Program Builds Confidence, Dreams for At-Risk Students

Robin Kitsu (left) directs students in rehearsals for a musical revue, "Celebrate." 

The idea for NPAC goes back to when, as a young boy, Kitsu would share in his mother’s passion for performing arts. She was a dancer and an actress in Japan.

“As far back as I can remember, my mother and I would watch old musicals featuring Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, and I remember how we would talk about why each dance number was done well or not,” he said. “I always had a passion for the performing arts.  It was a goal of mine to work at a school that did not have a performing arts program and to develop one.”

This passion led to his participation in band throughout primary school and later to the performance of literature speech courses and productions in college. The self-assurance he gained through those pursuits laid the groundwork for NPAC’s purpose today.

Kitsu’s goal for NPAC is to leverage performing arts to help students develop self-confidence, positive character traits, and improve academic and other skills, such as communication and problem solving, needed for life after high school.