Oct 15 2019
Ithica Elementary School (IES) is one of only 20 elementary and middle schools in the nation to be selected by Crayola and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) to receive a “Champion Creatively Alive Children” school grant.
The Champion Creatively Alive Children grants are intended to help schools nurture children’s creativity and inspire other schools to do the same. Ithica Elementary received a $2,500 monetary grant and $1,000 worth of Crayola products. Colleen Jones, Principal of IES, will share outcomes from their program via NAESP’s website and a special Principal magazine supplement to help other principals develop promising practices related to arts in education.
“Ithica Elementary School is ecstatic to partner with Crayola and NAESP to continue our school’s STEM focus through the incorporation of the arts. We believe in providing 21st century learning to all our students, and this grant will allow our school to continue to lead the state in these efforts,” stated Mrs. Jones.
STEM coordinators throughout the school will help infuse the arts into classroom projects and support teachers along the journey of moving from being STEM certified to STEAM certified. IES plans to incorporate the arts as fuel for deductive and inductive reasoning, student-led problem solving, and guided inquiry to inspire flexibility and adaptability.
“Crayola believes that for students to reach their full potential and grow into self-motivated learners, their creativity and critical thinking skills must be nurtured. We believe children develop these 21st century skills when educators ignite their imaginations through art-infused education,” said Chuck Linden, Crayola Executive Vice President of Strategy and Education
“Principals understand the value of using arts-infused education to ignite deep learning for all students,” said NAESP Executive Director L. Earl Franks. “We’re proud to work with Crayola and the Champion Creatively Alive Children grant program to provide schools with this unique opportunity for resources to enhance students' creativity and success, providing them the type of complete and well-rounded education that they deserve.”
To view the complete list of the 20 Champion Creatively Alive Children grant recipients, visit www.naesp.org/creativity or Crayola.com/grants
