2020-772-E Arts Commission-McDougle Elementary PTA arts grant

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Project Date (no later than June 30, 2021) Second semester of academic 2021-2020 Project Goals The goal of the PTA Cultural Arts Program at McDougle Elementary School (MES) has always been to expose the entire student population to a wide range of artistic expression throughout their elementary school years. MES students benefit greatly from the shared experience of a div erse cultural arts program. Howev er, we know that many MES students hav e v ery few opportunities to participate in cultural arts performances outside of school, due to socioeconomic realities and other family considerations. The PTA Cultural Arts Program performances prov ide a common context for all students to understand and celebrate each other’s differences, expand their knowledge about the world and make meaningful connections between the arts and the lessons they are learning in the classroom. For the current academic year, the MES PTA Cultural Arts Program Coordinator has worked collaborativ ely with the MES administration and teachers, and carefully selected to inv ited the poetry resident Mr. Shabazz back to MES to work with our 5-graders. His work responds to the needs of all 5-grade students across the community. Mr. Shabazz work prov ides a strong multidisciplinary linkage to the school’s curriculum (e.g., arts education, language arts, social studies and positiv e behav ior). W e also intentionally hav e built Mr. Shabazz's program offering year after year to be part of the students curriculum as a representation of the poetry art form discussing also races, ethnicities and cultures. Cirruculum and Enrichment The MES PTA Cultural Arts Program works hand in hand with the school’s arts education curriculum, as well as with the teachers who incorporate the performances into the grade-lev el curriculum. Ev ery year, performers are carefully selected to prov ide instructional materials to correspond with their performance, which help our teachers guide students to make deeper connections and continue the learning experience. Each teacher is responsible for integrating these materials and the performances with the curriculum in the classroom. These curriculum connections would most often take place on a grade-wide scale, with teachers of the same grade using the same lesson and specials teachers prov iding further reinforcement during classes such as art, music and library. This academic year the poetry residency of Mr. Shabazz will again become part of the curriculum for our 5-graders with his creativ e writing workshop "Liv ing W ords", that has been nominated by the North Carolina Arts Council for human relations, praised for his contributions to arts education—as a blend of imagination, experience, and upbeat sensitiv ity. DocuSign Envelope ID: 30A3A49D-5EB0-4905-9FC6-F9978F58E9A6