Polk County Public Schools
Two Polk schools, Davenport School Of The Arts and Lakeland’s Harrison School Of The Arts, have been designated Arts Achieve! Model Schools through the year 2013. Arts Achieve! Model Schools are selected by the Florida Alliance For Arts Education (FAAE) . Both schools were selected Model Schools for a three-year period beginning in 2007. Both schools’ Model School status has been extended from 2010 to 2013.
The program recognizes schools with exemplary arts and arts integration programs, quality arts instruction and outstanding community involvement. The Model Schools program identifies, recognizes and promotes statewide elementary, middle and high school fine arts programs that have high performance standards and instructional quality in dance, music, theater and visual art.
As Model Schools, Davenport and Harrison are committed to assist Florida teachers, school officials and interested persons in observing their programs and obtaining information for arts program improvement.
As part of the Model Schools application process, both Davenport and Harrison submitted a comprehensive self-evaluation that was reviewed by the FAAE. They also hosted a site visit by an arts education official that evaluated their programs.
Frank Howes, the school district’s former senior director of fine arts, received the 2010 Florida Alliance For Arts Education/Arts For A Complete Education (FAAE/ACE) ACE Of Hearts Award. Mr. Howes retired from the school district on June 30, 2010.
The award is given annually to a distinguished leader contributing to arts education in Florida. The FAAE mentioned Howes’ support of the Arts Achieve! Model Schools program and the school district’s Kennedy Center award as reasons the organization gave Howes’ its unanimous support for the recognition.
Polk schools have continually reached Arts Achieve ! Model School status during his tenure and the Polk Public Schools were chosen in 2009 as the 21st annual recipient of the Kennedy Center’s Alliance for Arts Education Network and National School Boards Association Award. The John F. Kennedy Center For the Performing Arts, located in Washington, D.C., named Polk for the award. The award is bestowed annually to a school district for its outstanding arts education programs.
Howes was also named 2008 Arts Administrator Of The Year by the Florida Network of Arts Administrators.
Also, during his guidance, the International Music Products Association named Polk as one of the best 110 school districts nationally for music education in two of the last three years. Polk received the honor in 2008 and 2010.
