Sisters HS senior gets to meet – and hug – first lady

Sisters High School senior Alena Nore, 18, visited the White House on Tuesday to receive an award — and got a hug — from first lady Michelle Obama.

Nore attended a special White House ceremony as a youth representative of Caldera, an Oregon non-profit organization being honored for its excellence in mentoring youth through the arts and humanities.

The 2015 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award is the nation’s highest honor for creative youth programs, recognizing the country’s best programs as well as highlighting the positive role that arts and humanities play in youth academic achievement, graduation rates and college enrollment.

The awardees — chosen from a pool of more than 285 nominations and 50 finalists from 50 states — were also recognized for improving literacy, language abilities, communication, performance skills and cultural awareness. Caldera is the first non-profit in Oregon to receive this prestigious award.

“The chance to represent my peers in accepting this award from the First Lady of the United States in the White House was an experience I’ll never forget,” Nore said. “My experience with Caldera has been life-changing. It’s exciting to see that programs like this are recognized and valued, because I know there are many more young people who need the kind of mentoring I benefited from.”

Here’s some comments Michelle Obama told the audience:

“You inspire us with your passion, your dedication, your commitment, your beautiful smiles. All of your breathtaking achievements.” “Thousands of kids all across America are dreaming just a little bigger and they’re reaching just a little higher thanks to after-school programs that you all represent.” “And we know that these programs don’t just expose kids to the arts and humanities. They teach skills like problem solving, and discipline and teamwork. And these skills aren’t just important in photo lab or on the stage. They’re also critical in the classroom. They will be critical in the boardroom. And frankly they’re skills you’ll use when you wind up here one day at the White House. Because I know some of you are headed here.” “The evidence is crystal clear. We know what arts means to kids. Kids who get involved in the arts or humanities have higher grades. They have higher graduation rates. They have higher college enrollment rates.” “As I’ve said many times before, arts education is not a luxury; it is a necessity. It’s really the air many of these kids breathe, it’s how we get kids excited about getting up and going to school in the morning. It’s how we get them to take ownership of their future. And most importantly, it’s how we get kids like Dalon to go on to college. So, this is real. And it’s critical. And it should be something that every kid has access to.” “There’s so much talent in this country. There are millions of kids like these with talent all over the place, and it is hidden, and it is untapped. And that’s why these programs are so important, because we wouldn’t know that all this existed without many of these programs. And that would be a shame. It would be a loss. It would be a travesty. So, we have to keep funding these programs. We have to keep shining a light on them. We have to keep encouraging these kids because they are the next generation of fabulous.”

Caldera mentors youth with seven years of continuous, year-round arts and environmental programming.

Since its founding in 1996, the program has engaged about 1,900 young people — from both urban and rural areas — who come to the program with myriad strengths but limited opportunities.

Caldera’s mentors and teaching artists help the youth find their own voices, self-confidence and creativity, while helping them develop problem-solving strategies, work skills and ways to exercise their creativity in all aspects of their lives. As a result, Caldera youth transform their own lives and often have a positive effect on their families and broader communities.

The powerful impact of the program is also evident in school success rates. In 2014, 100 percent of Caldera’s eighth graders transitioned successfully to ninth grade, and 90 percent of Caldera’s twelfth graders graduated from high school.

In addition to the national recognition bestowed by the prestigious award, Caldera will also receive $10,000 to support its programming and build the long-term sustainability of the organization.

“This award inspires all of us at Caldera — youth, staff, board, volunteers, supporters — to reach for new heights in our work. We are in this work for the long term, and we are excited to learn about and from the other awardees,” said Caldera Executive Director Tricia Snell, who accompanied Nore to the White House.

“We also hope that the award will shine a light on the amazing things young people can achieve through the arts, through humanities, through caring adult mentoring and through immersion in nature. Providing this to every child is an investment not only in those individual young people, but in our entire society.”

First presented in 1998, the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award is the signature program of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH). The awards are presented annually in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

Oregon Governor Kate Brown expressed her enthusiastic support for Caldera: “By engaging and inspiring young people, Caldera is giving them not just the vision but the skills to build a new and better life for themselves, for their families, and for our community.

“These young people are learning how to use creative thinking to work as a team, to solve problems and to express themselves constructively. These are exactly the kinds of skills we want them to have to be able to succeed in school, in work and in life.”

Rachel Goslins, executive director of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, emphasizes that the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards represent the nation’s highest honor for after-school arts and humanities programs.

The award recognizes and supports outstanding programs that lay new pathways to creativity, expression, and achievement. Such programs excite and engage a range of students, cultivating imagination, collaboration, discipline and academic success, with demonstrable results.

“You can’t help but be moved by these kids, who show us the transformative power of the arts and humanities,” said Goslins. “They are staying in school longer, getting better grades, graduating from high school and going on to college at significantly higher rates than their peers. And they’re building skills that will last them a lifetime.”

For more information about Caldera, visitCalderaArts.org. For more information about the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards and the full list of 2015 award recipients, visitpcah.gov.