Berkeley County School District would like to recognize Philip Simmons Middle for getting recertified as an Arts in Basic Curriculum School.
The ABC Institute is cooperatively directed by the South Carolina Arts Commission, the South Carolina Department of Education and the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Winthrop University. Its mission is to provide leadership to achieve quality and comprehensive arts education for all students in South Carolina. The institute is celebrating 35 years in operation this year.
All ABC Schools must have an approved arts education strategic plan that outlines the commitments of resources, personnel, and partnerships that will be required and maintained over five years. Such commitments require grant-writing, partnerships with local cultural organizations and specialized professional development.
“ABC Certified Schools believe that the arts are an essential component in the basic curriculum and are central to student development,” ABC Institute Director Dr. Kim Wilson said in a press release. “Each school is unique but all understand how to make meaningful connections to art in all aspects of life and learning, understand how an arts-rich environment inspires creativity, and the role the arts play in defining our students’ diverse cultures and defining a schools’ inclusive culture.”
Designation of ABC School is achieved through a rigorous certification process.
“Being certified as an ABC School means your school is ready and willing to serve as a model for others across the state and across the nation,” Wilson said. “ABC Schools know the “why” to their often unconventional and courageous choices. They can provide the pedagogical rationale, evidence and data to support those choices, and models of practice to clearly communicate the benefits of the arts to others.”
Philip Simmons Middle Principal Charla Groves said this is an achievement her school has been working toward for a while now.
“Our team of teachers, students, parents, and community members has worked collaboratively over the last six months to achieve recertification and we are excited to continue creating an arts-rich, opportunity-filled learning environment for our students,” She said. “Special thanks to Charles Atkins, our grant manager, for leading the way through the process.”
Atkins is the theatre teacher at Philip Simmons Middle and has served as the ABC grant manager for the last six years. He is a very active grants writer for the school in general; this school year alone, he has scored a Palmetto State Teachers Association Mini-Grant, as well as a Distinguished Arts Program grant – both of which were earmarked to buy classroom scripts.
The school receives $12,500 annually – which is an approved amount from the South Carolina legislature that is financially managed by the South Carolina Arts Commission. The school’s ABC recertification grant is good for another three-year grant cycle at the same amount (unless the legislature increases the current amount when members vote on the state budget later this year).
Atkins said the grant money will provide opportunities for students to experience four week-long South Carolina Arts Commission-approved artists in residencies to work with students in their band, physical education/dance, theatre and visual arts classes. Funds will also be used to purchase supplies and materials for those classes, as well as support ongoing professional development for teachers at the annual Palmetto State Arts Education conference in Columbia.
“Our team feels a unique sense of accomplishment earning and being awarded recertification status by The Arts in Basic Curriculum Institute,” he said. “Collaborating and creating our three-year strategic arts plan that suits the needs of our students is vital in making teaching and learning intentional, fun and relevant.”