The Bakerview Music Academy has been selected as the recipient of the Abbotsford board of education’s annual Community Matters Award for 2016.
The academy received multiple nominations, along with testimonials from several students.
The academy is a non-profit after-school music program for children in Abbotsford, offered at no charge because the people behind the academy want to promote positive social change through the power of music.
Bakerview Music Academy serves more than 60 students from eight schools in the district.
Students attend Tuesdays and Thursdays for lessons from professional music teachers in violin, cello, piano, choir and percussion. The program runs entirely on donations.
In one of the nominations, Lisa Lainchbury, principal of Dormick Park Elementary, had high praise for the academy.
“They are providing (our) families with an option to extend their learning day, and participate in an enriching musical experience,” she said. “This experience (at Bakerview) is instilling a love of learning in the students, and a desire to attend and continue to learn after school.”
Board of education chair Rhonda Pauls said the instructors, board and volunteers at the academy “have gone over and above to create an environment for children to learn – and learn to love – creating music.”
“It enhances learning, and contributes to a positive experience for students in the district,” she said.
Twelve nominations were received for the 2016 Community Matters Award.
The board of education established the annual award last year to recognize community partners who have made a significant contribution to the lives of students in the Abbotsford school district.
The inaugural Community Matters Awards went to The Abbotsford Rotary Club, Abbotsford Food Bank and the Kiwanis Clubs of Abbotsford and Clearbrook in spring of 2015.
For more information, visit sd34.bc.ca/board/CommunityMatters.