Project Proposal
With financial support from the Foundation, students enrolled in Senior Social Justice English class and members of the Academic Decathlon team will be able to visit the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City for a live performance by the Ryan Howard Trio featuring Lauren Manley in “The Blue Room” and guided tour of the museum’s exhibits.
Amount Funded: $2,200
“This trip to Kansas City provided the students with an elite concert experience. The music itself, the sound, the singing, the space impacted everyone in the room. It also gave the students a chance to hear the jazz concepts we’d been studying – like improvisation, scat, chorus – in real time and appreciate the music on a level that could not have occurred within the classroom walls alone. We are very grateful to the Central High School Foundation for this opportunity.”
Matt Kable, CHS English Teacher
50 Students Impacted
Commitment to Closing the Opportunity Gap
According to CHS English teacher, Mr. Matt Kable, “This was an opportunity for students – especially our minority students – to see themselves in expert, award-winning performers in their chosen field and hear them talk about their own high school experiences. It also highlighted for them that there are a lot of potential careers out there for people willing to work hard and follow their passions.” In addition, some students reported that they hadn’t taken a field trip outside the downtown Omaha corridor since elementary school, and some had never been to Kansas City, so this trip was an opportunity to look beyond Omaha into the wider world.
Translation to College and Career Readiness
The goal of the experience was to expose students to the jazz era, especially those students on the Academic Decathlon team who are studying ‘The Roaring Twenties’ for tournaments later this year. The more prepared they are, the more successful they will be in competitions. This success in high school leads to success in life by rewarding risk-taking and building a strong identity and self-confidence in our students.
“Visiting the American Jazz Museum was almost like visiting the past, experiencing the jazz age in modern day time, engraving our memories better than any book or lecture could, helping us grasp what we are learning in class fully. Being invited into “The Blue Room” was such a surreal and beautiful experience for both watching and listening. The museum was also beautiful, seeing the evolution of jazz first-hand. The American Jazz Museum was truly an unforgettable experience.”
Jayda Lee, Class of 2026