The Arts — it is poetry in motion, enticing gesticulations and very often a riveting display of talent that calls for the attention of an audience.
And so, on September 28, 2019, the stage was set for the first time ever to foster students from across Miami Dade County Public Schools who are artistically gifted. The newly renamed José Milton Center for the Performing Arts will soon become a mecca for culture and the arts, opened to theatre groups and performing artists alike.
This was all thanks to former MAS student Cassandra Salazar, who received Superintendent Alberto Carvahlo’s signature on a napkin, promising for the construction of an auditorium for the school’s theatre program at Miami Arts Studio at Zelda Glazer.
“A promise made is indeed a promise kept and this indeed is a promise that has resonated in my heart,” said Carvahlo during the naming ceremony for the auditorium.
The Arts need to be recognised, and the area of West Dade was in need of an artistic hub. Students at Zelda Glazer understood this to be true — a place to showcase culture and theatrics was a must.
A 14.3 million dollar investment was enough to begin a dream that started back in 2011, and very soon that dream will find its way into the hearts of talented students across the community.
“So many of our arts programs here at Miami Dade County were out east,” said Mike Balsera, principal of MAS.
“I think the superintendent and the school board member recognized that we needed to find a special place out west so that kids didn’t have to wake up at three-four in the morning to get to school and then get home as late as eight or nine PM,” he continued.
Miami Arts Studio, which was initially built as a traditional middle school, currently undergoes five years since converting to a mega magnet — and now, after years of student clamor, they are finally celebrating the opening of their new auditorium. It’s accomplishing feats such as this that encourages MDCPS students to continue to strive for their dreams, work hard, and persevere.
The works of our students must often transcend the classroom and rigorous AP courses will not always show for it. As more and more schools foster STEM related curriculum, similarly, so should students have a chance to express themselves — artistically.
“I think there’s nothing better than the arts to uplift humanity,” said Superintendent Carvahlo.
That being so, the newly constructed auditorium served as a venue for excitement and upliftment. In light of the catastrophic storm that occurred in the Bahamas, the first show welcomed students from across the District to showcase their talents in order to raise funds that will go to the Bahamas.
“It is the one thing that brings us all together — is the arts, is this type of expression whether it’s dance or theatre,” said Principal Balsera. “It speaks beyond race, beyond culture, having this space and being able to do that for our community — communities everywhere — it just speaks volumes.”
