Saluda River Academy for the Arts continues to empower all students to excel academically while fostering a lifelong love for learning and the arts. Our team focuses on the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by building world-class knowledge, world-class skills, and life and career characteristics. Our faculty is dedicated to continuous improvement to prepare our students to be critical thinkers, strong communicators, effective collaborators, and creative contributors. We invest in relationships and provide support while celebrating the many successes of all students.
We use a plethora of strategies to enhance student achievement by increasing student engagement and differentiating instruction. As an ABC (Arts in Basic Curriculum) certified school, the arts are integrated throughout the curriculum and serve as a channel for improving our students’ achievement, confidence, and communication. SRAA is a Kennedy Center award-winning school and ABC Certified School of Distinction. Each of our students in all grade levels have diverse learning experiences through performances and residencies. Students attend weekly classes for visual arts, music, theater, physical education and dance. We also expose students to the various facets of the arts through co-taught arts-integrated lessons that also build discipline, expression, cooperation, and character. Our students also have opportunities to attend several arts experiences, such as the ballet at the Koger Center for the Arts, musicals at the in-district high schools, and district-wide Day of Dance and Choral Clinic events.
We concentrate on building world class skills within children by promoting thinking skills and capitalizing on the diverse strengths of our students. Realizing that all students are different, task rotations are used as a method of meeting our students’ instructional needs. We use small group instruction, including the Response to Intervention (RtI) model, and serve select students in the areas of reading through Tier 3 instruction. We use computerized learning to differentiate instruction for all students. Technology enhances our curriculum through the use of wireless access, Active Panels, Chromebooks, and iPads. We continue to have an electronic device for every student from kindergarten through fifth grades to support learning, create original works, and discover the world we live in. Our kindergarten through third grade teachers engage in ongoing professional development on the science of reading, applying the new learning to support students’ needs and address gaps in learning.
We are creating engaged citizens of the future through community outreach and events. Our theater group performed at the Riverbanks Zoo and our dance companies in the Cayce-West Columbia Holiday Parade of Lights. Parents and students participate in PTO meetings and performances, as well as the annual SRAA Talent Show and after-school arts and archery clubs. Our archery and theater groups competed at events across the state, and theater received a superior rating at the state festival for the third consecutive year. We promote the building of life and career characteristics through service-learning projects and community partnerships. Our students raised money and donations for our school-wide canned food and clothing drives that benefit those in need throughout our community.
Our achievements and accolades are a reflection of the strong support from our SIC, PTO, business partners, and community. Saluda River Academy for the Arts proudly remains committed to the building of world class knowledge, skills, as well as life and career characteristics for our future graduates.
Brandon Brantly, Principal
Stephanie Sturkie, SIC Chair
