30 Sep 2024 PCSSD has educational opportunities down to a fine art
By Jessica Duff
The Pulaski County Special School District (PCSSD) boasts many dedicated educators and administrators from 25 schools in Central Arkansas. Across the Maumelle feeder zone, fine arts teachers are committed to sharing their craft and passing along their knowledge to others. Elementary music and art classes are designed to introduce creative thinking and performance skills to even the youngest learners. As students progress to Maumelle Middle and High School, they have the opportunity to explore band, choir, theater, art and more.
PCSSD elementary educators appreciate and encourage their students’ creative energy. Crystal Hill Elementary Art Teacher Jonathan Kaplan especially enjoys his students’ innate passion. “I’m certified through high school, but I really enjoy teaching elementary because of the pure excitement elementary kids have,” he shared.
His goal is to encourage lifelong creative thinking.
“They love to make and create and learn how to communicate in new ways. If I can get them excited about art at a very young age, there’s a greater chance they will carry that excitement on to their older years. We are all capable of being creative and thinking creatively, but that excitement for arts and creativity is what keeps them making art as they get older.”
Christy Hager, music teacher at Pine Forest Elementary, hopes to share the joy of performing with her students. “Seeing my students perform to the best of their abilities and the smiles that acknowledge the thrill in their soul is priceless to me,” she said.
She also sees the far-reaching value that fine arts offer every student. “Participation in the fine arts teaches us to understand and share our history and culture, as well as the history and culture of others in an authentic way. This naturally promotes social skills that bring about awareness and respect for others.”
As the director of bands for Maumelle Middle, Michael Williamson sees firsthand the benefits of performance-based fine arts programs for his students. “Performing fine arts programs rely on the cooperation of their members, individual members’ integrity to execute their role and members’ dedication to leave the program better than they found it,” he said.
His students learn to progress in their craft and develop life skills like time management and communicating with authority figures. The end result is something Williamson believes both students and staff can benefit from, a positive school culture.
Ellen Westerman’s history with choir helps her stay focused on her goals as a choir director at Maumelle High. Initially not interested in music, she received encouragement from friends and teachers that led her to become a music major. “I wanted a place to belong and express myself, but needed someone to believe in me and invite me in. So my ‘why’ as a choir director is to connect with students who, like me, simply need a little direction, encouragement and community,” she said.
Her classes are a place for building skills and connection.
“I hope they gain confidence that bleeds into the other areas of their lives, and along the way, unveils any stifled or abandoned talent they didn’t have the courage to share before,” she said.
A lifelong performer, Maumelle High stagecraft teacher Bob Birdsong has been working in theater education since 2006. His goal is to help students discover a fresh reason to enjoy school. “I hope that my students, first and foremost, create memories that never leave them,” he shared.
He also highlighted how integral fine arts is to education as a whole. “Like athletics, fine arts programs are the public face of a school, and a matter of pride amongst students. But more importantly, fine arts is algebra, it is literature, it is science. Just told in a different way.”
