Foundation Summer Intern
The Barbara Ingram Foundation has a non-paid student BISFA Alumni Intern Position available this summer from June until August (start and end dates are flexible).
The candidate would work 10-12 hours a week, Monday through Thursday, and learn the fundamentals of a non-profit organization.
Duties include, but not limited to:
- writing press releases
- social media posting
- organizing paperwork
- assisting with the Summer Arts Academy
- researching grant opportunities
- updating alumni lists
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to mimid@barbaraingramfoundation.org
Deadline for submission is May 16, 2022
BISFA Students Representing the Foundation
The Barbara Ingram School for the Arts Foundation is pleased to welcome Joshua Dickinson as our alumni summer intern for 2021! A recent graduate, Joshua was one of the students who transferred to BISFA when the Computer Game Development & Animation program moved from Washington County Technical High School (WCTHS). He majored in sound design under the program’s teacher, Keon Billings, and composed soundtracks for games and other standalone pieces.
Prior to attending WCTHS and BISFA, Joshua attended North Hagerstown High School and was a percussionist, as well as the Drumline Section Leader for the HUBS Marching Band. He will be attending West Virginia University in the fall for Music Education, with the goal of becoming a high school band director.
As the Foundation’s summer intern, Joshua will learn the ins and outs of running a nonprofit organization. His duties will include writing press releases, posting on social media, organizing paperwork in preparation for our annual audit, assisting with the Summer Arts Academy, researching grant opportunities, and more.
The Foundation is also pleased to welcome Taylor Shay, an incoming senior from the Dance program, as the Student Representative to our Board of Directors for the 2021-2022 school year.
Taylor had the privilege of attending the BISFA CATs and Summer Academy of the Arts programs both as a student and intern. She is an active member in many school clubs such as Link Crew, YFC, National Honor Society, etc., is a dyslexia advocate, pageant girl, and enjoys serving her community with organizations such as the Leitersburg Ruritans, Racine Multi-Sports, and more.
Taylor is a Counselor In Training and lifeguard for Antietam Recreation and also enjoys singing with the praise and worship team at her church. She looks forward to serving as SGA President where she can help partner with faculty and students to make 2021-2022 a wonderful and memorable year.
Welcome, New BISFA Foundation Board Members
The Barbara Ingram School for the Arts Foundation would like to welcome our newest board members, who will serve from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2024.
Al Martin, CPA
Al Martin, CPAReturning to the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts Foundation Board of Directors, Al is a retired CPA and Public Finance official. Prior to “retirement”, Al was the Director of Finance for the City of Hagerstown, MD for 30 years, the first Town Manager for Hancock, MD and started his career as an auditor for a regional public accounting firm. During his “break” from serving on the BISFA Foundation Board, Al continued assisting with the Finance Committee.
He serves in leadership roles and numerous community and state boards lending his energy and expertise to better his community. In 2017, in recognition of his commitment to helping his community succeed, Al was named Washington County Business Person of the Year by the Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce. In 2021, he received the MD Library Association’s Distinguished Service Award and in 2019 received the prestigious national American Library Association Trustee Citation at the Opening Session of the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, DC.
Lisa Shank
Lisa ShankAs a young adult Lisa Shank avoided the 9-5 career to pursue her dream of being a trapeze artist. After realizing her fear of heights she settled into a career in the financial technology industry and spent 21 years with First Data (now known as Fiserv). Lisa has spent the last four years with Bank of America as Vice President of Product Management.
Lisa has two children who attended BISFA and spent 8 years supporting the school in many ways. Her favorite times were in the costume shop and building sets. Lisa is looking forward to re-engaging with the school and watching the students blossom!
Lara Shepherd
Lara ShepherdLara is a native of Hagerstown and is employed with Conservit, Inc. as the Human Resources Director. She is married and has two teenagers, including a student at BISFA. She enjoys working with the youth in our community and supporting their future.
Shelly Strong
Shelly StrongShelly Strong hails from Western Maryland and attended Smithsburg High School and Towson University. She got her start working in film right out of college by landing a job on He Said, She Said as a director’s assistant, followed by a stint as an office PA on David Mamet’s Homicide. Packing up her Chevy S-10, she moved to Los Angeles in 1991. There she landed low-budget work as a production coordinator but quickly moved on to producing independent films and toured the festivals. After several years of the indie/festival circuit she landed an executive job at Stratus and Bullseye where she worked on titles including Crash, The Illusionist, The Painted Veil and Dave Chappelle’s Block Party. Her break into the majors happened in 2006 when she was hired as VP of Production at DreamWorks Studios (now Amblin Partners) where she served as Head of Physical Production for five years. Credits include: Tropic Thunder, Need for Speed, The Help, I Love You, Man, Ghost in the Shell, A Dogs Purpose, 1917 and BIOS.
Strong is active in mentoring young filmmakers, with a focus on diversity and inclusion. She holds a position on the steering committee of the Women’s Production Society, a group of female executives in physical production with the mission to promote the hiring of women in leadership roles in film and television production. In addition to helping women in the film industry, Strong is an advocate for the homeless population in Los Angeles. She formerly served on the board of directors for The Downtown Women’s Center (DWC), an organization that is focused on serving and empowering women experiencing homelessness and formerly homeless women.
