Eleven HSRA/Studio 4 staff members and students attended the Coalition of Essential Schools’ Summer Institute in Miami. They led a six-hour workshop called “Hip-Hop in the Community”. All of the workshop participants took part in a recording that focused on themes of the conference and education reform in general. HSRA students who presented were: Jamal Aiken, Chantel Bolden, Matt Brown, Chris Bryant, Pierre Fulford, Simon Jean and Necole Rouse.

HSRA received recognition and a very generous donation from the Anchorage Alumni Foundation, Inc. and the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Anchorage Alumni Chapter. Bernard Gatewood, President of both the foundation and the fraternity alumni chapter, presented a donation to HSRA at a beautiful reception located in the Glass Dome of the Millennium Hotel in downtown Minneapolis during the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Grand Chapter Meeting week. Tony Simmons, Director of Development, accepted the donation on behalf of HSRA. Student Bishop “Young B.” Hicks and graduate Aleesha Clomon performed for over 250 invited guests.

Additionally, Twin Cities Public Television covered the ceremony and broadcasted both the reception and in studio recordings and interviews of Young B, Aleesha and HSRA Program Director Bryan Rossi. View the show at http://www.tpt.org/almanac/ then type “Making Music” or “High School for Recording Arts” in the “Search Current Archive by Keyword” section.

HSRA would like to thank the Anchorage Alumni Foundation, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Anchorage Alumni Chapter, TPT and ASI for their support and generosity.