ABC Project certifies two new schools
[caption id="attachment_48762" align="aligncenter" width="600"] A student completes a STEAM project at an ABC-certified school.[/caption]
The Arts in Basic Curriculum (ABC) Project is growing by two schools.
This week, Midlands Arts Conservatory and Fort Dorchester High School received ABC School Certification for exemplary efforts to provide quality, comprehensive arts education to all students. Designation as an ABC School is achieved through a rigorous certification process. “Being certified as an ABC School means your school is ready and willing to serve as a model for others across the state and across the nation,” said ABC Project Director Dr. Kim Wilson. “ABC Schools know the ‘why’ to their often unconventional and courageous choices. They can provide the pedagogical rationale, evidence and data to support those choices, and models of practice to clearly communicate the benefits of the arts to others.”- Midlands Arts Conservatory is Midlands Arts Conservatory (MAC) is a free, public charter school located in downtown Columbia. MAC students spend approximately half of the school day studying core academic courses and half their day in their chosen core fine arts course of study: dance, music (strings), theatre, or visual arts. Midlands Arts Conservatory prepares students for arts-related careers, a lifelong appreciation of the arts, and for high quality postsecondary studies. The school provides an arts-enriched personalized learning environment, integrating academic rigor and quality arts instruction for all students.
- Fort Dorchester High School, located in North Charleston, is one of three high schools in Dorchester District Two. The high school serves a diverse student population of multicultural ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds. It is the vision of Fort Dorchester High School is to prepare students for college and career readiness and make meaningful connections. Fort offers many programs that provide hands-on, real-world experiences: CATE (Career and Technology Education), culinary, visual arts, media arts, theatre, instrumental music, choral music, photography, and more. The Fort Dorchester High School vision is driven by these real-world experiences and the desire to foster awareness and advocacy for the arts.

ABOUT THE ARTS IN BASIC CURRICULUM PROJECT Established in 1987, founded by the belief that all students deserve equal access to quality arts education as an essential educational promise, the ABC Project is cooperatively governed by the South Carolina Arts Commission, the South Carolina Department of Education, and Winthrop University. ABC Project fulfills its mission through three strategic goals focused on best practices, research, and policy. Visit ABCProjectSC.com or call 803.323.2451, and follow @abcprojectsc on social media. ABOUT THE SOUTH CAROLINA ARTS COMMISSION 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 four areas: arts learning, community and traditional arts, artist development, and arts industry. 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.