P UTTING THE POWER IN THE C ONSUMER ’ S H ANDS S USTAINABLE P RODUCTS & S ERVICES
T HAT ’ S N ATURAL ! V OLUME 4, I SSUE 7
S EPTEMBER /O CTOBER 2007
A RT & T EACHERS W HO T EACH A RT —A D EEPER L OOK
I NSIDE T HIS I SSUE : N ATURAL P RACTITIONER E VENT
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R EFLEXOLOGY W EEK
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CSA A DVENTURE
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Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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Racing in SOCO
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E-M ODULE
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Natural Horsemanship
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Archery Season
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About Garlic
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Directory
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On May31st I attended a Public Forum at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center where students, teachers, and other concerned community members discussed various Art Teachers and Programs that had recently been cut or mangled. I met several teachers who had been affected in some way – either having to compress their classes and not have the time or interaction necessary to teach effectively, or losing their jobs completely. There is a travesty slowly transpiring in the schools of Pueblo County and around the Country. Arts BUDGETS – including visual arts, performing arts, music, are being cut from schools. Let’s take a quick, but deeper, look into this problem and propose what we can do. As citizens, we can tell our school officials the value that we place
on art’s education. Why are the Arts important? Arts of any nature are an expression of oneself. Arts are a vehicle to communicate one’s feelings. Arts are a method of communication. Arts are a way to manage stress. Arts are a way to contend with emotional difficulties. The Arts exercise important parts of one’s brain (put rather simply) that allow us to grow emotionally and intellectually. Visit the link at: http://www.naea-reston.org/ tenlessons.html for “Ten Lessons the Arts Teach” by Elliot Eisner. Who ultimately makes the decision to cut Arts Programs and Arts Teachers from schools? From what I have learned thus far, School Boards and those on the School Boards are responsible for the decision, which they will most likely blame on their “Budgets”. Continued Page 5
Performing Arts Highlights - September & October Chieftain’s Critics Choice Awards Vote on-line for your favorite performances at www.PuebloPAG.org!!! Awards Reception—September 9th, 7PM at Damon Runyon Theater
13th Annual Loaf ‘n Jug Chile & Frijoles Festival September 21-23 Union Avenue Historic District
Spend $$$ LOCALLY and Save With That’s Natural! “Art is central to a civilized society. Kids who create don’t destroy.” - Terry Semel, past chairman of Warner Bros.