Joanne E. McFadden is reporting for Capital Region Independent Media parents of students in the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk school district have come together to form an organization to support the district's arts programs. The Friends of the Arts was created “to support, promote and enhance the music and art programs” in the district. The organization will collaborate with the school district to provide opportunities for students that are not currently available. “Think of it as the equivalent of the sports association, but for music, art and drama,” said Donna Hommel, of Alcove, who serves as the group’s president. “This has been kind of a dream of ours for several years for this to happen,” said Michelle McLoughlin, high school choral director and K-12 music and art curriculum content specialist. “The fact that it’s finally getting off the ground is amazing.” The group's initial focus will be on middle school and high school programs with plans to extend to the elementary schools as the organization grows. The group will offer to fund activities beyond what the school provides. One idea is to offer scholarships for private lessons. Another scholarship would send a student to art camp or help with the purchase of materials. The friends may also fund field trips, participate in additional performance venues and bring guest composers and artists into the schools, as well as provide support to school clubs with fundraisers. Read the full story at RavenaNews [dot] com.