09 Oct 2023 PCSSD has education down to an art

By Jessica Duff

The Pulaski County Special School District boasts many dedicated educators and administrators from 26 schools across Central Arkansas, which includes the DRIVEN Virtual Academy now in its third year with the district. PCSSD Fine Arts teachers are committed to sharing their craft and passing along their knowledge and art to others. Maumelle High theater director Robert Birdsong is no different.

“To the students, fine arts and performing arts are the respite from numbers and words and formulas. A good portion of my students, and other fine arts teachers, have told us that without our classes, they couldn’t see themselves making it to school. We are a vitally important cog in this machine,” Birdsong said.

Prior to entering education, Birdsong was an actor/musician/singer and union stagehand and worked as a commercial voiceover talent. However, he said he quickly felt the importance of teaching the fine arts.

“I started to notice that there were students in any population that were merely looking for something, something to make the school day bearable, something that spoke to their desires and dreams, something BIGGER than their core courses and themselves, and many of them came to me. After that, I felt it was a moral imperative to share a lifetime’s experience on the stage, screen and in the studio.”

He explains what he hopes his students get from his theater classes.

“I hope the students understand there is a gigantic world of entertainment beyond that 5.5-inch screen on their phones. I hope that the career choices of our students are informed by what we have to offer. I hope that they develop stronger personality and self-esteem, and that they leave here far more confident than when they arrive.”

PCSSD boasts fine arts programs across the Maumelle feeder and at every grade level, including music classes, painting, theater, choir, marching band and more.