March 10 and 11:

 March 10:

         Monthly
Yearbook Contest                  

March 10

 March 15:

 March 16 and 17:

 March 19:

              Go Hawks!!!

 March 21:

ExtendedResearch Project

(ERP)

 March 22:

West Sound Academy              

   Board of Trustees 

 March 24:

Kitsap Youth Rally

for Human Rights

 March 28 - 30:

      Extended
Research Project
         (ERP)

Tuesday,  Wednesday, and Thursday
                March 29-31

 March 31:

There will be NO SCHOOL

 on Friday, March 31, 2017

West Sound Academy (WSA) students have organized and directed Listen to Your Art music and arts festivals in Port Gamble for the last two summers.  These entirely student-run festivals have raised over $13,000 for The Trevor Project, the nation’s largest suicide prevention hotline specifically geared toward LGBTQ teens.  The three founders graduated from West Sound Academy in June, but now current students are planning for a third Listen to Your Art festival, set for July 9, 2017 at a new location: Mike Wallace Park in Kingston.

Past Listen to Your Art festivals have tackled two goals:  promoting greater awareness to the Kitsap community of the problem of teen suicide, and raising funds for a nationally-recognized organization that is addressing the problem around the country.  "Listen to Your Art is important because it educates people about The Trevor Project, while providing a super fun day of music and festivities," Grace Schmitt, a WSA freshman, explains.

Last summer's Listen to Your Art festival in August was very successful, with 300 attendees, around $7,000 raised for The Trevor Project, and involvement of fifteen business sponsors and artists.  Espen Swanson, WSA senior and veteran of the first two festivals, is one of three student co-leaders of this year's Listen to Your Art team, serving as strategic planning manager.  "As we’ve started work on Year 3, one of our biggest challenges has been to figure out how to restructure with new people," he admits.  Swanson is using a web-based project management and collaboration tool to organize students' efforts in marketing, planning, and fund-raising. 

The group is excited about the new location and changes planned for Listen to Your Art 3 on July 9 at Mike Wallace Park in Kingston.  "We will have more bands (two stages), more artists, and more educational opportunities like workshops," Swanson says. "One of our main goals this year is to increase community engagement, so we are looking for educational organizations, such as GLSEN or The Trevor Project, to participate more in the festival," he adds.

The students have launched a crowd-sourced funding drive on YouCaring to raise the necessary seed money to stage the festival.  The overall fundraising goal this year is $10,000.  All donations are tax deductible, and all profits will go to benefit either Listen to Your Art programs or The Trevor Project. 

https://www.youcaring.com/listen-to-your-art-661329

As they work through all of the details of putting on a complex event, student organizers keep in mind their ultimate goal, stated in the Listen to Your Art mission statement: "We hope to overcome the taboo that is assigned to the topic of suicide and create a safe and open space that is willing to discuss and overcome the issue through a day of creative education."  Quinn Lanning, WSA junior and member of the team, says, "Being a part of Listen to Your Art has been an amazing experience. It's expanded my knowledge of event organization and it's brought me closer to my community. As an LGBT person and activist, I love knowing that this festival will benefit many other LGBT youth in need of a voice. "

Annika Nelson, another WSA junior, sums up the feelings of all of the students involved in planning next summer's festival.  "I've been involved with Listen to Your Art since the beginning. It started with a bunch of high school students wanting to raise awareness about the Trevor project and get people comfortable talking about the subject. Throughout the process, we've grown as a team professionally, as well as gained the opportunity to be advocates for an important cause. I can't wait to see how it all turns out."

A certain group of WSA students and recent graduates haven't been taking it easy this summer.  They have been hard at work completing preparations and planning for the Listen to Your Art festival, taking place on August 6, from 12 noon to 9 p.m. at the baseball field in Port Gamble.

The goal for this entirely student-run music and art festival is to raise money and awareness for the Trevor Project, the country's leading crisis intervention and suicide prevention service for youth, with specific assistance for LGBTQ teens.

Listen to Your Art was orignally created and continues to be managed by WSA students.  Last year's event succeeded in raising $6,000 for the Trevor Project. This year the Listen to Your Art team hopes to continue their success, and they have partnered with local bands, artists, and businesses to create a fun day and a meaningful donation to the Trevor Project. 

Bands appearing at Listen to Your Art:   Isthmusia Mathew the Animal House of Blue Leaves Iffy Comma Henry Mansfield and the Bearded Scooter Gang Mt. Lake Eleventy One

The festival is for all ages, and will include a full day of music, lawn games, art creation and food. For more information, check out our Facebook pages (one for the organization, one for the event), and feel free to contact us any time at listentoyourartevent@gmail.com. If you’re interested in donating, a link to the GoFundMe page is also included at the bottom.

The Listen to Your Art staff has planned for a lively and entertaining event, and hopes to reach many people on August 6 with the message of the Trevor Project.  

https://www.facebook.com/listentoyourart/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

https://www.facebook.com/events/1319359811426405/

https://www.gofundme.com/84quccn8

Questions, comments, and vendor inquiries can be made to listentoyourartevent@gmail.com