Athens nonprofit AthFest Educates, a longtime partner and supporter of the Clarke County School District, recently awarded $65,738 in grants for the 2024-25 school year for 18 projects to support music and arts education in CCSD schools. The grants, 11 of which went directly to CCSD educators, included more than $36,000 for music and arts programs and experiences for young people, more than $1,200 for professional development, and more than $27,000 for non-consumable equipment.

Since its inception, AthFest Educates has awarded over $690,000 to CCSD in support of local music and arts education. Through the generosity of community donors and the success of the AthFest Music & Arts Festivals and the AthHalf Marathon & 5K, the organization was able to increase this year’s available funds by 30%.

Find information about each of the grants awarded below.

• The Nick & Erin Maulding Grant went to Karen Sweeney Gerow at the CCSD Learning Center, the district’s alternative school, to purchase iPads and a large format printer to expand the students’ art education into digital creation and production.

• The Athens Road Runners Grant went to Canopy Studio to fund adaptive physical education field trips for CCSD special education students. These field trips provide an adaptive approach for students to explore the circus arts, including trapeze, slings, and more.

• The John & Patricia Whitehead Grant was awarded to Amanda Price at Clarke Central High School to purchase supplies to expand the 3D Arts program to include sculptural mold making and casting techniques.

• The Green Properties, Inc. Grant was awarded to Rebecca Floyd at Cedar Shoals High School to attend the American Strings Teachers Association 2025 National Conference, and Madison Graham at Winterville Elementary School for a performance of local act, “The PG Show,” to perform at the school’s “Lunch & Lawn” event.

• The CandyVet Foundation Grant was awarded to Aaron Price of Cedar Shoals High School to purchase instruments and amplifiers for band formation, allowing Advanced Guitar students to form their own bands, as well as write and perform their own original musical compositions.

• The Athens Symphony Susan Dinwiddie Music Education Grant goes to Sarah Waller-Price of Coile Middle School to purchase additional instruments for the band program, allowing the band to once again participate in Georgia’s Large Group Performance Evaluation (LGPEs).

• Sadie Hammond of Barrow Elementary received a grant to purchase additional Orff instruments and a mobile rack to create a full, mobile Orff ensemble.

• Sharon Tran at Fowler Drive Elementary was awarded funds to purchase ukulele instruments and accessories for her fourth- and fifth-grade music students.

• Sydney Prince of Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary was awarded funds to purchase risers for her choral students, giving them a practical and effective space to rehearse.

• Leah Wooddall at Fowler Drive Elementary received funds to purchase digital cameras for her art students to learn the principles of photography and begin creating photographic compositions.

• Rosemary Milsap at Cedar Shoals High School received funds to support theatre students’ attendance at the 2025 Georgia Thespian Conference, where they will attend performances and workshops to further hone their skills.

• Isabel Scarano at Bettye H. Holston Elementary was awarded a grant to fund a weeklong workshop for fourth-grade students, featuring local author and illustrator Ruth Allen. The students will write, illustrate, and construct their own accordion-style story books.  

• HEART Music was awarded funds to provide supplemental instrument instruction to band students at Hilsman Middle School. Small group and one-on-one instruction will be provided by professional local musicians.

• Gayla Chambers at the Athens YWCO, received a grant for 30 third-grade female students to participate in a Puppetry Arts Program over the summer, including attending a performance at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta.

• Broderick Flanagan of the Economic Justice Coalition was awarded funds for a mural project in the Pinewoods neighborhood, engaging 15 Latinx middle and high school students in conceptualization, design, and implementation of public art in the community.

• Dr. Christina Hanawalt at the UGA Lamar Dodd School of Art was awarded a grant for 20 middle school students to participate in a 10-week Contemporary Art Studio program in connection with the Lamar Dodd School of Art and Athenaeum, engaging with current exhibits, artists, and participating in art creation.

• The UGA Performing Arts Center (PAC) was awarded a grant for 3,000 CCSD students to attend one of the PAC’s Performances for Young People series, including the jaw-dropping acrobatic feats of “Circa,” the inspirational voices of Kingdom Choir, or the percussive rhythms of “Step Afrika!”.