The Hope Project
“Our students look forward to attending the fine art classes Hope Stone provides on Wednesdays. This is the first time many of them get to hold an instrument, a camera, or play with drums. Hope Stone has increased our attendance to 98% on Wednesdays. ... Prior to Hope Stone, our campus was deemed an F by the Texas Education Agency. This year, I am proud to announce we are a B-rated campus!”
The Hope Project provides mindful arts education through dance, music, theater, photography, digital arts, sewing/fashion design, and creative mindfulness classes to over 900 students, ages 2-99 years, of whom 85% are economically disadvantaged.
We believe this generation of children will provide the solutions to their community’s challenges – if they learn to creatively problem-solve, to think broadly and boldly, and are confident that their ideas matter. Art teaches all of these skills.
2023-2024 Community Partners
Early Learning (18 mos–6 yrs)
Small Steps Nurturing Center provides early childhood education to economically at-risk children living in the inner-city of Houston, specifically at two schools in the Fifth Ward and Gulfton communities. As we move into our eleventh year this fall with Small Steps, we are proud to be a collaborative partner as we share the belief that all students are deserving of art, regardless of their socioeconomic status. We serve all students ages 2-6 with creative movement classes.
Elementary (pre-K–5th grades)
Clemente Martinez Elementary School (Houston ISD) is a five-year community partner and serves a predominately Hispanic and African American student body, with 100% from economically disadvantaged homes. Every Wednesday during the school year, 10 weeks in the fall and 10 in the spring, all students receive an arts class in music, dance, theater or digital arts. From 8am to 2pm, 28 arts classes happen! And on Mondays, all students receive our creative mindfulness curriculum, where our teacher specialists help students practice self-regulation, impulse control, and problem solving.
Browning Elementary School (Houston ISD) serves a predominately Hispanic student body, with 92% from economically disadvantaged homes. The school had been a five-year community partner where we served all students until 2019. We’re thrilled to return this year to teach creative movement to their Pre-K classes.
The WIDE School is a three-year community partner in the Sugar Land area that inspires its students through the Reggio Emilia approach (a collaborative learning style). From grade school through high school, the arts are an important part of their children’s education. Their students will receive classes from us in Indian dance (Bollywood) and creative movement.
Middle SchooL (6th–8th Grades)
Marshall Middle School (Houston ISD), is in the feeder pattern for Clemente Martinez Elementary students. Serving a predominately Hispanic and African American student body, with 96% from economically disadvantaged homes, the school is excited to offer their students our photography and sewing/fashion design classes, as well as all 6th graders receive our creative mindfulness classes.
High School (9th-12th Grades)
Northside High School (Houston ISD), is in the feeder pattern for Clemente Martinez Elementary and Marshall Middle students. Serving a predominately Hispanic and African American student body, with 95% from economically disadvantaged homes, students receive dance classes taught by two of our master teachers, which culminates in a year-end performance.
ADULT arts CLASSES
With our vision of “Art for All,” we serve two elderly community partners. We add a beautiful component to these arts classes and make them multi-generational, inviting our youth community partners to participate with the seniors:
Brookdale Senior Living Solutions senior citizen residents participate in a weekly drumming class in the fall and spring.
Village of River Oaks senior citizen assisted living residents take part in a monthly drumming and weekly dance class. The memory care residents participate in a monthly music class and bi-monthly dance class.
Service Learning Schools
The Post Oak School middle school students participate with our Brookdale Senior Living resident drumming class, as well as garden each week with the first graders at Clemente Martinez Elementary School.
The WIDE School high school students provide ancillary art classes for the Pre-K and kindergarten students at Clemente Martinez Elementary School.
Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts dance students participate in multi-generational classes with Brookdale Senior Living, which culminates in a work performed at the HSPVA Dance Spring Showcase. This year a new collaboration takes the 10th grade dancers to Clemente Martinez Elementary where they’ll participate in a 10-week workshop with the 4th and 5th grade modern dance classes. The elementary and high school students will then perform together at the 2024 HSPVA Dance Spring Showcase.
The Hope Project’s Teaching Artist Mentor Program is fully funded by H-E-B.