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Lowell alums responded at record levels to the Association's 2002 Annual Fund Campaign, increasing contributions more than 40% from the year before and giving a major boost to Lowell's highly-acclaimed Visual and Performing Arts Department. Several new projects and improvements funded by the Association's campaign focusing on the arts are already up and running, with others soon to follow.

"Lowell alums can be quite proud of this solid statement of support for the school, and the Association is deeply grateful to all those who participated."

Lisa Clay, LAA President

Over 2500 alumni contributed to the campaign and raised their average gift to more than $90 from the previous year's $60. "This is a tremendously encouraging response, particularly given today's economic climate," said LAA Vice President for Planning and Development Terry Abad. "It enables us not only to fund all these extremely worthwhile arts projects and make a huge and permanent impact on that Department, but it also lets us continue our traditional grant and scholarship programs at high levels."

The arts projects total over $165,000 and include both substantial new state-of-the art additions as well as upgrades and improvements to existing activities. For example, new technology stations for the orchestra's practice rooms and piano lab will sharply increase instruction capabilities, permitting individual students to practice simultaneously and to record, edit, and print their own compositions. Lowell's choir will get new technology allowing students to view DVDs and to record and play back their performances on video.

"This new technology represents a quantum jump in our ability to teach the arts here at Lowell," claims Visual and Performing Arts Department head Michele Winter. "It significantly enhances the effectiveness of our talented and devoted staff and gives the students a huge advantage in both technique and creativity." "Thanks, alums," she adds.

Another major high-tech arts project, the Computer-Aided Design (CAD) lab for the Architecture program, has already been installed and is in full operation. It provides a facility unequalled by any other public high school in the region. Also on tap is a modern heavy-duty kiln for Lowell's ceramics classes, which will be set up in the new science-academic wing's ceramics studio later this year.

Rounding out its support of the arts, the LAA is funding substantial acoustical, lighting, and audio-visual upgrades of the Carol Channing Theater and conversion of Room 110 to a specialized drama facility to be named after Lowell alum Steve Silver of "Beach Blanket Babylon" fame. Also included are substantial grants to the Dance and Painting/Drawing programs for material and equipment.

In addition to the arts projects, the LAA is providing some $50,000 in regular grants for such activities as Advanced Placement testing, new library furnishings, continuation of the very popular "Poets in the Schools" program, and new software for the Math Department's computer science classes.

"All this adds up to a very, very substantial contribution," notes LAA President Lisa Clay. "Lowell alums can be quite proud of this solid statement of support for the school, and the Association is deeply grateful to all those who participated."