, the Magna Awards honor districts across the country for their programs that break down barriers to achievement for underserved students. The Moreno Valley Unified School District was selected as a winner by an independent panel of judges.
The district was selected for its “Visual and Performing Arts for All” program, a visual and performing arts approach to artful healing, creativity, and equal access to arts education. The program included hiring a coordinator for visual and performing arts, replacing musical instruments, updating visual arts equipment, purchasing uniforms, upgrading facilities with new dance floors, and reconfiguring theater seating, lighting, and sound at multiple high schools. This also included adding digital media at the middle and high school levels that laid the groundwork for the success the department experiences today. A VAPA Subject Advisory Committee was also established to review new course submissions and analyze current courses, prerequisite needs, and integration into different career pathways.
“In 2015, we embarked on this journey of establishing a strong visual and performing arts program,” said Superintendent Dr. Martinrex Kedziora. “Today, our district is being recognized for the work everyone has done. We are truly honored.”
Today, the VAPA Department is credited with collecting informative data, streamlining curriculum, aligning STEAM pathways, integrating state and national standards, infusing assessments with a scope and sequence, coordinating performances, and building a sustainable and annual board-approved VAPA district-wide department budget.
“The 2022 Magna Award-winning districts represent the enormous efforts of school leaders during the pandemic to continue to remove barriers for their underserved and vulnerable children,” said NSBA Executive Director and CEO Dr. John Heim.
“Our program continues to grow and flourish over the years,” said School Board President Cleveland Johnson. “Receiving the Silver Magna Award for our Visual and Performing Arts program is a testament to our success. We are truly proud of receiving this award.”
The Moreno Valley Unified School District is highlighted in the April issue of ASBJ. Read about Moreno Valley Unified School District’s award-winning program and the other winners at www.nsba.org/ASBJ.
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