DANCING FOR HONOR ROLL : SCHOOL GIVES TOP BILLING TO STAGE ARTS.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Daily News Staff Writer

Parent Anna Lozano believes the arts enrich the soul, so she jumped at the chance to enroll her daughter in Keppel Union School District's first performing arts school.

After going through auditions in the summer, nearly 80 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders have signed up this year at Almondale Middle School to take classes in music, singing, drama and dance.

``The arts are a great way to learn. It's fun, it helps you learn, and they open up your mind,'' said Lozano's 12-year-old daughter Lynnea, who wants to be a teacher, dancer or airline hostess. ``I like the dancing and drama. It's fun and good exercise. It's beautiful and helps you physically and mentally.''

Lozano said her daughter has always had a natural inclination toward the arts. The seventh-grader has studied classical ballet for four years and goes to sleep at night listening to Chopin.

``The arts are needed, particularly in the valley, because unless children are given some arts appreciation, they will not get it outside of school,'' Lozano said. ``I'm happy to see the arts magnet come in. I'm a firm believer that arts truly enhances the personality of children.''

Other elementary school districts in the Antelope Valley offer arts and music classes to students but not on such a complete and organized basis as Keppel's program is planned to do.

Teacher Debbie Logsdon, who is teaching the dance classes, said she came up with the idea for the school last spring, and school administrators and board members backed it.

``We needed education in the arts,'' Logsdon said. ``A lot of kids think it's television and radio. They have no idea about jazz and classical music. The goal is to teach kids they are all artists.''

Along with Logsdon, two other Almondale teachers will head up the effort: David McCaslin who will conduct the musical programs; and Rubbie Hodge, who will oversee the area of drama.

In addition to their general course of study, students can take classes in acting, theater production, dance, music appreciation and band. The arts classes will be in lieu of a physical education class or elective.

Also, the arts will be weaved through the basic curriculum of math, science, reading and language arts. For example, in history, students will learn about artists of the time, or in math, students will study Leonardo da Vinci's inventions and endeavors in math and science.

``They're getting an art emphasis layered on top of the curriculum,'' Logsdon said.

Projects planned for the school year include a spring musical, where students will perform scenes from 20th century musicals and the original plays from which they were derived.

The production will include scenes from ``Romeo and Juliet,'' ``West Side Story,'' ``Pygmalion,'' ``My Fair Lady,'' ``Taming of the Shrew'' and ``Kiss Me Kate,'' Logsdon said.

A school fund-raiser will feature a 1960s beatnik-style coffeehouse where students will read their own poetry, perform modern dance and play musical instruments.

Pupils in the program range from those who are actively involved in some aspect of the arts to those who expressed an interest.

``It is a kid who wants to learn about arts or a kid who maybe has dance lessons and they love it,'' Logsdon said. ``If you have had formal training, it's not that important.''

To prepare for the program, Logsdon and Hodge attended a weeklong teacher training session at the Music Center in Los Angeles where they studied with dancer Bella Lewitzky, the Master Chorale, and the Mark Taper Forum drama troupe.

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2 Photos

Photo: (1--color in AV edition only) Dance teacher Debbi e Logsdon leads ballet students through their exercises in one of the courses at the new performing arts school.

(2--color) Students practice modern dance moves at Keppel Union School District's performing arts school.

Jeff Goldwater/Daily News