Eight YCSD schools to receive $28,000 arts grant

YOUNGSTOWN - Eight schools within the Youngstown City School District (YCSD) have been awarded the TeachArtsOhio grant by the Ohio Arts Council for the 2025-2026 school year. Through the grant, schools will receive $28,000 to fund a yearlong artist residency which will include classroom workshops aimed at integrating music into daily learning.

YCSD has announced that the artist-in-residence at the selected schools will be hip-hop artist Demetrius "Nova the Rebel" Thomas. The district said in a recent statement that arts education is critical for local scholars' creativity and critical thinking.

"We are deeply grateful to the Ohio Arts Council for their continued investment in the Youngstown City School District, and to Nova the Rebel for igniting the spark in our scholars to discover an