Tag Archive for "Arts Education"

Arts learning partnership announces name, website

for immediate release

COLUMBIA, S.C. – “Arts Grow SC” is the name of the three-year, $20 million partnership to address pandemic-related learning loss announced in June by the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) and South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE).

Arts Grow SC was established to help public schools throughout the state address pandemic related learning loss with proven, arts-based learning initiatives. Though managed by the SCAC, the program has its own logo and this week officially launched its website: https://artsgrowsc.org/. There, interested educators, parents, and other stakeholders can subscribe to its newsletter. “The South Carolina Arts Commission is extremely proud to take this next step in the life of arts education in South Carolina. ArtsGrowSC is uniting dedicated partners who have a wealth of experience in arts instruction and in integrating the arts across other instructional areas” SCAC Executive Director David Platts said. “Generous funding from the South Carolina Department of Education is allowing more teachers, administrators, districts, artists, and community partners to plug in to this unprecedented work than ever before.” This past spring, leadership from the SCAC proposed to assist SCDE in addressing pandemic-related learning loss with a creative pathway—rooted in innovation and evidence-based practices—that the arts are equipped to provide. Funding was requested to allow the SCAC’s team of professionals and network of partners to:

help schools and teachers fill learning loss gaps in the arts,
use arts integration to remediate core subject areas,
and provide summer and afterschool learning opportunities that leverage the arts in schools throughout the state.

The SCDE approved $20 million for the SCAC to implement its plan, now known as Arts Grow SC, over the course of the next three years. To realize its classroom-based goals, the SCAC will rely on its partners at the Arts in Basic Curriculum (ABC) Project, which currently serves about 44,000 students in 74 schools and has been cooperatively led for more than 30 years by the SCAC, SCDE, and Winthrop University. In addition, the SCAC will expand existing pilot projects with the South Carolina Governor’s School for Arts & Humanities in Greenville and Engaging Creative Minds in Charleston and will offer grant and programming opportunities for arts education providers across the state. Further information is available on ArtsGrowSC.org and by emailing info@artsgrowsc.org.

About the South Carolina Arts Commission

The mission of the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) is to promote equitable access to the arts and support the cultivation of creativity in South Carolina. We envision a South Carolina where the arts are valued and all people benefit from a variety of creative experiences. A state agency created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the SCAC works to increase public participation in the arts by providing grants, direct programs, staff assistance and partnerships in three key areas: arts education, community arts development, and artist development. Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the SCAC is funded by the state of South Carolina, by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts, and other sources. Visit SouthCarolinaArts.com or call 803.734.8696, and follow @scartscomm on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for #Arts4SC and #SCartists content.

Jason Rapp
Nov 18th, 2021

Five-year case study to seek improvements in rural arts ed

The Arts in Basic Curriculum (ABC) Project announced it will conduct an intensive five-year case study with the Allendale County School District to discover solutions in how to improve rural communities’ arts education offerings.

The Community Access to the Arts in Rural Education (CARE) Project, its study and resulting guidebook will be accomplished with a $2.58 million Assistance in Arts Education grant funded by the U.S. Dept. of Education. Set to begin in 2021, the CARE Project will include multiple strategic state and local partnerships with the goal to develop sustainable approaches that will continue beyond the 2026 grant completion date. “Rural communities require a rural network of partnerships because of their lack of resources, and the CARE Project will align, strengthen and expand community partnerships among the Allendale schools with state and local partners,” ABC Project Director Kim Wilson said. Initial commitments to the CARE Project were received from the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC), South Carolina Department of Education, Arts Access SC and South Carolina Educational Television. Additional state and national partners will develop based on the needs and areas of growth identified throughout the CARE Project. Margaret Gilmore, superintendent of Allendale County School District, said her district is truly excited and grateful to have been awarded the arts grant for the amazing scholars of Allendale County School District. “This funding opportunity will certainly provide access to a sustainable arts-rich learning environment for the entire school community,” she said.

