PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) -- A round of new arts grants this year is beginning to bear fruit in Philadelphia schools.
It's crunch time at the Overbrook Educational Center, where students are in their final days of rehearsals for their production of 'The Wiz' next Friday, Saturday and Sunday (May 10-12).
Seventh grader Heaven-Lee Crespo is playing Dorothy. And for her, this is more than simply an after-school activity.
"It gets me out of my comfort zone," Crespo said, "and it gets me away from all the schoolwork and lets me have fun and do what I love."
Director and first grade teacher Meredith Leon says for her students the value of the experience goes beyond the stage.
"What they learn from putting on this show -- not just the memorizing lines and understanding plot and a storyline and the memorizing of dance moves, but it gets kids up, it gets kids moving," Leon said. "It gets kids working together, learning from each other and being something that's bigger than themselves."
OEC, along with the Cook-Wissahickon Elementary and Tilden Middle schools, received the first $10,000 multi-year Picasso arts grants this year from Public Citizens for Children and Youth.
"It's not just about one class is the art class, one class is the theater and dance class," said Tim Gibbon, PCCY's Picasso project director. "It all comes together and connects the different themes that students are learning in all of their classes."
Leon says OEC has used the money for long-lasting items including lighting, as well as the set and costumes.
Gibbon says PCCY plans to expand the grants to three more schools next year.