Calhoun Academy of the Arts is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by providing an arts integrated curriculum where students engage in creative processes which connect an art form to another subject area and meet evolving objectives in both.
Students and staff were excited to grow, thrive, and take charge of their own learning this year with our new school theme “Wild About Learning.” Our students were encouraged to explore and take advantage of the numerous learning opportunities as we delved through the rigor and relevance of the academics and arts on our safari adventure of the 2021-22 school year! Our school motto, “Shine Bright and Be Different,” continued to inspire our students to be the best, most confident citizens possible. Thus, our daily morning announcements led by our principal focused on words of encouragement that promoted honesty, respect, integrity, and other valuable positive character traits.
Once again, we were awarded the Arts in Basic Curriculum grant. This year we received $10,000. The highlight of the year was when our 5th graders performed, “The Lion King, Jr.” for our school and community. Students put on every aspect of the show including lights, music, and the curtains. Parents, friends, and members of the community were invited to enjoy the show.
This year our school participated in the One School, One Book, The One and Only Ivan! The student body collected canned food items to donate to AIM in our “Have a Heart for Others!” campaign. Every student was given a backpack with new books to read over the summer.
Students participated in a school-wide sock drive called, “Warming Up Anderson!” Each second-grade classroom created a video which petitioned other classes to help them collect socks for the homeless. This Calhoun Sock Drive was a great success.
This year due to Covid-19 restrictions we had to get highly creative to increase parent and community involvement at our school. We offered several programs this school year virtually. Our annual visual arts exhibition in which all K-5th graders participate featured artworks of various mediums. Families who participated in our Family Engagement nights left with tips and strategies on how to help their children succeed academically.
We are immensely proud of the academic achievement of our students. SC Ready assessments were administered during the Spring of 2021. 42.6% of our third, fourth, and fifth graders scored meeting and exceeding in Math and 37.9 % in ELA. Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) was used to assess students three times during the year.
This school year has been quite different due to Covid-19 restrictions. Our teachers and staff rose to the occasion every day by providing rigorous and engaging instruction. They persevered through the challenges to meet students' educational and emotional needs.