Arts advocates also are pleased with this opportunity. “After many years of working in Allendale County, it’s clear that there are many people who love and care about their community and the next generation,” said Susan DuPlessis, SCAC director of community arts development. “We are excited about ways to engage the community as this study and new practices are developed.” DuPlessis runs the SCAC's "The Art of Community: Rural SC" initiative, which works in partnership with Allendale Rural Arts Team, which is led by Lottie Lewis. “There is momentum in Allendale for building community, addressing issues and identifying assets like never before,” she said. “This new emphasis on learning through the arts within the school system will have a reciprocal effect, I believe, on the whole community—and that’s exciting for young and old.” In communities with high rates of poverty, access to the arts can be difficult, Wilson added. It takes money for art, music or dance lessons, and all too often, rural schools don’t prioritize arts education due to financial constraints. Access to the arts, however, has been found to influence student engagement and there is hope in South Carolina that the arts can be nurtured in every community.

The CARE Project’s goal is to create and share a resource guidebook based on Allendale’s experiences to empower other rural communities of persistent poverty to increase access to arts education for its students. “One of the most important outcomes will be to explore how to develop and maintain arts-rich learning environments as a pathway to equitable education,” Wilson said. “There is an urgent need to research and serve these communities, which have been continually absent from research and policy discussions, yet represent the most extreme gaps in equitable education,” she added. To communicate the grant’s significance, Wilson noted that the Palmetto state has a higher percentage of schools in rural communities than the national average and 12 of the state's 46 counties suffer from persistent poverty, meaning poverty rates have exceeded 20 percent of the population for more than 30 years. The CARE Project will provide direct arts education programs and professional development for arts educators, teachers and principals in practices that support arts-rich learning. “An arts-rich learning environment includes a combination of direct arts instruction, arts integration with other non-arts curriculum and arts experiences provided by visiting artists or cultural and community organizations,” said Wilson. The guidebook will contain instructional materials, arts-based lesson plans and other resources to engage stakeholder groups in other rural communities to replicate the promising aspects of the process developed during the CARE Project in Allendale. Education Superintendent Molly Spearman said that, growing up and teaching in a rural community, she has seen firsthand the disparities that still exist in South Carolina. “Students in rural schools deserve the same opportunities afforded to their peers in more affluent areas,” Spearman said. “I commend the Arts in Basic Curriculum Project for its pursuit and receipt of this funding that will help us establish innovative solutions for bringing access to arts-based education to all students in South Carolina. I look forward to seeing this work in Allendale and learning how we may replicate their successes across our state.”

Jason Rapp
Oct 19th, 2021

Four new positions open at SCAC

UPDATE: Arts learning x 2, grants, and something new

APPLICATION DEADLINES EXTENDED: Sunday, August 22, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. (all four)

Updated 30 July 2021 at 13:48 ET.

The S.C. Arts Commission is hiring.

By now you have probably heard that South Carolina is making a massive investment in arts learning. With that will come increased demand for S.C. Arts Commission grants and other services. To ensure constituent service remains at a high level, applications are now being accepted for three positions serving grants and arts learning.

Arts Learning Director

Designs, manages, and implements statewide programs for schools and districts, arts organizations, and arts learning programs. Working under supervision of the Deputy Director, they play a vital role in working with constituents: grantees, educators, artists, teaching artists, organizations, and partner agencies. Provides consulting and technical assistance to constituents within assigned programmatic areas.

Learn more about the arts learning director position and apply here.

K12 Arts Education Coordinator

Coordinates and implements activities, research, and administrative duties for the Arts Commission’s K-12 initiatives including grants and direct programs. Working under supervision of the Arts Learning Director, they play a vital role in working with constituents, grantees, schools, organizations, and partner entities. Provides consulting and technical assistance to constituents within assigned programmatic areas.

Learn more about the K12 arts education coordinator position and apply here.

Assistant Grants Coordinator

Ensures accurate and efficient processing of grants from application to final report in a cloud-based grants management system. Serves as the initial point of contact for requests for grants information and customer service. Working under supervision of the deputy director, they serve as a member of the Arts Commission’s grants team and play a vital role in working with constituents, grantees, schools, organizations, and partner entities. Duties include grants office administration and grants processing.

Learn more about the assistant grants coordinator position and apply here.

