The Fine Arts Booster Group (FABG) is a non-profit organization that works in partnership with the Ithaca (New York) City School District to support and celebrate all the arts for all the kids. FABG is an affiliate of the Ithaca Public Education Initiative.

Latest News

NYSSMA comes to Ithaca Again, volunteers needed

Posted Wed, 04/04/2018 - 9:18am

Help students at NYSSMA, to be held at Boynton May 4 and 5. More than 1,000 students come to Ithaca from several counties to challenge themselves. Students set self-learning goals, going above and beyond their classroom work in solo and ensemble pieces, and perform for judges. Adults are need to help the direct people and manage administrative tasks. Please volunteer for a shift… you don’t have to have students in the ICSD. Experience the excitement of being around so many young musicians, from elementary school through high school.

Contact Alice Wu, FABG Co-President, if you can help at purpleiris888@gmail.com by April 27. See shifts below....(read more)

Ithaca High Students Connect to Syrian Children with Art - Memory Project

Posted Mon, 04/02/2018 - 1:08pm

My Drawing & Painting students participated in the Memory Project again this year, sending portraits to Syrian children in refugee camps. We want the portraits to help the children feel valued and important, to know that many people care about their well being, and to act as meaningful pieces of personal history in the future. For the art students, we want this to be an opportunity to creatively practice kindness and global awareness. Many thanks to FABG for their supporting grant....(read more)

Cohn Scholarship Help Students Bridge Summer Study

Posted Sat, 03/31/2018 - 3:14pm

Rella and Barney Cohn Music Scholarship Fund, an IPEI Fund, Awards Grant

The Fine Arts Booster Group, an affiliate of the Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI), announces summer music scholarships awarded through the Rella and Barney Cohn Music Scholarship Fund. Established by Abby Cohn in memory of her parents and in honor of the excellent music education available in the Ithaca City School District (ICSD), the fund will provide more than five music scholarships for summer study through the Ithaca Youth Bureau (IYB) Summer Band and Orchestra Program. The Rella and Barney Cohn Music Scholarship Fund is administered by IPEI with assistance from the Fine Arts Booster Group (FABG) and the IYB. Contact president@fabgithaca.org for more information.

Michael W....(read more)

Wynton Marsalis VIsits ICSD

Posted Thu, 03/22/2018 - 11:06am

Thanks to David Brown, Michael Treat, Steve Pond, and Cornell University for hosting and arranging the visit of world class musician Wynton Marsalis.

Wynton will visit the ICSD on Friday, March 23 at 9:30 for a masterclass. It is held in the Ithaca High School Performing Arts Center Kulp Auditorium. Audience members can view the class.

On Saturday, at Beverly J. Martin Elementary School auditorium, there will be an open rehearsal at 10:00 a.m....(read more)

Spring Grants Awarded

Posted Sun, 03/18/2018 - 6:14pm

The Fine Arts Booster Group (FABG), an affiliate of IPEI, has awarded $5,207 in grants to Ithaca City School District (ICSD) programs that will reach 886 students. Grant funds are made possible through Fine Arts Booster Group performance booklet ad sales and donations. The boosters produce performance booklet programs for middle and high school concerts and plays, totaling over thirty events each year. District arts events are open to all, a calendar can be found at www.fabgithaca.org or on the district web page.

All secondary schools received Drama Program grants, including DeWitt Middle, Boynton Middle, Lehman Alternative Community, and Ithaca High. Secondary school arts trips will be supported by scholarship assistance....(read more)

Thanks to the Fine Arts "Word" Boosters

Posted Mon, 03/05/2018 - 9:00pm

FineArtsWordBoostersSpellingBeeTeam2018.jpgThanks to Lisa Tsetse, Michelle Hitz and Julie Hughes for representing the boosters at the great IPEI Adult Spelling Bee fundraiser.

OFFICIAL ITHACA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS RELEASE

Posted Wed, 02/21/2018 - 8:10am by Gail Brisson

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: icsdcommunications@icsd.k12…ny.us

ICSD Board of Education Statement on the Spring Musical

Ithaca, N.Y., February 9, 2018 - The Board of Education of the Ithaca City School District remains firmly committed to the education, health and, well-being of ALL of our students. It is in this light that our administration made the difficult decision to cancel the scheduled spring musical, the Hunchback of Notre Dame.. While much has been said about the casting of the musical, this was not the reason for cancellation. Our administration’s decision was based solely upon the significant stress and divisiveness developing in our school community.

Unfortunately, the divisiveness has increased as this story has gained national media attention....(read more)

Congrats teachers! From the Saltonstall Newsletter

Posted Wed, 02/21/2018 - 8:09am by Gail Brisson

Welcome, Tompkins County teachers! And the winners are… Congratulations to the ten local teachers who entered our lottery in January and won a free, all-inclusive retreat at Saltonstall.

In February, we’ll welcome: Mary Balfour, a speech and language pathologist in the Dryden school district; Abigail Bokaer, a kindergarten teacher at Fall Creek Elementary; Jon Raimon, a humanities teacher and service learning coordinator at LACS; Mihal Ronen, a 2nd grade teacher at Fall Creek Elementary; and Keith Thompson, a social studies teacher at Ithaca High School.

In March, we’ll welcome: Melissa Enns, a social worker at Beverly J....(read more)

FABG General Meeting Jan 22

Posted Mon, 01/22/2018 - 11:51am

The Fine Arts Booster Group (FABG), an affiliate of IPEI, will hold a general meeting Monday, January 22, 2018 from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. at the Ithaca High School Performing Arts Center Lobby, 1401 N. Cayuga Street. The Fine Arts Booster Group supports all the arts in all the elementary and secondary schools in the Ithaca City School District (ICSD).The meeting is open to parents/caregivers, staff, students, and community members.

The public is invited to hear presentations from ICSD Fine Arts and Peforming Arts Director David Brown regarding the “State of the Arts”, as well as classroom instruction information from teachers. The boosters will also review the year’s activities and discuss upcoming goals. Refreshments will be provided at the meeting.

From the IPEI Annual Report: Fine Arts Booster Group

Posted Sun, 12/10/2017 - 5:01pm by Gail Brisson

The Fine Arts Booster Group (FABG) believes the arts – music, dance and visual, literary and theater arts – are a central part of every child’s public school education. FABG celebrates ICSD student learning in all the arts through grant support, scholarships, instrument recycling and communication....(read more)

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