Every week is Art Week in NREVSD

The week of September 9, 2012 was Arts in Education Week in Ohio when the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education and Ohio Gov. John Kasich encouraged all Ohioans to promote and showcase the role arts education plays for all students.

In the New Richmond Exempted Village School District, art plays an important role every week and not just in music classes and the visual arts classrooms of teachers Amy Hauserman, Stacy Gibbons, Amy Cholkas, Tim Cook and Adrian Vance Hawk so celebrating Arts in Education Week was eagerly embraced. 



NRE students (from left) Dakotah Reynolds,Maleigha Henderson, Elleah Senters and Jaira Stamper on Patterns Day (composers, designers, scientists and mathematicians use or identify patterns)

“When we think of school, the first thing that comes to mind is reading, writing and math, which are all very important, but the visual and performing arts are important too,” said Locust Corner Elementary principal Julie Renner. “The school setting is typically the first time kids get exposure to the Arts and continually experience the creativity needed in their overall developmental growth.”
 

"Our students and staff enjoyed participating in our Arts in Education Week awareness activities,” said New Richmond Elementary principal Terry Miller. “Students learned that art encompasses more than visual arts but includes performing arts and literature, too. We appreciated Mrs. Cholkas' suggestion that we follow suite with other schools across the state and seize the opportunity to promote arts in education.”



2nd grade NRE art students (from left) Max Lancaster, Zackary Audas, Laurence Mathis and Karlye Gilpin draw lines to the rhythm of Mozart’s 'A Little Night Music.'

“‘Excellence with Distinction’ is a goal for all core subjects in New Richmond, including the arts,” said Cholkas. “District art students are always proud when their best art work is selected for an exhibit, such as Ohio Art Education Association’s Youth Art Month or Young People’s Art Exhibit in Columbus.”

In addition to the Columbus exhibits, New Richmond EVSD students have had their art work displayed at the Evening for Educators at the Cincinnati Art Museum, the University of Cincinnati’s Festival in the Woods, CET’s (PBS) Create-a-Fest or A River Village Christmas in New Richmond on the Ohio.”

“In 2009, first and second grade N.R.E. students were filmed making art for the CD- Vertices: Geometry Meets Art, which is now published on Cincinnati’s PBS (CET) web site,” said Cholkas, who was featured in the video.

(From Left) Students Sydney Maus, Morgan Bronson-Blevins, 2nd grade teacher Misty Cresap and student Tori Miller on NRE's Primary Color Day.

 “I believe that art is a key component of our collective human experience,” said Monroe visual arts teacher Adrian Vance Hawk. “Art allows us to see our world in ways that we hadn't considered before. Through visual art, music, dance, and theater/performance, we are able to feel things more deeply, appreciate things more often, and understand our world more clearly.”



“Everyday students of the arts develop skills and make connections to our world,” said Locust Corner visual arts teacher Tim Cook. “Through Arts education, problem solving and the creation process, students build a vibrant way to express themselves.”



LCE students Nate Corder, and Katie Gardner



The importance of art education goes beyond the art and music rooms and all NREVSD buildings.

"In sixth grade social studies, our unit on Ancient Egypt is greatly enriched by the artwork and artifacts that the students create under the direction of Mr. Cook,” said Breanda Barnes, 6th grade teacher at Locust Corner.

Barnes uses the Egyptian art work created by Cook’s art students to create four stations within her classroom.

“Our sixth graders teach visiting fourth and fifth grade students from LCE what they have learned about Ancient Egypt,” said Barnes. “The beautiful artwork and artifacts make the centers come alive for all the visiting students."

“Art helps connect ‘what we see’ to ‘what we feel,’” said New Richmond High School and Middle School music director Doug Heflin, who has won national honors for the district with his NRHS Troubadours.

“It helps make sense of our environment by helping us relate to our surroundings. It introduces us to ‘wonder’ and the ability to be lost inside ourselves. Art brings perfect sense to our imperfect journey … and we should never shy away from wonder.”



N.R.E. students (from left) Ainsley Zimmerman, Tori Miller, Ben Hayes and Caleb Saunders use creative thinking skills and collaboration in art class.

“Art is essential to the study of world history and cultures,” said New Richmond Middle School teacher Erin Keith. “When we study Greece, we look at art pieces and primary sources to learn about their strong belief in their gods.

“It would be incomprehensible to learn about the Renaissance without discussing the arts. We listen to Renaissance music, learn a Renaissance dance and study visual art pieces from all the great Renaissance artists like Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.”

“Art brings a smile to my face every day as I walk the halls of Monroe Elementary,” said Monroe Elementary intervention specialist Megan Allen. “I enjoy reading the quotes the students write and seeing all the different media being used in ways that I would never imagine. I know that the art our students create is valued by teachers, students.”



NRE second grade teacher Julie Winkerman on Favorite Musician Day.



“As a kindergarten teacher, I have yet to find a 5 or 6 year old who doesn't want to make music or paint!,” said New Richmond Elementary kindergarten teacher, Leisa Moore.

Mrs. Moore is a mother of four with two sports minded and two music minded children.

“I would like to say that while I am an avid fan of many different kinds of sports, I also greatly admire and appreciate the arts,” she said. “Having two children who are proficient in sports and two who are talented in music, I always remind the two musicians they will outlast their siblings in their area of expertise.”



Locust Corner sixth grade teacher Brenda Barnes uses artwork created in Tim Cook's art class for her social studies classes on ancient Egypt.

“I found in my liberal arts education during college, that I enjoyed learning more about history through art, music, dance, and literature of a particular time period,” said Monroe Elementary 3rd grade teacher Jennifer Mills. “We need to teach our students that one way they can express themselves is through the arts. The arts makes our world a lively and more enjoyable place. Take away the arts and we would live in a very dull world.”

Jeffrey Folkens, elementary school band director for the NREVSD, points to a 10-year study by MusicEmpowersFoundation.org which tracked more than 25,000 students and concluded that music-making students get higher marks on standardized tests than those who have no music involvement.

“These students also reported watching fewer hours of television, participating more in community service and having less feelings of boredom in school,” said Folkens.

Fancy Dance Shoes Day at NRE