SCHOOL'S PERFORMING ARTS ACADEMY GARNERS HONOR.

Byline: Joanne Crawford Education

Almondale Middle School's Performing Arts Academy has received an honorable mention in the nationwide Annual Leadership for Learning Awards for 1999.

The nominees for the award, given out in late January, were evaluated by a national Leadership for Learning selection committee, said teacher Debbie Logsdon.

The school's academy, directed by Logsdon and teacher Rubbie Hodge, was created to improve student performance by integrating art into the academic curriculum, she said.

The curriculum integrates an art perspective into the studies of English, and math concepts and dance are combined in physical education workouts, emphasizing creative thinking skills, Logsdon said.

``Performing on the road, or at a neighborhood high school, the group has performed many successful shows,'' Logsdon said. ``Some of their major performances have included `The Nutcracker Suite,' `Beatnik Cafe' and `Annie.' ''

The academy produces an average of 15 different performances each year. This year, the academy will perform a musical production of ``The Wiz'' scheduled for June 4-6 at Littlerock High School and an upcoming fund-raiser ``dinner theater'' March 27. The students also will participate in the Keppel Union School District Education Foundation Follies on March 19.

LANCASTER - Antelope Valley College will present ``Vision of Flight: Forty Years of NASA Original Art'' March 3-31 at the college art gallery, located at 3041 W. Ave. K.

Aerospace buffs and art lovers will find common ground in the free exhibit featuring artwork from NASA's extensive collection of art from Washington, D.C., and Florida, said AVC's public relations director, Steve Standerfer.

Local contributions from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base also will be displayed, Standerfer said.

Dryden center officials were instrumental in bringing the exhibit to the college, he said.

``For more than 30 years, NASA's Art Program has documented America's major accomplishments in aeronautics and space through the eyes of artists including Norman Rockwell, Andy Warhol, James Wyeth and Robert McCall,'' Standerfer said. ``One of McCall's works will be in the exhibit, along with works by Southern California artist Bob Schaar. The idea of using art to document NASA's efforts originated with James E. Webb, NASA administrator from 1961 to 1968. NASA has tried to provide artists with every possible view and experience of subjects and events.''

A team of artists was in Florida for the first flight of the space shuttle Columbia on April 12, 1982, and another team was at Edwards Air Force Base two days later for Columbia's landing, Standerfer said.

The Space Shuttle is the subject in many of the paintings in the exhibit, he said.

Anyone living in the Antelope Valley will see representations of things that happened in their own back yard, said Cam Martin, director of NASA Dryden's external affairs.

``The whole thrust behind the NASA fine arts program is part of NASA's responsibility to communicate to everyone what we are doing,'' Martin said. ``It's very straightforward for engineers to communicate to other engineers the technical aspect of what's going on. But artists have a unique gift of helping people understand what it feels like.''

Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.

An opening-night reception will be held at the gallery March 3 at 7 p.m.

The gallery is located on the southwest side of the campus.

For more information, call AVC at [phone].

LANCASTER - Black History Month activities will be held Thursday and Saturday at Antelope Valley College.

Brian Roy, a financial adviser for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, will offer investment and financial information from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday in the Applied Arts Building, Room 107.

Herbalist Elizabeth Dowdy, fitness trainer Erika Thomas, makeup artists Linda Paul and Frances Isles, and fashion consultants Le Nika Coleman and Michelle Winsan will conduct presentations Saturday in Room 102 of the Student Services Building.

Times for the talks will be at 9 a.m., 9:45 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2:45 p.m., respectively, Standerfer said.

Chef Betty Berrysmith also will conduct a presentation from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Room 321 of the Student Services Building, he said.

For more details, contact Sandra Sampson at [phone].