Up, Up and Away

The kick off for the arts integration program at Ida Rankin Elementary School in Mount Holly was a memorable occasion.

Rankin was chosen as the first school in Gaston County to host a program coordinated by the United Arts Council of Gaston County and the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte and partially funded by a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council.

In addition to spending time in art or music class, kindergartners and first graders at Rankin will have the arts brought directly into the classroom. Teachers will work closely with writers, musicians and visual artists who will use their disciplines to illustrate and teach the school's basic core curriculum. Student test and achievement scores will be closely monitored throughout the three-year project to explore the theory that exposure to the arts enhances learning.

This school year will be spent training teachers, planning curriculum and lessons and coordinating schedules for artists. Some arts integrated instruction will take place in the spring and the full program should start at the beginning of the 2001-2002 school year.