Blue Man Group Sets Sights on Global Education Transformation

Blue Man Group Sets Sights on Global Education Transformation

Jon Stewart hosts First Annual Blue School Fundraiser in support of the Blue School and its outreach programs

NEW YORK, March 17 /PRNewswire/ -- New York City's Blue School, preschool and elementary educational center co-founded by the creators of Blue Man Group, combines the most effective established strategies in education with new approaches backed by advances in neuroscience, human development and social-emotional intelligence, to develop a curriculum which helps children fall in love with the joy of curiosity and learning. This approach, along with their vision for expansion and curriculum-sharing, adds the Blue School to a list of luminaries seeking global education transformation.

According to David Rock, author of "Quiet Leadership", co-Founder of the NeuroLeadership Summit and Blue School, Board Member, "It has been over 100 years since there has been any kind of significant new school system approach, yet there have been incredible scientific breakthroughs in that time regarding how the brain works and how learning happens. We're aiming to create an emotional and physical environment that maximizes learning." Blue School Advisory Board Member Daniel Siegel, PhD, and author of "Parenting from the Inside Out" and "The Developing Mind", adds, "We now have proof that academic performance improves with increased social emotional intelligence. We want to create an education system that develops the part of the brain that gives you self-confidence, the capacity for compassion, critical thinking and creativity."

The Blue School mission is to cultivate creative, joyful, and compassionate inquirers who use courageous and innovative thinking to build a harmonious and sustainable world.

Along with their advisory board, which also includes Sir Ken Robinson, renowned expert on Creativity and the author of "The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything," and Larry Cohen, PhD, Licensed Psychologist and author of "Playful Parenting", the Blue School founders intend to create a replicable education approach. By serving as a laboratory school for curriculum development, Blue School aims to help schools around the globe improve the educational experience of their students. Future plans include multiple schools adopting the Blue School approach, professional development and workshops for teachers, after-school and weekend programs open to the public, and replicable curriculum modules.

On Thursday, April 2, 2009, Jon Stewart will host the First Annual Blue School Fundraiser in support of the Blue School, its mission and its outreach programs. The evening will consist of lively entertainment and dialogue with many of the schools supporters and host committee, including Billy Crudup, Darren Aronofsky, and Rachel Weisz.

The legendary fashion photographers known as "Inez and Vinoodh" -- Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin -- will be honored for their incredible commitment to creativity, as well as their support of the Blue School.

Jon Stewart says, "The Blue School's creative approach to education is vital if we wish to cultivate independent thinkers and problem solvers. Learning to follow the herd has gotten us nowhere. We need more brave souls willing to think differently, problem-solve differently, create differently."

ABOUT THE FIRST ANNUAL BLUE SCHOOL FUNDRAISING GALA

WHO: Jon Stewart, Blue Man Group and friends
WHEN: Thursday, April 2, 2009 6pm
WHAT: Blue School Fundraising Gala
WHERE: The Angel Orensanz Foundation
172 Norfolk Street, NYC 10002
WHY: In support of Blue School's vision of global education
transformation. Contributions will support curriculum development,
documentation and dissemination of Blue School Curriculum and help achieve
goals for tuition assistance, program enhancement and facility expansion.

TO PURCHASE TICKETS: www.theblueschool.org

ABOUT BLUE SCHOOL

Blue School has developed a curriculum for preschool and early elementary grades that places creativity and social-emotional learning at the center of an inquiry-based educational experience. The approach takes the best of the last 100 years in education and builds on it using the latest research in the fields of human development, social cognitive and effective neuroscience, and learning theory. Because no one school can serve an unlimited number of children, Blue School is dedicated to developing a replicable education approach. By serving as a laboratory school for curriculum development, Blue School can help schools around the globe improve the educational experience of their students.

Source: Blue School

CONTACT: Nancy Hirsch of Nancy Hirsch Group, +1-212-967-3805,
nancy@nhirschgroup.com

Web Site: http://www.theblueschool.org/

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