We cannot thank vBCF enough for this much-needed grant. They are truly helping us further the education and safety our students.”

KGMAA Board President Margie Brennan

PORTSMOUTH — Portsmouth High School has been chosen as the recipient of a $225,000 grant from the van Beuren Charitable Foundation (vBCF), which will be used to directly support the upgrade of the school auditorium

The grant award, which was achieved through the assistance of the Kate Grana Music & Arts Association (KGMAA), will allow the school to focus on three main components: improve student participation in the Career and Technical Program, advance Technical Education efficiency, and provide access to a safe, welcoming, and functional community space for local outside organizations to use during off hours.

“There is no way to thank the KGMAA board enough for all of the hard work they have done to get us this grant,” Superintendent of Schools Ana Riley said in a prepared news release. “KGMAA is not only benefiting our students’ education but they are truly benefiting the entire community.”

KGMAA Board President Margie Brennan said she’s overjoyed. 

“This is a huge step forward for the Kate Grana Music and Arts Association’s mission to reimagine and modernize the long-neglected Portsmouth High School auditorium and music suite. We cannot thank vBCF enough for this much-needed grant. They are truly helping us further the education and safety our students,” she said.

The high school was originally built in 1959, and though the building has had three major renovations and additions over the years (1963, 1981 and 2000), the auditorium has remained untouched for almost six decades. Some of the problems facing the auditorium currently include out-dated technical systems (light and sound), substandard accommodations, and safety concerns.

The auditorium has been used by Portsmouth and Aquidneck Island citizens throughout its history for assemblies, plays, band performances, choral concerts, school functions, fund-raisers, town gatherings and more. During the day, the auditorium is used as a classroom for theater and the new Academy for Media Communication and Digital Video Production program. 

Certified by the R.I. Department of Education (RIDE), the career and technical dducation program (CTE) delivers specialized instruction in communication and video skills. Portsmouth High is the only school that provides this type of course in the surrounding area. It’s offered to all of Aquidneck Island, Tiverton, Little Compton and Bristol/Warren students.

Timetable

Through the collaboration with KGMAA, phase one of the theater renovation will include new lighting and sound equipment and is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2019. New seating is projected to be installed summer of 2019.

KGMAA, which established nonprofit status earlier this year, is reviewing technical and structural needs of the PHS auditorium and music suite and assists in fund-raising for improvements in order to establish a center for music and the performing arts. 

In recognition of the late Kate Grana and her decades of influence and dedication to Portsmouth, the new auditorium will be named in her honor.​ To donate or join the cause, visit www.KGMAA.org. 

Established in 1986 in Rhode Island, the van Beuren Charitable Foundation is a family philanthropy dedicated to protecting and preserving the unique characteristics of Newport County and improving the quality of life for its residents. The foundation has focused on enhancing the effectiveness in three main areas; landscapes and the built environments, education and health. To learn more, visit www.vbcfoundation.org.