Arts Education

Arts Education News Updates

The Fifth Annual Superintendent's Holiday Card Contest

CLICK HERE to see ALL this year's entries!

Want to support arts education? Arts ARE Education is a new national campaign in support of arts education for all students asserts that the arts

are part of a balanced education and asks signees to commit to supporting equitable access to arts education that includes instruction in

all arts areas. Anyone or any organization can sign it.

Find out more here: https://www.artsareeducation.org/sign-the-pledge

In the Fall of 2020, the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) joined 52 other organizations in a statement that supports an arts education for all students.

In the statement, “Arts Education Is Essential,” the signing organizations convey that the arts have already played a pivotal and uplifting role during the health crisis, and that arts education can help all students, including those who are in traditionally underrepresented groups, as students return to school. “Arts Education Is Essential” speaks to arts education’s role in supporting the social and emotional well-being of students, an area that administrators, educators, and parents have highlighted as essential to student safety and success during the pandemic and as students return to school, whether in-person, online, or in a blended fashion. Arts education also creates a welcoming school environment and a healthy and inclusive school community, helping students, educators, parents, and the community at large build and strengthen their connectedness during this time of social isolation and social distancing.

Visual Art Virtual Shows

North Davidson Middle School - March 2022 - Google Drawing Self Portraits

Samantha Mendenhall, Art Teacher

For questions or comment, please contact:

James G. Daugherty

Arts Education and Digital Learning Specialist

Davidson County Schools

250 County School Road

Lexington, NC 27292

[email protected]

336.242.5812

Arts Education News Updates

The Third Annual Superintendent’s Holiday Card Contest

Official Rules

Designs must be original.
Designs by any student in Davidson County Schools, grades Pre-K through 12 will be accepted.
Student artwork should be two-dimensional. Any medium is acceptable. The orientation may be portrait or landscape.
Each school will select their top choice based on their entries with all submissions screened by the visual art teacher.
Each entry should include identifying information including the student’s name, grade, school, and visual art teacher.
Designs must be submitted via courier to Keri Johnston, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent by 5:00PM on October 22, 2021. Include the attached student permission form with the winning entry.
Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Emily Lipe will judge submitted designs. Winners will be notified by October 29, 2021.
By submitting a design, you are allowing the future unconditional use of your card design(s) by Davidson County Schools.
The winning design will be framed and re-presented to the student artist!

Questions? Contact James Daugherty, Arts Education Specialist at [email protected] or Ext. 5812

Arts Education Calendar of Events

Aligning to North Carolina's Comprehensive Arts Education Plan

In December 2010, Senate Bill 66 directed the State Board of Education to appoint a task force of members from the Department of Public Instruction and the Department of Cultural Resources to create a Comprehensive Arts Education Development Plan for the public schools of North Carolina.

In today’s globally competitive world, innovative thinking and creativity are essential for all school children. High quality, standards-based instruction in the arts develops these skills and effectively engages, retains, and prepares future-ready students for graduation and success in an entrepreneurial economy. Dance, music, theatre arts, and visual arts, taught by licensed arts educators and integrated throughout the curriculum, are critical to North Carolina’s 21st century education.

The S66 Task Force recognizes a Comprehensive Arts Education Plan to include the following three components:

Arts Education (arts as core, academic subjects)
Arts Integration (arts as a catalyst for learning across the curriculum)
Arts Exposure (exposure to arts experiences)

Visual Art Virtual Shows

North Davidson Middle School - April 2021 - Earth Week

Samantha Mendenhall, Art Teacher

North Davidson Middle School - February 25, 2021 - Digital Learning Day Digital Mosaics

Samantha Mendenhall, Art Teacher

North Davidson Middle School, 7th graders and 6th grade early finishers, utilized Chromebook and Google Drawing to create mosaics in a digital format. Students were able to explore basic tool functions such as zoom, paint fill, shapes, select, and polyline tool in order to create their mosaic. Several students were so excited to work on these, they completed the project the first night it was assigned!