Ame Beard, A3 principal and community champion, makes giving season last year-round

If you're in the local arts or community events circle, you've likely heard the name Ame Beard.

Beard is known in Springfield for being the principal of the Academy of Arts and Academics, colloquially known as A3, for going on six years. Beard also has her hands in numerous pots across Eugene, Springfield and her town of residence, Drain.

"I'm constantly churning out new stuff. It's my passion," Beard said. "I always felt like a little let down after them like, 'OK, it's time to plan another thing.'"

Between A3 events, volunteering, organizing fundraisers, throwing Octoberfests, hosting monthly art parties, the up-and-coming Holiday Night Market and even an annual birthday celebration for the fictional Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, among many other activities, calling Beard an active member in the community could be considered an understatement.

"I work a stressful job, so I try to balance it with what can I do for the community on my free time? How can I be involved? How can I make people's lives better? How can I promote art?" Beard said.

Beard talked with the Register-Guard about her passion for community engagement and why she believes public service is so important.

All about A3

Beard joined A3 as principal during a tumultuous time for the school in 2018 as it transitioned from a charter school to an alternative high school under the Springfield Public Schools district.

A3 is an arts-based alternative high school, serving 230 students. Apart from the obvious ways to incorporate art into day-to-day learning, students learn about business tactics, how to make their own websites and more.

"Art is integrated into everything we do, from math to PE, even. We're always thinking of ways of incorporating art, and not just visual art," Beard said. "Movement through dance, or singing, or there's just so many modes of art. We're also always pushing the envelope to find new ways of incorporating new and modern art into what students do here."

Beard has spent her career in education, most recently working as the assistant principal of Churchill High School. Before that, she was the principal and executive director of Network Charter School, was the human resource director at the Douglas Education Service District in Roseburg and started as a teacher, mainly in elementary school. At A3, she can have more interaction with her students, helping them find their calling, she said.

Beard said people might get the wrong impression of A3 because it's an art school, but the courses are rigorous. Students learn critical thinking and problem-solving through different methods of learning.

A3 has had the highest four-year graduation rate in Lane County for the past three years.

"We have really high engagement in our lessons," Beard said. "Our staff here is amazing. I think we just don't give up on kids. Whatever their next step, they're going to leave with the skills that they need to be able to navigate that whether it be college or career or being an entrepreneur or going into the military. I see a high school diploma as a catalyst to that next step."

A3 keeps active

Since she took over, the school has blossomed with community engagement, making its presence known.

Through local businesses, A3 has a multitude of community internships, students and staff regularly volunteer, and it works with nonprofits to do social media and marketing. The school completes a biannual downtown cleanup, picking up trash around the community. The students have completed two new murals for downtown Springfield.

A3 also hosts free art classes and exhibits at the school at the monthly Emerald Art Center’s Downtown Springfield 2nd Friday Art Walk. December's classes include projection mapping, holiday cardmaking, acrylic painting and cupcake making. The Art Walk features entirely student-made work, each month featuring one student as the headliner with multiple pieces.

Beard said she believes it's important to get students interested in community involvement and volunteering early on.

"If we want a better world, we have to make a better world, so I try to role model for the students," Beard said. "People always want to think, 'Oh, it's the other person that's gonna do it. I don't need to worry about it.' My stance is, we are the people doing it."

Beard said she is constantly learning and growing, both as an artist and a person. She recently taught a course on mosaics, which she had never tried before. She admitted her first piece didn't turn out great, but she was able to show students it's OK to mess up but keep trying and improving next time.

"We make the art alongside our students here, which is really powerful to see staff members being humble and learning as they go," Beard said.

Engagement day-to-day in Drain

Beard was first inspired by her sister to participate in more volunteering experiences when she was young.

Over time, she started getting more and more involved, ending up in leadership positions. She said her community engagement truly blossomed when she moved to Drain 16 years ago.

Beard visited the small town in Douglas County when shopping for wedding dresses, then stumbled upon a 120-year-old Victorian house, which she and her husband bought, fixed up and now regularly host weddings at. Once they settled there, Beard realized that in a small town of just more than 1,000, she'd have to step up if she wanted to see change in her community.

"Also, over the last couple of years, as the economy has started to be problematic, or during COVID, it became even more acute for me because I really saw that people were having hard times and they really needed hope," Beard said.

"If I can make a choice that will impact another person so profoundly, why wouldn't I spend my time doing that?" she said.

Beard serves on Drain's chamber of commerce board, its planning commission and its fair board. She also has led four tiny-home fundraisers for houseless people.

Beard has found that planning events is its own art form. Despite the challenges that come with it — sometimes stretching herself too thin — she takes pride in her work.

"I need to model for my kids to take risks, in a good way, in a safe way," Beard said. "That's why I'm willing to do things that are hard for me."

Giving season all year

Beard's next big event is the Holiday Night Market, which will be held at the Alluvium, located at 810 W 3rd Ave. in Eugene on Dec. 16 from 7 p.m. to midnight. This is the second year of the event.

Beard said she noticed that many holiday events and markets are held during the day on the weekends, which makes it difficult for retail employees to attend. She wanted to make a market that was available for those who normally miss those events.

"They don't have opportunities to go buy stuff from high-quality, local artisans," Beard said. "We wanted to give people an opportunity to just have fun and go out and have a free evening of building community."

The Holiday Night Market features 20 vendors, free kids' crafts, free truffles, three musical performers and a clown.

Beard said she was surprised by last year's high turnout and is looking into expanding the event next year into a larger venue.

Beard said the best way to get involved is to start small. Look around and "see the need."

"The world we want is created by us deciding that we want it to be better," Beard said. "To me, it's just looking around and seeing the need and starting small and giving what you can."

She said it can feel vulnerable to put yourself out there, but finding something you're passionate about and embracing it is the best way to give back.

"This is the whole season of giving," she said. "It's not about us receiving, it's what can we give to others to make other people's lives better. I think that that's really important. It's a joyous thing. I get so much out of doing a community event or giving to others, the endorphins and the positivity and the serotonin, all the stuff that flows through you. It's such a positive result."

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: For A3 principal Ame Beard, giving season lasts year-round