[caption id="attachment_47529" align="aligncenter" width="600"]

Select works from the State Art Collection adorn the walls at the South Carolina Arts Commission.[/caption]

Introducing Arts Industry

The SCAC works to increase public participation in the arts by providing grants, direct programs, staff assistance and partnerships in three key areas: arts education, community arts development, and artist development. Soon, arts industry will be added as a fourth key area.

Arts Industry Director

The agency envisions its first arts industry director as someone who designs, manages, and implements statewide programs for arts organizations, including local arts councils, nonprofits, businesses, and non-arts organizations serving as arts providers. Working under supervision of the deputy director, they play a vital role in working with constituents, grantees, organizations, and partner agencies. Provide consulting and technical assistance to arts organizations, arts providers, and arts businesses within assigned programmatic areas. Chair the State Art Collection committee and manages the State Art Collection coordinator.

Learn more about the arts industry director position and apply here.

About the South Carolina Arts Commission

The mission of the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) is to promote equitable access to the arts and support the cultivation of creativity in South Carolina. We envision a South Carolina where the arts are valued and all people benefit from a variety of creative experiences. A state agency created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the SCAC works to increase public participation in the arts by providing grants, direct programs, staff assistance and partnerships in three key areas: arts education, community arts development, and artist development. Headquartered in Columbia, the SCAC is funded by the state of South Carolina, by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts, and other sources. Visit SouthCarolinaArts.com or call 803.734.8696, and follow @scartscomm on social media.

Jason Rapp
Jul 26th, 2021

$20 million partnership to expand S.C. arts learning initiatives

SCAC, S.C. Dept. of Education make landmark announcement

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="601"]

Photo of elementary-aged students and their teachers doing projects in an arts classroom.

An Arts in Basic Curriculum Project site classroom. SCAC file photo.[/caption]

For Immediate Release

A $20 million partnership announced today by the South Carolina Department of Education and South Carolina Arts Commission will help public schools throughout the state address pandemic related learning loss with proven, arts-based learning initiatives.

The American Rescue Plan, passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law March 11, 2021 by President Biden, included $121.9 billion in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds (ARP ESSER), that has been administered through the U.S. Department of Education to state educational agencies. The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) is set to receive $2.1 billion in ARP ESSER funds to help South Carolina’s public schools address the impact that COVID-19 has and continues to have on students, families, educators, and school communities. Ninety percent of these funds will flow through to school districts with amounts determined in proportion to the amount of Title I, Part A funds they received in Summer 2020 from funds under the Every Student Succeeds Act. The remaining funds, which amount to $211,205,148 are to be used for state-level activities to address learning loss, summer enrichment programs, and comprehensive after school programs. The SCDE solicited public input on the use of these funds and the needs that the state should address in its ARP ESSER plan which was submitted to the U.S. Department of Education on June 18, 2021. Leadership from the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) proposed to SCDE a creative pathway—rooted in innovation and evidence-based practices—that the arts are equipped to provide. Funding was requested to allow the SCAC’s team of professionals and network of partners to:

help schools and teachers fill learning loss gaps in the arts,
use arts integration to remediate core subject areas,
and provide summer and afterschool learning opportunities that leverage the arts in schools throughout the state.

The SCDE approved $20 million for the SCAC to implement its plan over the course of the next three years. “As a longtime music teacher, I have seen firsthand the impact that arts education can have on students,” said State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman. “The arts have a unique ability to engage students of diverse backgrounds across all subject areas which makes this initiative well suited for the receipt of these funds.” “The South Carolina Arts Commission is confident in its ability to put this funding to use right away to equitably impact learning using the arts,” SCAC Executive Director David Platts said. “Our team of professionals manages existing programs, partnerships, and grant-making infrastructure for this work, which includes federal and state reporting for accountability. ARP ESSER funding from the SCDE will enable expedient and effective scaling with various arts education partners on the local, state, and national levels.” Programmatic focus areas of the SCAC’s plan include:

Arts integration
Arts in early childhood
Arts industry certification credentials for high school students, building on existing vocational training programs

To realize its classroom-based goals, the SCAC will rely on its partners at the Arts in Basic Curriculum (ABC) Project, which currently serves about 44,000 students in 74 schools and has been cooperatively led for more than 30 years by the SCAC, SCDE, and Winthrop University. The ARP ESSER funding will facilitate scaling the program to:

increase access to quality arts education (targeting underserved communities)
develop arts-rich learning environments
build, restore, expand, and support infrastructure for arts learning at the district level
research and develop new and innovative instructional practices.

