The Mississippi State University Riley Center for Education and Performing arts accepted a $1,000 grant from the Community Foundation of East Mississippi on Wednesday to help fund student participation in upcoming school programs.

The center is presenting “Buffalo Soldier” on March 31 and “Aesop’s Fables” on May 9. Both performances, to be held in the Temple Theatre in downtown Meridian, are curriculum-based programs featuring national touring companies with professional actors.

The cost of attending the shows is $2.50 each. The grant, provided by the Community Foundation, will supplement admission costs so that more students will have the opportunity to attend the shows.

The MSU Riley Center is providing teacher preshow workshops and study guides for teachers as well as post-show follow up, to ensure the programs are effective learning experiences.

“We are not about providing field trips for the sake of field trips. We are committed to supporting the use of arts in schools as a tool to engage students and a means to create opportunities for experiential learning. That is what these programs are about,” said Dennis Sankovich, executive director of the MSU Riley Center.

National studies have proven that schools with strong art programs report better attendance, increased graduation rates, improved multicultural understanding, greater community support, invigorated faculty, and development of higher-order thinking skills, creativity and problem-solving abilities in students.

Lee Meyer, board member for the Community Foundation of East Mississippi, applauded the center’s efforts to support and enhance the local educational system. Roman Herrington, executive director of the Community Foundation of East Mississippi, was also on hand for the presentation Wednesday.

“We were very pleased to find out what the center is doing to reach out and enhance education efforts not just in the immediate Meridian area but throughout East Mississippi. These are exactly the type of programs our organization is committed to support, and we look forward to future programs the center will bring to this community.”

Schools wanting to participate in the programs should contact the MSU Riley Center at (601) 696-2200. Each of the programs will be staged at 9 a.m. and at 12:30 p.m.