A letter from Chuck and Lindsay Garric:

This spring, our daughter Alisha will take the steps that so many youth in America long for – the walk down the aisle to accept a diploma at her high school graduation.  Through the years, Alisha has had an opportunity to excel and be recognized for her exceptional ability in the arts, which has greatly enabled her to reach this important milestone.  However, our family knows that not every school in Milwaukee is lucky enough to have sufficient funds to provide students with all the programs necessary to enrich their education.

Milwaukee’s public education system is particularly important to me as I am a Milwaukee native.  Along with my husband, Chuck Garric, who plays bass guitar for Alice Cooper, we have committed to raising Alisha with a deep connection to the arts in many forms.

In honor of Alisha’s graduation, we have decided to organize a benefit event that celebrates the roles that education and arts initiatives play in the lives of today’s children, to benefit the Lloyd Barbee Montessori School, a Milwaukee Public School that has recently undergone significant funding cuts. 96% of the students at Lloyd Barbee fall below the poverty level, and these cuts will greatly impact their experience and future outcomes. 

In the fashion of Montessori education, in an effort to provide a well-rounded educational experience that has shown to have a significant impact on graduation success rates, Lloyd Barbee has instituted an incredible After School Arts Initiative that provides arts education in a variety of modalities like drama, dance, visual arts and creative writing.  Lloyd Barbee would like to add an additional program dedicated to music and that’s where the Garrics (and hopefully YOU) will get involved!

On Friday night, March 22 at the Hotel Foster, Chuck will perform a live rock n’roll infused concert backed by members of the Milwaukee band, MotherDog.  The event will feature a night of live music as well as an exciting auction, including a guitar signed by Alice Cooper! 100% of the proceeds from the event will go directly to the Lloyd Barbee School to help them implement the Music Program into the After School Arts Initiative.   

We hope that you will pledge to make a contribution to this great cause.  After all, according to VH1’s Save the Music program, music education has been shown to improve standardized test scores, advance English and Math performance, develop memory and expand brain function!

You can view the online auction items here or make a donation.  We would be honored for you to join us in the celebration of Alisha’s graduation and the importance of arts education in our public schools.

Let’s get Music Education into Lloyd Barbee Montessori School together!

And see you at the show on Friday March 22 at the Hotel Foster!  Tickets are $10 at the door.

Be sure to follow the FaceBook event https://www.facebook.com/events/145491132282457/ 

And the Twitter: http://Twitter.com /AfterSchoolsOut

Very Sincerely,

Chuck, Lindsay and Alisha Garric

The Amazing Story of the Lloyd Barbee Montessori School

The Lloyd Barbee Montessori School is a unique program within the Milwaukee Public School system. Lloyd Barbee remains committed to offering a high quality education, dedicated teaching staff and unique learning opportunities for students, families and community. The MPS Citywide Montessori Council, a leadership group of Montessori teachers and administrators, led this great initiative from the beginning, and the council will continue to support its successful organization.

The Montessori method of education is based on the philosophy that children reach their fullest potential through multi-age interactions in an inquiring, cooperative and encouraging atmosphere. The Lloyd Barbee staff focuses on fostering competent and responsible students who demonstrate creativity, concentration, coordination and independence in their work. The Montessori environment and teachers ensure that our young learners build confidence in their abilities, feel good about their school experience and develop peaceful relationships with their peers. When you observe a Montessori classroom, you will see learning taking place in its purest form – a truly beautiful thing to watch!

We were particularly moved by a story we heard about the “tot lot” playground at Lloyd Barbee Montessori School.  On September 6, 2012 the tot lot burnt to the ground, the fire apparently started by an accelerant. A kindergartener commented to the Principal, “I don’t know how someone could be so cruel to little children” and neither do we.  The playground will be replaced by insurance, but Lloyd Barbee Montessori School needs our help in other ways!  96% of the students at Lloyd Barbee fall below the poverty level.

Public Montessori Schools are not very common, and this is the third year Lloyd Barbee has been implementing this innovative curriculum, fully supported by MPS because of its proven success.  However, because of the Montessori pedagogy for multi-aged classrooms – Lloyd Barbee does not qualify for many of the Federal and State funded programs that give extra funding for high poverty schools that can range from $300 - $500 per pupil.  MPS also had to cut the funding for Lloyd Barbee’s K3 students, amounting to $1600 for each of the 75 students affected. 

In defiance of this hardship, Lloyd Barbee has instituted an incredible After School Arts Initiative (through receiving a grant from the Partnership for the Arts) that provides arts education in a variety of modalities like drama, dance, visual arts and creative writing.  Lloyd Barbee would like to add an additional program dedicated to music.

In order to ensure that the Music Program will be successfully implemented, at least $5000 must be raised.

Learn more about Lloyd Barbee Montessori:

http://www5.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/school/barbee/