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Elementary school expands art, brings music back
Published Thursday, August 6, 2009
Clanton Elementary School will offer more art classes this fall and music for the first time in years.
The school has added a second art teacher and a music teacher. Funding for the teachers, along with supplies, will be in part from Title 1 funds.
Photo by Justin Averette
From left, teachers Leah Hains, Jeannie Williamon and Julie Harrison will help expand Clanton Elementary’s art and music classes.
“We had music years ago ... we had to regroup, and now we are getting it back,” said Robin Cagle, vice principal.
First-year teacher Leah Hains will bring music back to Clanton Elementary.
“I’m really excited about it,” said Hains. “A full education is for the mind, body and soul. Music really is about the soul.”
Hains said her classes would focus on exposing students to instruments and different kinds of music. Students will attend music classes every other week.
With the addition of Jeannie Williamon, the school’s art department now has two teachers. Former kindergarten teacher Julie Harrison has taught art at CES for five years.
Students will now attend art every week, instead of twice a month.
“My goal is to promote the awareness of art in children,” said Harrison. “Tons of research and studies show students involved in art, music and drama do better academically than those who don’t.”
Except for band, Clanton’s other three schools don’t offer any music or art classes, Harrison said.
“It is very sad that this is the case,” Harrison said.
Preschoolers to second-graders attend CES. Being a Title 1 school, CES receives supplemental federal funding for the arts and more.
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Posted by thirdforce (anonymous) on August 6, 2009 at 11:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow! 2 music teachers and 2 art teachers for these elementary students. I do feel that the arts is culturally important. However, I think that these subjects should be available to ALL students in the county. I have asked before and I don't know any other schools in our county in which the students get to participate in a structured art or music class. I think CES also has a fully funded elementary computer lab as well with a full time teacher. If we wish to compete with other school systems in the state then the BOE needs to implement these programs at the elementary level for all of our schools. Aren't all schools in Chilton County Title I?
Posted by amp920 (anonymous) on August 7, 2009 at 6:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm not sure, but I would think that most schools in the county would be Title I.
I do know that the original decision to have art was a result of the principal and Ms. Harrison convincing the other teachers to give up a classroom teaching unit so she could teach art to every child in the school. In other words, there is one less classroom teacher at CES than there would be otherwise, and that unit is used for art. I don't know where the new teacher units came from.
The point is that in a system like Chilton County, the principal is the one who has to make this happen. I am sure there are teachers who would object because that would raise some class sizes, and there is the perception that the art teacher doesn't work as hard as the others, has it easy because she doesn't have a homeroom, etc. I don't think that's the case, but I know that perception is out there.
Bravo to the leadership at CES, and to the teachers who support this decision.
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