“We have a couple of years’ worth of recent Gallup Organization research looking at South Carolina’s arts-rich schools. It repeatedly shows a link between arts-rich learning and student hope and engagement. We have dreamed about having the kind of funding that would enable expansion to all communities throughout the state,” SCAC Board Chairwoman Dee Crawford said. In addition to building on the work of the ABC Project, the Arts Commission will expand existing pilot projects with the South Carolina Governor’s School for Arts & Humanities in Greenville and Engaging Creative Minds in Charleston, and will offer grant and programming opportunities for arts education providers across the state. “Arts and creativity are critical to achieving the knowledge, skills, and characteristics outlined by the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. We are excited to work with grantees, statewide partners in arts education, and other arts providers to ensure equitable access to learning in and through the arts,” Platts said. “This partnership fully supports our mission to promote equitable access to the arts and support the cultivation of creativity in South Carolina.” The SCAC is working now to release information on grant guidelines, research to support evidence-based practices, partnership and professional learning opportunities, and more in coming weeks. Starting in July, these resources will be available at www.abcprojectsc.com.

Jason Rapp
Jun 29th, 2021

Meet the SCAC’s Catherine Ntube

Specialist for Arts Organizations and Education

2020. What a time to start a new job.

In the midst of the pandemic, Catherine Ntube joined the South Carolina Arts Commission as its specialist for arts organizations and education. Those are big pieces of the SCAC pie, so there's sure to be a learning curve as you acclimate. Except pandemic. Except the entirety of your new team is working virtually as a result of said pandemic. Except the people you were hired to serve were mostly (at the time) doing likewise. Except... it didn't matter. Ntube (that's EN-too-bay) hit the ground running anyway and has been ably serving in any way she's needed. She's instituted new Think Tank conversations for S.C. arts organizations and pitches in often to advise current and potential grantees working in arts ed or community-based arts. Now that state agencies are back in the office, she is finally in hers and finally getting (distanced) face-time with her new colleagues. Need her help? Try reaching her via cntube@arts.sc.gov or 803.734.8694.

About Catherine Ntube

Catherine Ntube comes to the SCAC from eight years in the classroom, where she taught 4th grade general ed, 6th grade writing, and college-level English. While teaching, she maintained a writing practice and passion for the literary arts, serving as poetry editor of Yemassee Journal, receiving fellowships from The Watering Hole and Cave Canem, and serving as a contracted grant writer for small arts organizations with Red Olive Creative Consulting. She earned an master of fine arts in creative writing from the University of South Carolina, an master of arts in teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education, and a bachelor's in history & literature from Harvard University.

Jason Rapp
Apr 21st, 2021

Midlands arts school chosen for COVID art project

[caption id="attachment_46656" align="aligncenter" width="487"] Rubi by 7th grader Rubi Bouknight[/caption] From ColaDaily.com:

The Midlands Arts Conservatory was chosen as one of ten schools nationwide to participate in an art project titled, “COVID-19 & Me: Changes in My World."

Students were encouraged to create artworks featuring their experiences throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

This initiative is a partnership with the World Awareness Children’s Museum of Glens Falls, New York, and is led by the museum’s executive director, Bethanie Muska Lawrence and Russell Serrianne, curator of collections & exhibitions.

Jason Rapp
Mar 19th, 2021

SCAC opens three arts ed grants

Funding available for districts, teachers, and projects

The South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) is starting 2021 by giving the state’s arts educators three grants to advance arts ed initiatives in their schools.

The grants are available to directly support teachers who need help to acquire supplies, materials, or professional development; school districts as they implement or further standards-based arts curricula; and several groups seeking to use the arts to advance learning in children. That’s a lot to unpack, but The Hub is here to guide readers through the weeds. (It’s what we do.) Let’s get started.

