Barbara Castellana Stasiak of Rockaway Township Wins Arts Teachers Fellowship for Morris County School of Technology Visual & Performing Arts Academy Surdna Foundation Awards $103,000 to High School Arts Teachers in National Competition Denville, NJ (6/1/08) – Barbara Castellana Stasiak, who teaches visual design, digital filmmaking, and interdisciplinary arts at the Morris County School of Technology Academy for Visual & Performing Arts, has been selected to receive a $5,000 Fellowship from the Surdna Arts Teachers Fellowship Program. The Morris County Vocational School District, where Ms. Stasiak has taught for 8 years, also has been awarded a complementary grant of $1,500 to support post-fellowship activities at the Arts Academy, one of ten career academies at the Morris County School of Technology. The Surdna Arts Teachers Fellowship Program (SATF), a venture of the Surdna Foundation’s Arts Program, recently announced Fellowship recipients for the eighth round of its national awards. Sixteen outstanding teachers representing 14 specialized public arts high schools from around the country were selected from an initial pool of 57 applicants. The teachers excel in a broad spectrum of visual, performing, and literary arts. Award recipients were evaluated by a peer review panel based on demonstrated excellence both as artists and teachers. All permanently assigned full- and part-time arts faculty in specialized public arts high schools were eligible to submit applications. Ms. Stasiak’s Fellowship is to study opera stage directing and Italian song at the Accademia Europea di Firenze in Florence, Italy for four weeks in summer 2008. “I am very excited to have been awarded this Fellowship to study opera production. My summer studies in Italy will help me to expand my students’ experience of opera, the most interdisciplinary of all art forms, and give them an additional opportunity to explore the art forms of different cultures,” said Ms. Stasiak. “We’re thrilled to be able to offer these Fellowships to teachers of the arts. By focusing on their own creative work and interacting with professional artists and colleagues, these teachers are exposed to new ideas and practices that they can carry back to the classroom. After eight rounds of Fellowships—and 160 Fellows—we’ve witnessed the transformative effect of the Fellowship experience on both the individuals and the schools,” said Ellen B. Rudolph, Program Director for Arts, Surdna Foundation. About the Surdna Foundation The Surdna Foundation, a national family foundation established in 1917, helps support organizations in five program areas: Environment, Community Revitalization, Effective Citizenry, the Nonprofit Sector, and Arts. Additional information can be found on the Foundation’s website at:www.surdna.org. The Surdna Foundation’s Arts program aims, in various ways, to strengthen the artistic abilities of teens. The goal of the Surdna Arts Teachers Fellowship Program is to support the artistic revitalization of their arts teachers. Surdna’s goal is to help them increase their effectiveness as they guide and train young people for careers or advanced study. For the next round of Fellowships, Letters of Intent to Apply are due by November 14, 2008. For application information, go to: www.surdna.org/artsteachersfellowship About the Morris County School of Technology The Morris County School of Technology (www.mcvts.org) offers publicly-supported academic and career academies for Morris County High School Students. For additional information, call the Morris County School of Technology at (973) 627-4600.

Denville, NJ (6/1/08) – Barbara Castellana Stasiak, who teaches visual design, digital filmmaking, and interdisciplinary arts at the Morris County School of Technology Academy for Visual & Performing Arts, has been selected to receive a $5,000 Fellowship from the Surdna Arts Teachers Fellowship Program. The Morris County Vocational School District, where Ms. Stasiak has taught for 8 years, also has been awarded a complementary grant of $1,500 to support post-fellowship activities at the Arts Academy, one of ten career academies at the Morris County School of Technology.

The Surdna Arts Teachers Fellowship Program (SATF), a venture of the Surdna Foundation’s Arts Program, recently announced Fellowship recipients for the eighth round of its national awards. Sixteen outstanding teachers representing 14 specialized public arts high schools from around the country were selected from an initial pool of 57 applicants. The teachers excel in a broad spectrum of visual, performing, and literary arts.

Award recipients were evaluated by a peer review panel based on demonstrated excellence both as artists and teachers. All permanently assigned full- and part-time arts faculty in specialized public arts high schools were eligible to submit applications.

Ms. Stasiak’s Fellowship is to study opera stage directing and Italian song at the Accademia Europea di Firenze in Florence, Italy for four weeks in summer 2008.

“I am very excited to have been awarded this Fellowship to study opera production. My summer studies in Italy will help me to expand my students’ experience of opera, the most interdisciplinary of all art forms, and give them an additional opportunity to explore the art forms of different cultures,” said Ms. Stasiak.

“We’re thrilled to be able to offer these Fellowships to teachers of the arts. By focusing on their own creative work and interacting with professional artists and colleagues, these teachers are exposed to new ideas and practices that they can carry back to the classroom. After eight rounds of Fellowships—and 160 Fellows—we’ve witnessed the transformative effect of the Fellowship experience on both the individuals and the schools,” said Ellen B. Rudolph, Program Director for Arts, Surdna Foundation.

About the Surdna Foundation

The Surdna Foundation, a national family foundation established in 1917, helps support organizations in five program areas: Environment, Community Revitalization, Effective Citizenry, the Nonprofit Sector, and Arts. Additional information can be found on the Foundation’s website at:www.surdna.org.

The Surdna Foundation’s Arts program aims, in various ways, to strengthen the artistic abilities of teens. The goal of the Surdna Arts Teachers Fellowship Program is to support the artistic revitalization of their arts teachers. Surdna’s goal is to help them increase their effectiveness as they guide and train young people for careers or advanced study.

For the next round of Fellowships, Letters of Intent to Apply are due by November 14, 2008. For application information, go to: www.surdna.org/artsteachersfellowship

About the Morris County School of Technology

The Morris County School of Technology (www.mcvts.org) offers publicly-supported academic and career academies for Morris County High School Students. For additional information, call the Morris County School of Technology at (973) 627-4600.