Regional Centers
The Perpich Regional Centers program extends the Center’s reach to serve schools and teachers throughout the state in each of the nine Educational Service Cooperative regions. Professional development opportunities are available throughout Greater Minnesota and the metro area. Perpich Regional Centers are an umbrella for three programs: Regional Arts Teacher-Leader Network, Demonstration Schools, and Regional Workshops. Find out how to get involved in each of these programs below!
Regional Arts Teacher-Leader Network
A team of over 65 teacher-leaders in the arts from all across Minnesota participate in multi-year leadership development while collaborating to develop action plans for supporting educators in their regions.
Demonstration Schools
Teachers in 35 locations annually open their classrooms to host professional development through focused classroom observation. The day ends with a collaborative post-observation debrief facilitated by one of our Arts Education Specialists.
Regional Workshops
Bringing professional development to your region, our team of Arts Education Specialists travel the state offering workshops in partnership with the Educational Service Cooperatives.
REGIONAL ARTS TEACHER-LEADER NETWORK
The Regional Arts Teacher-Leader Network is built on the importance of teacher leadership. Offering an experiential multi-year leadership development program for arts educators across the state, the Regional Arts Teacher-Leader Network pairs theory with practice. Working with our Perpich Arts Education Specialists and Regional Centers Director, Regional Arts Teacher-Leaders participate in ongoing professional development while strengthening their role as resources to their communities. The program forges strong professional connections between arts educators across Minnesota.
The Regional Arts Teacher-Leader (RAT-L) Network consists of 65-75 educators from the nine Educational Service Cooperative regions of Minnesota and includes representatives of five arts areas: Dance, Media Arts, Music, Theater, and Visual Arts.
The RAT-L Network grows leadership from within the communities they are serving. Through their annual leadership projects, Regional Art Teacher-Leaders work to identify the needs of other arts educators in their regions and take actions to address those needs. Through collaboration with Perpich, the RAT-Ls act as arts advocates and bring new opportunities to their communities.
See below for the list of distinguished teachers in our RAT-L network for FY21
- Kara Brager – Music
- Jessica Chipman – Theater
- Jonathan Hartman – Visual Arts
- Rebecca Meyer-Larson – Theater
- Michelle Sailer – Visual Arts
- Lori Constable – Theater
- Amanda Driesen – Theater
- Hannah Edwards – Visual Arts
- Michelle (Mickey) Farmer – Dance
- Karen Frawley – Music
- Mary Gagnon – Music
- Emily Gill – Theater
- Kim Kroetsch – Music
- Lori LeDoux – Dance
- Heidi Miller – Visual Arts
- Michael Moeller – Music
- Aaron Monson – Visual Arts
- John Myszkowski – Music
- Kevan Nitzberg – Visual Arts
- Kirsten Pardun-Johannsen – Theater
- Jenny Pennaz – Dance
- Fathimath (Eliza) Rasheed – Theater
- Theresa Schmidt – Music
- Hannah Starke – Media Arts
- Kaitlin Stein – Dance
- Nora Tycast – Music
- Peter Froehlingsdorf – Theater
- Debra Hannu – Visual Arts
- Cynthia Johnson – Dance
- Greg Jones – Theater
- Threse Kill – Visual Arts
- Susan Nelson – Theater
- Kathryn Hahn – Music
- Noelle Kuitunen-Johnson – Music
- Jeff Sands – Music
- Molly Wiste – Visual Arts
- Sarah Cooley – Music
- Holly Lathe – Music
- Alicia Peters – Visual Arts
- Myranda Urick – Visual Arts
- Jennifer Wirz – Theater
- Kara Poissant – Visual Arts
- Adam Tervola Hultberg – Music
- Karen Warner – Media Arts
- Amy Muehlenhardt – Visual Arts
- Julie Buehler – Music
- Tiffany Erie – Visual Arts
- Karna Hauck – Media Arts
- Thomas Horner – Dance
- Katherine Norrie – Visual Arts
- Jennifer Olson – Visual Arts
- John Schreiber – Theater
- Erika Bierman – Music
- Brydie DeMuth – Visual Arts
- Anne Edwards – Music
- Tamara Isfeld – Media Arts
- Amy Labat – Music
- Jamie Steffl – Visual Arts
- Christine Tromblay – Visual Arts
REGIONAL ARTS TEACHER-LEADER APPLICATION
Eligibility
Perpich Center annually opens applications for the Regional Arts Teacher-Leader Network to teachers licensed in dance, music, theater, and/or visual/media arts. Teachers of another subject area integrating dance or theater into their work are also encouraged to apply. Applicants will need active support from a building-level administrator and will need to attend three network meetings per year. See the application details for further requirements.
***Deadline extended to May 4, 2020 due to COVID-19.***
REGIONAL ARTS TEACHER-LEADER COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP EXAMPLES
Below are examples of how Regional Arts Teacher-Leaders have supported their regions.
- “Embracing Diversity through Cultural Competencies in Theater Instruction” Workshop
- “Making Connections” Workshop focusing on growing understanding of Dakota culture and its contributions to the arts
- Establishing metro area Media Arts recurring meetups
- “Finding Your Voice, Sharing Your Vision” session at the NW Cooperative
- Create a database for dance and physical education teachers to create and share information
- “Creating a Successful Theater Program in a Small School” Workshop
- “Calling All Superheroes” Collaborative review of the new MN academic standards in the arts
- Establishing a database of musical compositions by people of color and women
DEMONSTRATION SCHOOLS
Teachers learning from teachers is at the heart of our Demonstration Schools program. Offering professional development firmly grounded in the classroom, demonstration site teachers annually open their doors to visitors for classroom observation followed by a collaborative debrief session facilitated by one of Perpich Center’s State Arts
Education Specialists. With 35 sites across the state, we offer opportunities for observation in dance, media arts, music, theater, visual arts, and dance in the physical education classroom.
Demonstration Schools
Dance/Theater
- Anoka Middle School for the Arts
- Buffalo High School
- Lake City High School
- Lowell Elementary (Duluth)
- Mississippi Creative Arts (St. Paul)
- Moorhead High School
- Paynesville Secondary School
- Chanhassen High School
- Hibbing High School
Music
- Detroit Lakes Middle School
- Lincoln High School (Thief River Falls)
- Northern Elementary School (Bemidji)
- Osseo Park Center High School
- Otsego Elementary
- Pillager Elementary
- Pipestone Middle School
- Plainville Elgin Millville
- Renville County West Elementary
- Rossman Elementary (Detroit Lakes)
- Saint Louis Park Middle School
Visual and Media Arts
- Alexandria Area High School
- Northfield High School
- Bemidji Middle School
- Ordean East Middle School (Duluth)
- Redwood Valley High School
- Rockford Elementary Arts Magnet
- Upsala Elementary & High School
- Rosa Parks Elementary (Mankato)
- Mississippi Creative Arts (St. Paul)
A Demonstration School visit involves a brief overview and introductions before observing one to three classroom sessions. Participants are provided with school information, demographics, a lesson plan for the day, as well as other resources before observation begins. After observation, participants are encouraged to help guide the conversation by sharing their reflections, curiousities, and wonderings. The goal of the day is to create collaborative conversations and spark ideas for participants own classrooms.
