Da Vinci Expands its Performing Arts Department

Joint Message from Da Vinci and Wiseburn Superintendents

We are both so excited that our high schools have matured in such a way that we can now offer such a robust performing arts program. As we move through the process of building out the program, and listening to the community’s wants and needs, we look forward to continuing to modify the program so that it’s always meeting the needs of our students and families.

In addition, we both look forward to the expansion of the partnership between Wiseburn Education Foundation (WEF), Wiseburn Unified School District (WUSD), and Da Vinci Schools.

And lastly, we cannot wait to invite the community to come out to watch and listen to some of the amazing performances our kids are sure to put on. Get ready to be blown away -- we know we all will be.

Warm regards,

Dr. Blake Silvers and Dr. Matthew Wunder

The Future of Performing Arts in Wiseburn

September was a busy month for envisioning and planning the future of the Wiseburn Da Vinci Performing Arts program.

On September 12, 2023, Dr. Blake Silvers, Superintendent of Wiseburn Unified School District (WUSD), Dr. Matthew Wunder, Superintendent/CEO of Da Vinci Schools, Erin Keller, President of Wiseburn Education Foundation (WEF), and J. Nick McLaughlin, WEF’s Fundraising Director, all met to discuss the development of the Wiseburn Da Vinci Performing Arts program and discussed the desire to build, together, a TK-12th grade continuum in the performing arts to ensure that kids who start in the performing arts in elementary school will be able to continue their practice through high school.

On Sept 15, 2023, Alexi Paraschos, the first ever Wiseburn Da Vinci Performing Arts Coordinator, toured Wiseburn Middle School’s performing arts classrooms and had the opportunity to learn more about what WUSD, in partnership with WEF, is offering to all TK-8th grade students in the district. In his new role, Alexi learned about the district’s robust offering of performing arts options for middle school students, including the fact that the middle schoolers enrolled in a performing arts elective receive 215 minutes of instruction every week.

In learning about the TK-8th grade performing arts options, Alexi also began the thoughtful process of identifying additional ways that the Wiseburn Da Vinci Performing Arts program at Da Vinci could be articulated so that middle school students who are interested in continuing their practice in high school can do so.

“We are very excited about the future of performing arts in Wiseburn. Since our founding nearly thirty years ago, the Wiseburn Education Foundation has been supporting high quality arts education within the district and we are looking forward to partnering with Da Vinci Schools and WUSD as they expand the Wiseburn Da Vinci Performing Arts department,” said WEF’s President, Erin Keller.

Currently, middle school students who are taking Studio Orchestra and Media Production have a clear pathway to continuing those practices at the high schools.

This week, Wiseburn’s educational leaders will meet again to review suggestions and options for building out the TK-12th grade performing arts continuum in the district. In this meeting, the group will discuss class options, community desires/needs, articulation, and the steps that move us closer to implementation.

It is our collective commitment that within the next few months, we’ll be able to report back to you what the performing arts continuum could look like, and we’ll continue asking for your thoughts. We thank you, in advance, for sharing them.