Arts Teacher Support Grants

This time last year, you might remember the SCAC taking applications for SAM grants: School Art Materials grants. They were a first for the agency… a wildly popular first. But they were one-time grants supported by one-time funds. Not any longer. The SCAC allocated funds to Arts Teacher Support grants for FY21, a new recurring category that combines the SAM grants with elements of the erstwhile Teacher Standards Implementation grant category. Arts Teacher Support grants give teachers the same access to one-time funding for supplies, materials, and equipment but broadens to include professional development, the latter as valuable as any of the former. Grants up to $1,200 are available for projects occurring by May 15, 2021. A matching requirement might apply. Rolling applications are open now! Get details from the Arts Teacher Support grant guidelines here. (Don’t be confused about recurring vs. one-time funding. These grants recur annually now and can be applied for and received up to twice in a fiscal year for different purchases/projects and applied for and received up to twice in subsequent years… for different purchases/projects.)

District Arts Support Grants

Is your South Carolina public school district committed to implementing standards-based arts curricula or making the arts an integral part of its basic curriculum and daily classroom instruction? If it is, it can get up to $25,000 per year to do it starting in FY22. The Hub won’t spend as much time here because this category, while worthy of awareness, is narrowly focused and applies to far fewer than the other two grants in this post. The deadline for districts to apply for this rigorous grant is March 5, 2021. Advisement from the SCAC is strongly suggested. Get further information on District Arts Support Grants here.

Arts Education Project Grants

Arts Education Project grants fund projects and programs that use the arts to meet the educational, developmental, and social needs of K-12 students in both traditional arts education settings and through other organizations that utilize the arts to advance learning in students. Schools, districts, arts and non-arts nonprofits, colleges and universities, and governmental organizations are eligible for these grants. Use them to help underwrite things like:

Workshops
Camps
Artist residencies
Public art projects
Performances
Exhibitions
Acquisition of critical equipment or supplies
Program planning
Professional development for instructors, artists and/or administrators

Help underwrite? Yes. Recipients will need to match the funding 1:1. Up to $15,000 is available, and applications are open now. The deadline is also March 5, 2021. Get the details on Art Education Project grants here.

Whether you are ready for advisement or simply have questions about these grants, please contact Specialist for Arts Organizations & Education Catherine Ntube (803.734.8694 | cntube@arts.sc.gov).

Jason Rapp
Jan 7th, 2021

Looking for an arts ed job?

Help out Engaging Creative Minds remotely

Apply soon! Target start date: Monday, February 15, 2021

Ed. note: The Hub would love to help someone start the new year with a new gig. Frequent SCAC partner in the Lowcountry Engaging Creative Minds is looking for a full-time administrative assistant who can—get this—work remotely during and after the pandemic. Posting below is provided by Engaging Creative Minds and does not in any way suggest involvement with or by the South Carolina Arts Commission, which is simply sharing information. It is edited for style.

Engaging Creative Minds (ECM) seeks an administrative assistant with a creative background to successfully support programs and operations. This is a salaried, full-time remote position. Only those with the qualifications listed below should apply. NOTE: This position will continue remotely even after the pandemic. Duties and responsibilities are for primary support of ECM’s systems & operations coordinator for all virtual and in-person program delivery:

Communicating with ECM instructors, teachers, seasonal staff and coaches
Comparing and reporting pricing for program supplies and materials
Managing volunteers, as needed, to assemble program kits & work at Charleston Marathon
Scheduling & organizing meetings for coaches, staff and board, when necessary
Packing and delivering program materials and supplies
Scheduling , filming (on ECM iPhone) & uploading to Vimeo ECM's virtual programs
Entering invoices bi-weekly into bill.com
Various other office assistance, as necessary

Qualifications of the Ideal Candidate Include:

Knowledge and experience working in Vimeo, Excel, Word, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Zoom
Knowledge and experience working in bill.com
Excellent communication skills (perfectionist in grammar and spelling a plus)
Excellent organizational skills
Experience with social media not required, but a plus
Ability to shop for best pricing on program materials and organize multiple orders
Must be a self-directed, self-motivated go-getter who can take the initiative to get things DONE!
A passion for serving youth through the arts is a plus.
Ability to work in-person when necessary to film scheduled ECM instructor programs during virtual learning

