Celebrating Arts in Education Week at East Millbrook Academy of Arts and Design

 

As the halls of East Millbrook Academy of Arts and Design come alive with student creativity, we’re thrilled to celebrate Arts in Education Week—a special time when the power and importance of the arts in education take center stage. Our students, particularly those in arts electives, have spent the week reflecting on the question: What do the arts mean to us? Their responses have not only illuminated the personal and cultural significance of art but have also inspired them to become advocates for the arts in their communities.

In preparation for this week, students in visual and performing arts classes embarked on the start of their creative journeys. The arts electives have become hives of activity, buzzing with imaginative ideas, collaborative projects, and meaningful exploration.  Stay tuned for sneak peeks and the unveiling of some truly inspiring work.

 

Creative Explorations in Arts Electives

In our visual arts classes, students have been busy experimenting with different mediums, tapping into their artistic voices. From painting to sculpture, they’re pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the art studio. Our performing arts students are equally immersed, using the stage to explore creativity, while also reflecting on how performance can communicate complex ideas and emotions.

 

Design Thinking

Ms. Foushee, our Design Thinking teacher, has already launched her two elective classes into the world of Design Thinking, a problem-solving process that encourages empathy, ideation, and innovation. 

 

Arts Integration in Core Classes

8th grade ELA students kicked off the year with a thought-provoking gallery walk, examining events from the past to build background knowledge. This deep dive into history and culture is setting the stage for their reading of Inside Out and Back Again, a children's novel about a 10-year-old girl who flees Vietnam during the Vietnam War and settles in Alabama.

 

Ms. Springle's 7th Grade ELA classes are reading the novel A Long Walk To Water. To help students understand why two characters may have very different perspectives on the same events.  Ms. Springle collaborated with our arts integration specialist, Ms. Brautman. Together, they led students through perspective drawing. This lesson allowed students to draw objects from multiple perspectives in the room. 

 

In honor of NC Arts in Education Week, our core teachers have stepped up to provide opportunities for students to engage in creative practices within their traditional subjects. 

 

Math students dove into the world of tessellations, exploring the beauty of geometric patterns while reinforcing key concepts. In English Language Arts, creative writing assignments push students to think beyond standard narratives, allowing them to weave in their own artistic expression. Science and Social Studies classes similarly embraced the arts, integrating artistic thinking into their lessons to spark new ways of understanding core standards.

 

This blending of arts and academics is a testament to the power of arts integration, a central focus of our magnet theme at East Millbrook. By encouraging students to think creatively across all subjects, we help them build critical thinking skills that will benefit them far beyond the classroom.

 

Looking Ahead: International Peace Day and Beyond

As we wrap up Arts in Education Week, we’re already preparing for our next big celebration: International Peace Day. Students will be continuing their creative explorations, using the arts as a way to express their ideas around peace, justice, and global harmony. These themes will resonate through the halls next week as art and choral students finalize their projects which will be shared with the broader school community.

This month at EM3 has already been full of creative sparks, and we’re just getting started. From arts electives to core curriculum connections, the spirit of creative discovery is alive and well. Stay tuned for more updates, and don’t forget to check back next month for the unveiling of our large-scale art piece celebrating all the wonderful work happening at East Millbrook!

We are so proud of our students for embracing the arts and for using their voices to advocate for the importance of creativity in education. Together, we’re proving that art is not just an elective, it’s an essential part of learning, growth, and expression.

 

Stay Connected

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Next week promises to be just as full of creativity and inspiration, and we can’t wait to share it with you.