I believe we are here to prepare students for MORE than careers

GST GST BOCES congratulatestes

David McNamara

SPENCER-VAN ETTEN SCHOOL DISTRICT

I believe we are here to prepare students for MORE than careers.

David McNamara

The purpose of life is to be happy. Happiness is achieved by maximizing one’s talents, building positive relationships and contributing to a more humane dwelling place. The ARTS magnify the need of every person to seek truth, pursue social justice and cultivate beauty. The ARTS are the vehicle for the conversation about what it means to be human. Dave McNamara

The Spencer Van Etten School District is most fortunate to have a staff that is highly educated, accomplished and, not surprisingly, passionate advocates of the Arts in Education. Just this year, Spencer High School students have had an art and cultural exposure that is most unusual in rural schools and would be the envy of most urban schools. Programs such as this one, however, don't just happen, but only through the efforts of staff members working quietly within the schools.

David McNamara, Director of Instructional Support at Spencer High School, has been advocating for the arts ever since his employment at the school. He believes that the arts are essential to the core curriculum.

"Young people who are exposed to the arts have many advantages; they have access and opportunities that people at the next gate care about. "

According to David, schools must provide kids with a variety of experiences and to support people with ideas. Kids need to see people who "do art." Art can be used as a means of getting at how things work.

In addition to his work at Spencer High, David McNamara has written papers for journals such as the Journal of Quality Learning (December 1996) and the Journal of Reality Therapy. (Fall, 1997, Vol. XVII, No. 1) In these papers, McNamara addresses issues of great concern to anybody in the field of education including "the increasing number of difficult to manage students and our reaction to those students." Both, in McNamara's view "are causing irreparable economic, psychological, social and spiritual damage to the school improvement process. " This is part of the reason McNamara is such an advocate of the arts....

"What I want for all children is for them to be physically healthy, but also spiritually healthy. I believe we are here to prepare students for MORE than careers. "

He fulfills many roles at the school, some of them being securing partnerships with institutions such as Cornell University; writing grants such as the 21st century after school grants; and making sure the voices of teachers and staff are heard.

Working in David's and S-VE's favor is proximity to Cornell University and Ithaca College. For example, Ithaca College will be doing an exchange whereby IC students work with Spencer students and Spencer students can benefit from sitting in on classes at IC. Cornell University is, in Dave's words, " a great partner. " Cornell and Ithaca professors helped present a course that culminated in a paper on the relationship between the local and global economy. It is a part of Dave's job to write grants and make these partnerships happen. GST BOCES, of course, is one such funding source, but the Youth and Community Foundation of Spencer - Van Etten is also a provider of resources.

Thanks Dave for your own great ideas and for supporting teachers with their own!

E-mail: mamcmahon@gstboces.org

Diana S. is in 9th grade at Spencer High School. For Diana, writing isn't just something she needs to do to succeed in her academic areas; nor is it a pleasing avocation to amuse her in her spare time. For Diana, writing is a way to survive. A few years ago, Diana's mother was in a terrible car accident. For a while, it wasn't known if she would survive. Fortunately, she did, but her legs were crushed and she is now handicapped. For Diana, her mother's accident was an emotionally devastating experience. Writing is a way to help her through.

Diana has already won a few awards in her career at school. She won a Presidential award, and a Creative Achievement Award in Science. In 6th grade, she also was privileged to attend the State Police Summer Program in Albany, NY.