Circus for Arts in the Schools is a benefit to support arts education in Alameda. Highly accomplished circus performers donate their time and talents for a great cause and a great show.

Jeff Raz, formerly of the Pickle Family Circus, will once again join a cast of top acrobats, clowns, jugglers, musicians and more (all donating their time) to bring the Circus for Arts in the Schools to Alameda. Jeff is the director of the Clown Conservatory at Circus Center, San Francisco, and a Paden School parent.

In previous years, the Circus has funded a successful arts program at Paden, Otis and Washington Schools. Centered around live, professional works of art, this program brings classroom teachers and teaching artists together to create vibrant, curriculum-rich lessons that challenge every student and that strive to meet each child's learning needs.

Proceeds from the 2006 Circus for Arts in the Schools will continue to support the Arts in the Schools Program at Paden, Otis and Washington, and will make it possible to expand the program to a fourth school -- Encinal High. As in the past, other AUSD schools will have the opportunity to support their own arts programs by selling Circus tickets at their schools.

We believe that quality arts education makes our community stronger by encouraging each child to learn in the matter that is most meaningful to him or her, and by helping every child build the skills to become an engaged, creative, and resourceful adult.

And what better way to support arts education than to throw a World Class Circus!

For more information about the Circus for Arts in the Schools, email Pam Arneson at pam@circusforarts.org, or call 510-587-3399.

For more information about the arts in education, visit the California Arts Council web site.