by Dr. Kristen Paglia
I am thankful for my job. I am happy to say that I feel that way all year, but for the last 10 years at P.S. ARTS I have also enjoyed the specific luxury at Thanksgiving time of sorting through all the different kinds of thankful I get to feel doing this work. Sometimes my gratitude is aimed at being able to make a living at something I care about. Often, I am grateful for the staff, trustees, supporters, and other incredible people I learn from every day. Of course, I am especially grateful for the times I get to be immersed in the joy, curiosity, and artistry of the more than 25,000 children P.S. ARTS serves.
These moments occur when all the moments of everyday gratitude converge at once and I am filled with the kind of optimism and energy that compels me to – just as P.S. ARTS programs encourage children to – dream bigger, work harder, and take better care of this earth and its people.
Like I said, I am thankful in some way for my job all year round, but a few weeks ago when NBC Give and actor Aldis Hodge visited P.S. ARTS’ program at Martin Luther King Elementary in Compton, I got to have what I call a “moment of true wellbeing.” These moments occur when all the moments of everyday gratitude converge at once and I am filled with the kind of optimism and energy that compels me to – just as P.S. ARTS programs encourage children to – dream bigger, work harder, and take better care of this earth and its people.
The day of the shoot, I got to see dozens of third graders throw themselves into a science lesson with total abandon through dance! Watching them barely able to contain their excitement and creativity as they enacted the “bee dance” and explored national science standards with our nonprofit partner, P.S. Science, was beyond gratifying. The children got to spend time with the incredible Aldis Hodge, who could not have been a better role model for scholastic enthusiasm, artistic inspiration, humor, and kindness. I also loved that the students got to see just how many people it takes to film a TV show and get a window into the broad range of career opportunities that exist in the arts. Moreover, P.S. ARTS was presented with a $25,000 gift from the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation so that we can continue to provide arts in underserved public schools! It was the kind of day that will get me through those, inevitable, not so easy days. For this, I am so thankful.
I hope you enjoy watching P.S. ARTS’ episode of NBC Give with Aldis Hodge, and that it gives you a moment of wellbeing on this Thanksgiving day, too.