If you have these qualifications and want to work with a dynamic team of passionate arts educators and creative minds, please submit résumé and letter of interest telling us why you are the ideal candidate for this position to ECM Executive Director Robin Berlinsky:

email your information to robin@engagingcreativeminds.org
OR mail to:
- Robin Berlinsky Executive Director Engaging Creative Minds PO Box 31875 Charleston, SC 29417

Target Start Date: Monday, February 15, 2021 ECM is an equal opportunity employer. Mission and purpose Engaging Creative Minds (ECM) mission is to spark creativity and curiosity in all learners through innovative learning experiences. ECM is an Arts Integration educational nonprofit based in Charleston. We work with school districts, principals, teachers and the local workforce to identify specific knowledge and skill sets all students should master before graduating high school. We hire and train local artists, STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) professionals and cultural organizations, called ECM Instructors, to work with grade level teams of teachers to support learning through the Arts. Our goal is for every student to achieve academically, stay engaged in school and succeed in life while their teachers develop engaging Arts Integration teaching strategies that foster collaboration, critical thinking, communication & creativity. Both teachers and students report that ECM is a powerful model of success.

Jason Rapp
Jan 7th, 2021

S.C. Governor’s School for Arts recognized for arts ed research

Link uncovered between drama curriculum and reading success

The Arts Schools Network Board of Directors has awarded the Research Initiative-Institution Award to the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities.

The award honors an organization for its commitment to ongoing research and the dissemination of knowledge in research in arts education. The Governor's School's research initiative, implemented by the Office of Outreach in partnership with the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) and University of South Carolina Department of Theatre and Dance, examines the potential impact that drama curriculum has on reading motivation and success for young children. Melissa Brookes, managing director for ASN, said, “Each year the Arts Schools Network board of directors take great pride in honoring and recognizing schools and individuals for their extraordinary efforts and impact throughout arts education. This year, we are thrilled to recognize the Governor’s School as the winner of our Research Initiative Award.” In the Spark! outreach program that this research is based on, at-risk third-grade readers attending the state mandated Read-To-Succeed summer program are exposed to drama principles in addition to their reading requirements. Now in its third year, Spark! participants are showing increased gains in creativity measures like fluency and originality, along with critical reading measures required by MAP testing, when compared to similar students not exposed to the drama component. “While we are only three years into this five-year initiative, the combination of creativity gains and reading gains together are what draws us further into this research, and we’re very excited to see these promising trends,” said Carol Baker, outreach director at the Governor’s School. “We’re grateful for this acknowledgement from the Arts Schools Network and for the ongoing support and participation of our partners, the South Carolina Arts Commission, who is funding this project, and the USC Department of Theatre and Dance, who is compiling and analyzing the data.”

About the Research

Dr. Peter Duffy, who heads the Master of Arts in Teaching program in theatre education at the University of South Carolina is leading this research which combines the qualitative measures of theatre making and creativity with quantitative methods of reading and motivation. “This research matters because it examines how story, motivation, and embodied learning through drama can impact a child’s desire to read, and how this component can affect the way young readers interact with their reading materials,” said Duffy. “We are studying how more creative teaching methods can motivate readers to really know the story inside and out. “Our research suggests that students who engage in the drama work make small but important improvements in their overall reading scores. Gathering five years of data will help us see whether these trends hold overtime, giving us a stronger impression of the real impact these programs can make.” The Spark! program was initiated at Kenneth Gardner Elementary in Williamsburg County School District, and thanks to two years of early positive findings, received increased funding to expand to Hardeeville Elementary in Jasper County School District. Both districts serve high poverty, rural, under-resourced populations and neither has a certified drama teacher at any level. Each school offers a multi-week summer remedial reading camp for rising fourth-grade students at risk of retention due to low test scores. The summer camp is part of the Read-to-Succeed program and is the last possible opportunity for these young students to increase their scores enough to move on to the next grade. How this research impacts arts education funding priorities “The Spark! outreach program’s research into the relationship between drama and reading in young, at-risk readers, provides compelling evidence of the correlation between creativity and reading retention,” said David Platts, executive director of the SCAC. “Working with Dr. Duffy and his team at the University of South Carolina and the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities has demonstrated how these types of programs, while specifically designed to help students, also provide vital information for agencies such as ours as we analyze and prioritize our programming decisions. Good decisions and responsible stewardship of public funds are possible only with the availability of solid and meaningful research and data.” Getting students back on track “Ultimately, this is about improving reading skills and reading motivation of young students in South Carolina,” said Dr. Cedric Adderley, Governor’s School president. “We know that early reading comprehension is the key to success, and in this day and time, when we’re seeing reading regression in elementary school students due to pandemic-imposed virtual learning, we hope that programs like Spark! will be part of the solution to getting these students back on track.” “At the Governor’s School, we see first-hand how incorporating the arts into education can help improve student engagement, academic success, motivation, and hope for the future,” continued Adderley. “Now our challenge, as an arts resource and research center for teachers and students throughout the state, is to expand these proven programs to impact more students in need.”

