Hubers more than doing their part to promote arts in local schools

As Greencastle High School art teacher Robin Johnson (above, left) holds aloft the program’s new Nikon camera, members of the advanced and AP art classes do their best impersonations of a piece of Renaissance art, reaching for the new piece of equipment from Johnson, Principal Russ Hesler and Linda Huber of the Huber Fund for Arts and Learning. Named for Linda and her late husband Gary, the fund was started in the name of supporting arts education at Greencastle Community Schools.

Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN

One local family is trying to ensure that arts education remains alive and well at Greencastle Community Schools.

The ultimate goal of the Gary and Linda Huber Fund for Arts and Learning is to endow two teaching positions in music and art in the local school system.

It’s a pretty lofty goal, Linda admits

Reading from sheet music recently purchased by the Huber Fund for Arts and Learning, Greencastle High School choir members sing “Grown-Up Christmas List” to the accompaniment of director Deborah Lambert (left).

Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN

“Our ultimate goal is to raise $2 million,” Linda said. “Since the State of Indiana doesn’t require art and music to be taught, we’re trying to endow two teachers. We need about $2 million to do that.”

Linda, her two adult children Lauren and Derek, and a family friend started the fund after Gary died in 2006.

Officially founded through the Putnam County Community Foundation in 2013, the fund may not yet be at its goal of endowing a pair of teachers, but the Hubers are beginning to do some good at Greencastle High School.

Greencastle High School Band tuba player Drake Eisele proudly displays the newly-repaired GHS tuba to the approval of bandmates (standing from left) Addison Hughes, Jacob Crawley, Mo Long, Clayton Wilson, Braden Pershing and Nick Seaman. The tuba was repaired through a donation from the Huber Fund for Arts and Learning.

Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN

Linda recently took a couple of trips to the school to officially present the second year of gifts to the art, band and choir programs at GHS.

The first presentation was of a new camera, a Nikon 3300, to Dr. Robin Johnson and the GHS art program.

The Hubers purchased the same sorts of cameras for the art classes last year, and Johnson said it has already paid dividends for her students.

Finally able to offer a full-fledged photography class, Johnson said that two students, 2016 graduate Bailey Zapp and current senior Emma Newton, excelled in it.

Zapp and Newton did so well that they now have their own cameras.

“Unfortunately, not all the kids can afford to buy cameras, so it’s good to have two,” Johnson said.“You have kids that never had this chance before. Now they can.”

For Zapp in particular, the photography class may have changed her entire career direction. Having never studied photography before last year, she is now in college in Colorado studying environmental studies and photography.

“It made such a difference in her whole life,” Johnson said of Zapp. “She said this class changed the direction of what she wanted to do in her life.”

Huber made a trip back to GHS to present the two music programs with their purchases for the year.

For the GHS band it wasn’t a new purchase, but repairs to a valued instrument — the band’s tuba.

Veteran band director Robert Hedge said he doesn’t know how old the tuba is.

“It’s been around longer than me, so it’s been here a long time,” Hedge said.

The Hubers’ donation to the band this year was to repair the tuba.

“It makes a huge difference,” Hedge said.

For choir director Deborah Lambert, the need was simple. Her program needed sheet music, the cost of which can get out of hand when dozens of copies are needed.

And so the Huber Fund money went toward sheet music for the upcoming GHS holiday concert.

When Huber came to choir class for the presentation on Thursday morning, members of the choir performed one of the songs from the performance — the 1992 Amy Grant hit “Grown-Up Christmas List.”

While building toward their ultimate goal of funding new teachers, these are the sorts of small contributions the Hubers hope to continue to make to arts education in Greencastle.

Those interested in learning more may visit huberartsfund.org.

Additionally, supporters of young musicians may attend the GHS Holiday Concert, featuring both the band and choir, at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 5 at Parker Auditorium inside McAnally Center.