Dallas City of Learning Partners: Fine Arts Nth

Established: Summer of 2012

About: Fine Arts Nth directors Ronald Oliver and Biola Rotibi believe that education is fundamental to the survival of a society and empowers one to advance or move forward and this can be enhanced by integration, technology and the fine arts. Community and culture preserves history, identity, and sets up the social structure for nurturing and thriving. Therapy is also essential to the body, mind and spirit, and it brings wholeness, healing and restoration. Finally, entrepreneurship and leadership build the capacity to serve, implementing a vision and discovering a vocational calling that empowers financial freedom, stewardship, mentorship and investing.

Why is Summer Learning so Important?
“Mr. Rotibi and I strongly believe in summer learning opportunities for children,” says Oliver. “Instructional practices offered during the summer model the best possible outcomes for student success based on STEAM curriculum. This invaluable accessibility through DCoL is pivotal for partners such as Fine Arts Nth.”

Why Partner with Dallas City of Learning?
“Fine Arts Nth feels DCoL offers a viable, accessible, and sustainable conduit for all children to have meaningful academic engagement via the digital XP’s and the local XP’s,” says Oliver. “Basically, DCoL is assisting in leveling the academic, enrichment, and social-emotional playing fields for the children of Dallas.”

How Does Your Participation In Dallas City of Learning Benefit Fine Arts Nth Kids?
“Fine Arts Nth (FAN) Collaboration, as well as our partnership with Dallas City of Learning, affords us the opportunity to impact the children of Dallas academically, socially, emotionally, and creatively,” says Oliver. “DCoL provides Fine Arts Nth a broad digital platform for student engagement and access. Without DCoL’s digital website, Fine Arts Nth’s capacity to engage with the children of Dallas would be considerably less.”

What Is Your Vision and Passion for the Future of Education?
“Our vision for the future of education is considerably more complex than anything we could offer in a short answer format,” says Oliver. “We consider education to be an inalienable right and with it a surety of equal and equitable access for all children. Honestly, if Dallas City of Learning along with its many partners comes close to creating and sustaining such educational equity, we’ve done a great service with our given charge.”

– Mario Tarradell