Creativity has landed Seven Oaks Elementary School in some elite company, with the school being one of 20 elementary and middle schools across 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. Each school received a $2,500 monetary grant and $1,000 worth of Crayola products.
The Champion Creatively Alive Children grants are intended to help principals and their schools explore new ways to nurture children’s creativity and inspire other principals to do the same. Recipients will share outcomes from their programs via NAESP’s website in order to help other principals develop promising practices related to arts education.
The school’s winning entry, developed by Principal John Ceschini and Seven Oaks’ leadership team, was called “Using Art Strategies in a STEM School.” The school is devising action research projects to collect data and illustrate the impact art-infusion and artistic-reflection had on the school’s students.
“We plan to change the way teachers teach and provide them with increased opportunities to use their creativity in their classrooms in ways that excite educators and students,” Ceschini said.
To view the complete list of the 20 Champion Creatively Alive Children grant recipients, visit www.naesp.org/creativity.