Preparing Students for Successful Futures

I was in 6th grade when Turnaround Arts was first implemented at my school. I remember before that Fremont was a fairly rough school, the attendance wasn’t so great. But I found that through the arts, kids started showing up more. It was an incentive to want to do better in school.

What Turnaround Arts means to me is that every kid has the opportunity to discover themselves through the arts. Sometimes when you can’t figure out stuff through words, you can do that through music or dance. It’s easier. Every kid has an opportunity to find themselves.

Without the arts, I wouldn’t have the experiences that made me who I am today.

Without the arts, I wouldn’t have the experiences that made me who I am today. Even though I don’t want to major in music when I go to college – I want to go into the medical field – music and the arts have made me a better person and better prepared for that. It has made me learn how to have patience with myself and others, it’s made me better in math, and have better control and responsibility over myself. I am just better prepared to go into whatever field I choose.

Sarah Burke Baker is a former student at Turnaround Arts Partner School, Fremont Lopez Elementary in Stockton. She is currently attending University of the Pacific to be a Speech and Language Pathologist.