"EXPRESS YOURSELF" ART SHOW
Club Members Demonstrate Their Artistic Talents Through Various Media

“Express Yourself” was the theme of a spectacular event held on Dec.10 the main Clubhouse held a spectacular event called, “Express Yourself,” where Club members from all six sites were able to express themselves through various artistic outlets. The large activity room at the main Clubhouse was transformed into an art gallery/poetry lounge setting in order for guests to experience the true ambiance of an art show.

The event included an art gallery which displayed art in eight different categories including: monochromatic drawing, multicolored drawing, pastel, watercolor, oil/acrylic paint, mixed media, sculpture, collage, and a group project. The competing age groups were nine and younger, ten to twelve years old, thirteen to fifteen years old, and sixteen to eighteen years old. The winners were judged by a panel from the Club’s Board of directors including Chairman Gary Thomas, Jane Skeeter, and Ellen Wang. There was one winner per age group in each art category. Winners were entered into the BGCA Regional Fine Arts Exhibit with chances of qualifying for the BGCA National Fine Arts Exhibit.

To showcase the Club’s various performing arts programs, the event also included performances by African dance, Hip hop, and Spoken Word, (a combination of poetry and artistic expression.)

NEW CULINARY ARTS PROGRAM
See What's Cookin' at the Canoga Park High School

Brenda Brandell, cafeteria manager at Canoga Park High School, has been very supportive of the program and assists with the cooking lessons and healthy recipes. She taught the students how to make taco shells using corn tortillas, as well as various chopping and slicing techniques to make fresh salsa. Participating Club members are also learning how to divide up responsibilities in the kitchen and work together in groups to accomplish tasks. They have been gaining more confidence in the kitchen every week and enjoying the process of preparing their own meals from start to finish. More importantly, they are making healthier choices in their eating habits in their everyday lives.

NEW GLEE CLUB AT MAIN CLUBHOUSE
Members Share Their Love of Song and Dance

The Glee Club is designed for children who have an interest in performing arts and enables them to express their passion in a group environment through song and dance. Not only are members able to have fun while sharing their love of singing and dancing with their peers, by working collectively, but- they also receive coaching on their vocal, dance, and performance skills. The choir at the Main Clubhouse has reached 15 members and still growing. In the future, Coach Walter plans on expanding the Glee Club's activities by entering into choir competitions and other performance venues.

This fall the Club is starting its new and exciting dance programs, featuring a broad variety of musical styles. The Jazz Program has more than 30 kids signed up at the main Clubhouse in Canoga Park and Reseda, Blythe, and Topeka Elementary Schools and Tierra Del Sol. In addition to the Jazz Program, the main Clubhouse program includes Hip-Hop, Tap, and African Dance.

Professional dancer, Walter Moran, with 17 years of experience, teaches our Jazz classes while the Hip-Hop and Tap Programs are being taught by professional dancer "Boom," Elton Holt, who has been featured in the international musical extravaganza, "Stomp."

Art History Gives a Picture to the Past

One of our new programs at the Reseda Elementary School site is art history, taught by Coach Mario. The goals of the class are to teach students about the many different artists throughout history and show how art reflects the times. Each week focuses on a different artist, and students have the opportunity to learn about them as well as their famous pieces of work. Coach Mario presents each lesson in a lively and entertaining manner. Students learn about the artist and then are taught how to replicate famous pieces of art. The images shown are from his most recent class where students learned about the famous 16^th century artist Leonardo da Vinci, and were being introduced to drawing human faces.

Blythe Talent Show
Our Own American Idols Strut Their Stuff!

Talented youngsters of all ages showcased their natural abilities at Blythe Elementary School on Thursday, April 2, when the Boys & Girls Club put on its 3rd Annual Talent Show.

More than 120 family and friends came to support their children and enjoy the broad range of talents demonstrated. There were fifteen fantastic performances, including karate demonstrations, dancing, singing, and acrobatics. There was even a power jump rope performance that blew the crowd away.

Staff also got into the act and demonstrated their own talents. The kids had fun watching the staff get up on stage as they sang along with staff member Terrell. The children danced and clapped with the rock ‘n’ roll show put on by Michele, Teena, Dolores, and George. The kids were mesmerized by Laurent’s piano playing. Fabulous prizes were handed out to the best performances and small prizes were raffled off to the audience members just for coming to support. The Club members who performed participated in a special pizza party just for them the next day.