Spotlight on Schools
Frederickson Elementary
Frederickson Elementary in the Bethel School District opened in 2009 as a brand new Arts Impact school. Principal Ellen Eddy explains why being an arts-focused school is so important to her: "It’s the way so many of our kids access learning. When our students are more comfortable with their bodies, their voices, their expression of themselves in other ways than paper and pencil, it’s more holistic, and it helps them stay engaged in learning."
Frederickson hosted its first Math and Art infused parent/student/teacher night on Thursday, September 30, 2010. Grade level teachers presented math state performance expectations, guided parents through the district curriculum used to teach to the performance expectations, and finally showed parents how Frederickson teachers use arts-infused lessons to support student learning in all areas of math. At the end of the night, parents were invited to the school cafeteria to see first hand what Frederickson teachers had done during the Arts Impact Summer Institute when learning how to infuse art and math. Some parents have chosen to transfer their children to Frederickson specifically because it is an arts-focused school.
Frederickson teachers also shared a slide show of pictures of themselves spending their summer actively engaged in visual arts, dance, and theater to become better prepared for teaching to all students using the arts. Ellen Eddy observes, "The arts build confidence, a sense of team and trust, both in our kids and in our staff. I told my teachers: if we didn’t do it—that would be a crime. How could we not? It makes such a difference for so many."
By the end of the night on September 30, parents and teachers together could not stop talking about the exciting year of learning in a school where art is infused into the students’ daily activities. Ellen is proud of her whole school community for recognizing the value of the arts: "During the second week of school this year, I was observing a 4th grade class brainstorming things they liked about our school. The number one thing was that we are an arts school! Number two was our caring staff, and number three was all the fancy technology. Recess didn’t even make the list!"
She also sees students carrying the impact of their arts experience beyond their time at Frederickson: "We had two 6th graders last year—one had cerebral palsy and was in a wheelchair, and the other was a little person. They went on to join the cheer squad in junior high. Their parents sent photos of them in their uniforms and thanked us. They never would have done that without the arts."