Recap: Acrylic Painting Workshop with David Bottini
From Mr. Geiman, Lead Visual Arts Teacher at BISFA
Thanks to generous funding from Washington County Arts Council, the Maryland State Arts Council, the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts Foundation, and Washington County Public Schools, the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts visual artists were able to participate in a multiple week acrylic landscape painting workshop with Maryland artist David Bottini, from April 21 – May 14 2021.
Under the direction of Mr. Bottini, each student created a painting of a Washington County landscape. Over the course of the workshop, through both in-person and virtual instruction, students learned about the composition of paint and painting materials, design composition, and the traditional method and approach to painting.
A big thank you to everyone for making the acrylic painting workshop possible. We invite you to view our work!
From the Foundation
The workshop with David Bottini was partially funded through our BISFA Department Enrichment Grants for School Arts & Academic Activities. This grant program accepts applications from BISFA staff and faculty for programs and activities such as guest artists, master classes, performance opportunities, and other enrichment programs that will greatly enhance the overall educational opportunities for the students of BISFA.
Do What Moves You 2021
It was a beautiful night for an open air festival! The Do What Moves You Festival, hosted by Barbara Ingram School for the Arts, was a free, family-friendly, open air festival that showcased the ever talented students of BISFA. This event would never have been possible with our our event/program sponsors!
Thank You to Our Event/Program Sponsors!
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Thank You for Washington County Gives 2021
We would like to take a moment and thank our community for an amazing 2021 Washington County Gives! We had 58 donors that helped us raised $6,900 in the 24-hour giving period. In addition, we received the new kick-off prize of $100 and the CNB Bank Golden Ticket for $500, so our grand total for the day was $7,500!
Thank you to our donors for supporting student artists and arts education at Barbara Ingram School for the Arts!
- Anonymous (3)
- Austin Abraham
- The Anders Family
- Katie & Justin Anderson
- Brittany & Peter Arizmendi
- Carol Becker
- Samantha Bodnar
- Mary Anne and Emmet Burke
- Julie and Lucas Cade
- Mimi and Mark Dickinson
- Scott Everitts
- Staci Freeman
- Julie Fritsch
- The Ganoe Family
- Erin Gentzel
- Karen Giffin
- Ken and Ann Grove
- Heather Guessford
- Sarah Hall
- Heather Hall
- Kira Hamman
- Dr. Rob Hovermale
- Steve & Linda Howard
- Steve & Debbie Hummel
- Denise Hunt
- Jennifer Jensen
- Timothy Johnston
- Michael Jordan
- Sherry Kibler
- Kelsey Lorman
- Holly Loy
- Jillian MacMaster
- Kathleen Maher
- Jason & Melinda Malott
- Constance Manger
- Al & Claudia Martin
- Mary Teal Medina
- Melinda Morgan
- Ashley Notabartolo
- The O’Farrell Family
- Cynthia Perini
- Tom Riford
- Elizabeth Schulze
- Randy Scott
- Meghann Shutt
- Ryan Smetzer
- Paula Stokes
- Dr. Robert and Mary Helen Strauch
- Diane Verdier
- Charles Wainwright
- Toni Webb
- Marcella Whitmore
- Noel Williams
- Vicki Willman
- Susan Wood
- Dandan Yamashita
Stroll for Our Seniors
Join the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts Foundation to celebrate our seniors! Take a stroll through downtown to see the lamp post signs for each 2021 graduate. We are incredibly proud of our students!
Alumni Spotlight: Stephane Mohr (’16)
Stephane Mohr ‘16 closed a chapter when she graduated from the BISFA Creative Writing department and began writing a book. Her debut collection of poetry and prose, “This Heart,” is described by the author as “sad, strong [and] uplifting.” She explained, “Most of these started out as just notes I would write to myself when I was having a bad day. A lot of them are journal entries and just pieces of me remembering good things to get me through bad times… I realized I had a lot of stuff that… other people could also use.”
Mohr hopes this book reminds its readers that they are not alone and advises artists that, “the most important thing you can do is consume art in all of its forms.” “This Heart,” is available now at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.
Written by Kelsi Maddock ’17
Alumni Spotlight: Josh Hollin (’15)
After Josh Hollin ‘15 played upright bass as an BISFA Instrumental Music major, he dropped the bass under the stage name PAJAMA JOSH. His passion for music began at his father’s marching band rehearsals and in the backseat of his mother’s car. This encompassing love for music led him to audition for ABC’s vocal music competition, “American Idol”: “One of the first CDs I would listen to growing up was the “American Idol” Season 2 compilation CD with Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken. I would steal this CD from my mom’s car visor, pop it into my walkman, and sing (scream) along to the cast version of God Bless the USA. As I got older and watched more ‘eccentric’ contestants like Adam Lambert and Jax pave their own lane on the show. I saw that there might be a space for me, so I auditioned, and now, here we are!”
You can follow Hollin’s career on social media and music streaming platforms under the name PAJAMA JOSH, and the new season of “American Idol” premiers on Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. ET.
Written by Kelsi Maddock ’17
Distance Learning IRL
The Barbara Ingram School for the Arts Foundation recently asked BISFA students to share what distance learning is really like.
Please take a few moments to watch these creative, thoughtful videos that give you a peek into the day-to-day of today’s high school students, in real life (IRL). Thank you to all the students who participated!
Holiday Spectacular 2020
While the Holiday Spectacular looks a little different this year, we hope you’ll join us in celebrating the season with the students and staff of BISFA!