Our School is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate through our creative approach to teaching and learning. Established in 1984, the mission of Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary School is to provide all students with the opportunity to reach their maximum potential through an arts integrated academic curriculum. Ashley River is a leader in arts integration, and is helping students develop the world class skills of the Profile of the SC graduate by teaching the South Carolina College and Career Ready standards in all areas of the academic curriculum, as well as the SC College and Career Ready Standards for Visual and Performing Arts Proficiency. This year was different, due to the Covid 19 pandemic but we adapted and were able to deliver effective instruction while following safety guidelines related to the pandemic. We looked at data, as usual, and put extra interventions in place for those students who had fallen behind due to the Covid closure in the spring of 2020. Due to the installation of plexiglass in classrooms, teachers were challenged to find effective ways to work with students in small groups; the instruction looked a little different than in previous years. Our students and teachers are very resilient and adapted well to the changes and were able to make this a very positive school year.
The students at Ashley River are taught critical thinking and problem solving skills while working in collaborative groups to create projects, solve problems, and demonstrate understanding. Through the arts, students are exposed to a variety of cultures and experiences integrated throughout the curriculum which create an environment of learning, creating, and self-expression. Teachers write units of study that incorporate all of the disciplines and use the arts as an equalizer for all children. Students are instructed in all academic areas, as well as visual arts, drama, music, media arts, cultural arts, physical education, violin, and dance. We opened our new STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) studio in the fall of 2019, which was funded through DAP grant funds and donations from our PTA. In our STEAM Studio, we feel that our 21st Century Learners are more engaged in the creative process through designing projects, iterating and reiterating ideas, all while collaborating with others. Our arts specialists plan with the grade level teachers to incorporate academic standards into their visual and performing arts lessons. Most years, each grade level has two artist in residency events, during which an artist comes into the school to work with the class going through the art form from the beginning of the process to the end product. This year, due to Covid safety restrictions, we had one residency per grade level, and added a school-wide “Arts Extravaganza”, which took place during the last three weeks of the school year. The Arts Extravaganza consisted of three local artists who did demonstrations for all of our students, either in person or over zoom/videos. We also had author visits from three authors during our Arts Extravaganza.
Each day at Ashley River begins with the morning news show, WUNI News. The show is produced and anchored by fourth and fifth grade students, enhancing their skills in communication, information, media and technological skills. We continued to offer club opportunities in the afternoons for fifth grade students this year, although the structure of the clubs looked different than in previous years, due to Covid safety protocols. Our students were given the opportunity to work with students from their own class, and participate in one of the following: Golf/PE Club, Robotics, Chorus, Visual Art, Dance and WUNI News.
Ashley River teachers strive to improve and refine our program through staff development, collaborative planning, and data-driven decision making. Teachers use digital content and ability grouping to differentiate instruction in order to meet the needs of all learners. Our teachers write grants to enhance our program, and we continue to be an Arts in the Basic Curriculum and an Engaging Creative Minds site. Our PTA is a strong partner in helping to support these grants, which brings new and innovative ideas to our core instructional programs.
Working as a team with school, community, and parents, we will continue to achieve and create an excellent learning environment for students.
Michelle Conner, Principal
Jackie Grant, SIC Chairperson
