Walker Gamble Elementary Awarded Distinguished Art Program (DAP) Grant
CCSD school awarded grant to expand academic arts programs
New Zion — September 27, 2023 — Walker Gamble Elementary School has been awarded the DAP Curricular Innovation Grant provided by the S.C Department of Education, which assists schools and districts in developing and implementing arts initiatives that support quality arts education programs. The school-level award totals $18,000, split between proposed projects and the Summer Arts Institute, which will help to provide professional development for arts teachers. Expansion of art initiatives is a focus in Clarendon County School District as the arts help to improve school engagement and academic achievement.
“I am excited for the opportunities the DAP grant will provide for our students here at Walker Gamble Elementary! Our main focus this year is to address each arts area (Art, Music, Dance, Theatre, and Media Arts) within our existing Academic Arts classes,” stated Jessie Welch, District Arts Coordinator. “I hope to see each school within our district apply for a Distinguished Arts Program grant in the coming years."
Walker Gamble's Advancing Academic Arts Expansion Project plans to use its funds to send its arts teachers to their content areas for professional conferences, provide musical instruments such as metallophones, resonator bells, and xylophones for the music room, and purchase tinkling poles, wands, hoops, and fans for dance standards implementation into Physical Education classes. The plan is to also purchase a 3D printer for the STEAM lab and digital cameras for Media Arts Projects. In Visual Art, the school plans to purchase iPads and Apple pencils to create a digital portfolio while incorporating more digital drawing and video production into the curriculum.
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