Our school maintains a focus on helping all students develop the world-class skills and life and career characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by providing rigorous and Arts-infused educational programs for students at Hilton Head Island Elementary School for the Creative Arts (HHIESCA), and for its annexed multi-age Daufuskie Island Elementary (DIES) satellite school. A collaborative relationship among teachers, an active PTO and School Improvement Council, and diverse community shareholders drives the implementation of the five-year strategic plan, supporting the whole child and the three-tiered South Carolina graduate profile-development of world-class knowledge, world-class skills and life and career characteristics.
World Class Knowledge is demonstrated at both school sites through the rigorous standards-based viable curriculum in ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Integration of Arts-infused curriculum in collaboration with community shareholders provides evidence of authentic and meaningful learning across content. Specific partnerships include those held with the Arts in the Basic Curriculum Institute, Arts Now Learning, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, The Port Royal Sound Foundation, Hilton Head Island Symphony Orchestra and the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn Plantation. Through these opportunities, teachers and children are immersed in academic learning and cultural experiences provided by experts and artisans from the community. Students receive world-class knowledge that will enable them to enhance skills of problem-solving and critical thinking while also applying characteristics of teamwork and interpersonal relationships. Professional development and implementation of inquiry-based learning and our commitment as a staff to facilitate a strong Arts-focused learning environment further supports evidence of achievement in the area of World Class Knowledge.
We are dedicated to leading our students down the path of developing strong world class skills. As an Arts in the Basic Curriculum (ABC) School of Distinction, our vision includes rigorous Arts lessons taught by instructors certified in Art, Music, Dance, and Drama/Theater. We nurture a partnership with the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina to facilitate opportunities in which all classrooms may work with an Artist in Residence on a unit of study directly correlating with the academic content standards taught at each level, and experience academic field trips to enhance student learning. Teachers receive training regarding best practices in Arts-infusion within the curriculum. Our experiences in the Arts support the research that student engagement through the Arts facilitates self-expression, collaboration, teamwork, and skills of creativity.
We continue to facilitate robust extra-curricular offerings to students in the areas of instrumental and vocal music; theater; and visual art. Our school hosted Chorus concerts in Winter and Spring of 2023-24 which more than 100 students performed for parents and the school. Additionally, the Drama teacher facilitated an afterschool Drama club in Fall and Spring semesters whereby students performed "Dragon Stone Stew" and "The Jungle Book, Kids" respectively for the school community. In May of 2024, the school held our annual BRAVO Celebration of the Arts event, in which teachers and students proudly displayed Arts-integrated work completed throughout the school year using the process board methodology for sharing the process behind their learning journey. The community enjoyed visiting the campus and seeing evidence of inquiry-based student work, integrating the Arts and academic standards.
As a school within a district that holds a 1:1 technology plan, students benefit from a technology-rich program. All students of grades K-5 at both sites are provided the opportunity to explore learning through use of technology, via iPads at grades PreK through one, and laptops at grades two through five. An Arts-infused STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art and Math) program was present during year 2023-24 for students, creating opportunities for learners to plan and design with creativity, using inquiry skills to solve real-world problems. Examples of projects conducted in this classroom include Robotics coding, the Palmetto Electric Bright Ideas book writing contest, and the Egg Drop event held in Spring 2024. In addition to our Arts-centered clubs, students participated in academic enrichment opportunities such as the Lego and Robotics club, Painting club, Jewelry club, Garden club and afterschool tutoring in Math, Reading, and Writing.
The third tier of the Profile of the SC Graduate is the development of Life and Career Characteristics. In the 2024-25 year, HHIESCA teachers continued a commitment toward facilitating Single School Culture practices throughout the campus. This best practice in education is centered around the continual improvement of climate and culture through a streamlined approach of norming operational and instructional procedures across the school. Teachers, administration and staff work collaboratively to reach consensus regarding agreed-upon norms for management of daily operations within all classrooms and common areas of the school. In 2023-24, our school expanded our focus to touch upon instructional practices as well as operational, to include grading, PLC frameworks, pacing and lesson planning, and structuring of the classroom environment across the school.
The HHIESCA Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) supports the school in recognizing students for academic achievement, by providing engaging opportunities to extend learning to the home and rewards for successes achieved. An example of this is the Read-A-Thon book challenge fundraiser hosted by PTO in Spring 2024, as well as their support surrounding Book-o-Ween in October, and Read Across America Week in March.
We continue to incorporate the character education program in effect throughout Beaufort County School District through our Guidance program. Students representative of all grade levels are recognized monthly for exemplifying the trait of the month.
We celebrate our continued progress within our Arts-infused school of choice, and are committed to the mission of providing a safe, nurturing, rigorous, and Arts-infused environment that will promote strong creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication skills for all students, in turn preparing them for a successful future following graduation.
Pamela Lucas-Principal, Joey Varin-SIC Chair-HHIESCA, Lindsay Tilton and Katie Varin- Co-PTO Presidents, HHIESCA, Erin Quinn- PTO President, DIES
