OBLOCK JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL  |  ONE MINUTE READ

For the second year in a row, the Oblock Junior High Art Department was nominated for the Charles Gray Award in recognition of their commitment to arts education.

The Charles Gray Award is awarded by the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (CLO) and directed  to all elementary, middle or secondary schools within Allegheny County that are committed to arts excellence and its preservation of required curriculum in the Arts.

The arts education program at Oblock Junior High School lays a strong foundation for students to begin exploring their artistic interests as well as understanding how art can influence and impact communities. Under the leadership of Mrs. Amanda Durick and Mr. Bill DePew, the department empowers students to be creative, take on leadership roles on various projects, and utilize art as a medium for expression.

Recipients of the Charles Gray Award received a special award to display in the school, a cash prize of $3,000 to put towards arts programming, and a 2021 Gallery of Heroes production of ‘Pioneers of Flight,’ a 45-minute educational musical that debuted on February 25, 2020. The musical introduced the women and men who made human flight possible with stories about the first hot air balloon journey and birth of modern flight.

Oblock Junior High School utilized their winnings to purchase supplies and a system to hang framed artwork on the walls. The department also funded ReUseAPolooza which was held in February 2020. The department has plans to allocate a portion of funding for supplies for students working at home.  

“We want to share our love and appreciation for the arts and continue to use art as a way to bring us all together as human beings,” said Mrs. Durick.

For more information about The Charles Gray award, visit their website here.

For more information on Pioneers of Flight, click here.