Stainton Elementary promotes the arts
By utilizing arts across the curriculum and enriching the lives of students by exposure to the arts, Stainton Elementary School is aspiring to become a Mississippi Arts Commission Whole School for the Arts. The school is currently a MAC Arts in the Classroom Grant recipient, which is the first phase of implementing the arts into the regular classroom setting.
In its first year as an Arts in the Classroom Grant recipient, Stainton Elementary has used visual and performance arts to motive and inspire children to become life-long learners. With the addition of Stainton as an Arts in the Classroom Grant recipient, all schools in the Laurel School District are currently participating in a Mississippi Arts Commission initiative. Oak Park Elementary is a second year Arts in the Classroom grant recipient, Mason Elementary School is a third year Arts in the Classroom grant recipient, Laurel High School is a Whole School for the Arts and Laurel Middle School and Nora Davis Magnet School are Model Whole Schools for the Arts.
“Because of the hands on nature of art, the teaching of academic subjects becomes more relevant to our students,” said Stainton Elementary School Arts in the Classroom Project Director Christy Liverett. “By using art to teach math, science, language and social studies, we are seeing our students become increasingly motivated and eager to learn.”
“Students remember what they were learning, because of what they were doing at the time,” she continued. “By using art, students aren’t just answering questions on a worksheet. They are physically and mentally involved in the learning process.”
To promote the arts and expand on the school’s annual Parent Expo, the school’s leaders incorporated an International Arts Festival into the Parent Expo activities. Each class in the school studied a specific country, developed art and writing projects based on what they learned, and presented the information in museum format for parents to view during the expo.
Liverett said a total of 13 countries were represented at the International Arts Festival. Displays included examples of food, currency, clothing and important places and events from each country. Parents were able to see a wide variety of art projects relating to the countries that were completed by the students at Stainton Elementary School.
“I thought the expo was really a success,” Liverett said. “I had parents tell me it was the best Parent Expo ever. The students were also excited to take part in the expo by preparing their projects. They were excited to show parents their hard work.”
In addition to the arts festival, Stainton Elementary School invited Mississippi author Robert Little to serve as the event’s keynote speaker. Little shared with parents about the importance of literacy, and how strong reading skills benefit students. Little shared excerpts from several of his children’s books, which have been selected as Accelerated Reader books.
Photo/Lacey Walters (Laurel Schools)
Stainton Elementary School Kindergarten Teacher Elvira Mitchell shares information on the Philippines during the school’s annual Parent Expo. |