About SC Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities

Located in Greenville, the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities cultivates young artists from across the state through pre-professional training in the areas of creative writing, dance, drama, music and visual arts. In the public, residential high school, students refine their talents in an arts-centered community while receiving a nationally recognized academic education. Summer programs are available to rising 7th-12th grade students. The Governor’s School serves as a resource to all teachers and students in South Carolina, offering comprehensive outreach programs designed to bring together artists, educators, community organizations and schools. SCGSAH.org

About the Arts Schools Network

Dedicated to excellence and leadership in arts education, Arts Schools Network, a non-profit association founded in 1981, provides arts school leaders, innovative partners and members of arts education institutions with quality resources, support and networking opportunities. Visit www.artsschoolsnetwork.org to learn more.

Image by Amberrose Nelson from Pixabay

Jason Rapp
Dec 21st, 2020

Applications open at S.C. Governor’s School for the Arts & Humanities

Young artists invited to apply

Artistically talented students in grades 6-11 can now apply to the S.C. Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities’ summer programs and tuition-free, residential high school for the 2021-2022 school year.

All South Carolina residents are eligible and can apply online at SCGSAH.org. “We want every parent who has an artistic child to know about the transformative opportunities that the Governor’s School offers them,” said Cedric Adderley, school president. “We’re hosting numerous virtual events throughout the fall for families to learn more about our programs and the life-long benefits of our pre-professional training.”

The Governor’s School is hosting a continuous series of virtual information sessions each week and a virtual open house, First Look, on Saturday, Nov. 7. They have also teamed up with the S.C. Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics and the new Governor’s School for Agriculture at John de la Howe for several Endless Opportunities events for those who wish to learn about the offerings from all three Governor’s Schools. Located in downtown Greenville, SCGSAH offers pre-professional training in creative writing, dance, drama, music, and visual arts. Students attend from all over the state to learn from established, practicing artists in an environment that provides the resources needed to hone their artistic abilities including specialized arts studios, state-of-the-art performance halls, a world-class library and dedicated rehearsal spaces. Governor’s School graduates attend the nation’s top colleges, universities and conservatories, and many students receive arts and academic scholarships. The Residential High School program has been nationally recognized by U.S. News and World Report, The Washington Post, The Daily Beast and Niche. The Palmetto Gold award-winning high school consistently ranks above state and national averages for SAT and ACT scores and had a 99 percent graduation and college acceptance rate for the 2019-2020 school year. The reviews and rankings site Niche.com ranked the Governor’s School the third “Best College Prep High School” and the fourth “Best Public High School” in South Carolina. “About half of our graduates continue to pursue their arts discipline in college and as a career,” said Adderley. “The other half choose collegiate studies in education, business, medicine, technology and other fields where they are very successful because of the discipline and life skills they learned from their experience at the Governor’s School,” said Adderley. The Governor’s School also offers summer programs that provide younger students the opportunity to immerse themselves in their artistic passion while learning from practicing artists. Interested individuals can learn more about the upcoming admissions events, arts programs, and application process at www.SCGSAH.org.

About SC Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities

Jason Rapp
Oct 30th, 2020