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Learning can be a reason to dance

Skycrest Elementary integrates lessons from Ruth Eckerd Hall artists into its curriculum.

By JOSE CARDENAS, Times Staff Writer
Published October 13, 2007

"You wore me out," little Xander Jenkins told Blue Feliu, a dancer from Ruth Eckerd Hall's theater company who was paying the school one of her regular visits.

The lesson was part of a unique collaboration between Eckerd Hall and Skycrest called Passport to the Arts. The program integrates performing and visual arts instruction from Eckerd Hall's artists into Skycrest's academic curriculum all year long.

It involves all teachers and the school's 625 students and was inspired by the belief that music, poetry, drama, painting and other arts can help kids learn to read, write and do math.

To develop Passport, Eckerd Hall sent letters six years ago to 20 elementary schools where at least 30 percent of students received free or reduced lunches.

Meanwhile, principal Sheila Jaquish was looking for a way to distinguish Skycrest. Her student body is 64 percent minority, and almost 40 percent are learning English.

"We came to a consensus that focusing on the arts would benefit our children," said Jaquish, who played trombone in high school and also collects art.

The main element in Passport involves five Eckerd "teaching artists" who are assigned to every grade level, from kindergarten through fifth grade.

The artists visit each classroom twice a month.

Together, the artists and teachers develop projects integrating the artist's speciality with an academic theme particular to each grade level.

The result can be poems, paintings or plays about oceanography, geography or history.

Take the four fourth-grade classes, where the focus is Florida history.

Their Eckerd artist is Melody Craven, who starts teaching the students acting at the beginning of the school year.

In the weeks that follow, they research Florida history. By Christmas break, Craven and the students will write a play.

In the spring, the children create props and make sets depicting native Florida landscape.

"It's one more way to get them to learn," said Peggy Keener, a fourth-grade teacher.

As part of Passport, Eckerd provides transportation for Skycrest students to plays, concerts and other performances at the hall. The students receive 50 percent discounts on tickets.

The Eckerd Theater Company visits Skycrest twice a year. The Arioso String Quartet is scheduled to visit Nov. 13.

There are also up to 10 artists a year who do one-day residencies for each grade level. A past artist has been cartoonist Ian Beck.

Every Friday, kids spend the last 45 minutes of the day dancing, singing, painting, quilting and more.

But the climax of the arts program comes in May, when classrooms and the cafeteria fill with displays and performances for parents and the community.

"It's an amazing program," said Sharon Corvey, Skycrest's acting assistant principal who coordinates Passport events.

The focus on arts is also resulting in an increasing number of art displays around Skycrest.

The colorful quilts hanging in the main office were made by children last year in history classes. "General Oglethorpe Invades Florida - 1740," reads one square, which includes a portrait of the general.

One building has a "tile wall" with small ceramic squares featuring the self-portraits of students from last year.

"I think teachers are more accepting of the arts here," said Gina Sullivan, the school's art teacher. "They are more accepting because they see the outcome."

Jaquish and Corvey say they credit Passport with improving the school's academic success. In the past four years, Skycrest has gone from a B to an A school.

Even though many of its students are learning English, 86 percent scored higher than 3.5 on a scale from 1 to 6 in the writing test last year.

"That's phenomenal for our population," said Corvey, who writes children's poetry and plays the piano. "I feel it's a direct impact because of how they work with our children."

To recognize the program's success, Jaquish will receive the Shining Stars Award on Nov. 1 during Eckerd Hall's annual fundraiser, Harvesting for Scholarships.

It will be Eckerd Hall's inaugural award to an individual or organization for promoting the arts in an innovative way.

"It's not just Sheila that believes in this," said Joyce Bonomini, director of education at the Marcia P. Hoffman Performing Arts Institute at Eckerd Hall. "Leaders have got to have great people to lead, and that's what she has."

Jose Cardenas can be reached at 727 445-4224 or jcardenas@sptimes.com.

[Last modified October 12, 2007, 21:39:44]