Four Colorado schools have won a "Creative Ticket - Schools of Excellence Award" granted by the Colorado Alliance for Arts Education to recognize schools that have demonstrated excellence in arts education. Grammy Award Winning jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves will present the awards to Englewood’s Cherrelyn Elementary and Bishop Elementary, along with Denver’s Crofton Elementary and the Denver School of the Arts.

The awards ceremony will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15, 2002 at the King Center for the Performing Arts on the Auraria Campus.

The "Creative Ticket - Schools of Excellence" awards, conducted in partnership with Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network, are designed to recognize teachers, schools, and programs that have successfully used imaginative learning environments, parental involvement, cultural diversity and community connections to offer students educational experiences beyond the classroom. "These schools were selected because of their outstanding programs to make the arts an essential part of education. This award recognizes the achievement and impact of the arts in schools across the state,” said Kim Hargraves, Executive Director of the Colorado Alliance for Arts Education.

The Colorado Alliance for Arts Education (CAAE) is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that every child has access to sequential standards-based arts education programs. CAAE is a member of the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network in Washington, D.C., a 45-state network of grassroots alliances focused on furthering arts education.