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District 54 is proud to support the arts

Literacy, math, science and social studies are the core curriculum taught in every school district across America. In District 54, we believe that the arts are also fundamental to every child's development.

District 54 teachers offer instruction in music and the visual arts, as well as integration of the arts throughout the curriculum and integration of the concepts and themes taught as part of the core curriculum during music and art classes.

In kindergarten through sixth grade, students sing, listen, move, create, play and read music. At the junior high level, schools offer general music, as well as chorus, band and orchestra classes. District 54's instrumental music program (band and orchestra) begins with weekly lessons at school and rehearsals after school for fifth- and sixth-grade students. The program continues in seventh and eighth grade, at which time students rehearse daily.

At Dooley Elementary School, we also offer an Early Instrumental Music program starting in kindergarten. This program is a Suzuki-based curriculum with students learning to play violin.

The District 54 visual arts curriculum includes weekly hands-on instruction in the use of a variety of media for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Junior high students also have the opportunity to explore creativity through hands-on activities in the areas of drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics and computer art.

I often read articles about school districts across the country eliminating art and music due to budget and time constraints. Due to our fiscal stability and responsibility, in District 54, we can focus on celebrating the arts instead.

The month of March is both Music in Our Schools Month and Youth Art Month.

Youth Art Month, a national celebration sponsored by Council for Art Education, emphasizes the value of art education for all children and encourages support for quality art programs. The theme for this year is "United through Art."

The National Association for Music Education, which sponsors Music in Our Schools Month, also selects a theme each year with the goal of promoting the benefits of quality music education programs in school. It has adopted the theme of "Music Inspires" for the 2017 observance.

In March, our school board annually recognizes the District 54 students who have qualified for the state and national Reflections, a PTA writing and fine arts competition. This year Sai Jasmitha Palla from Churchill qualified for the national competition in dance choreography and Clara Emerick from Lakeview qualified in Literature and Musical Composition.

In addition to Clara and Sai Jasmitha, another 33 students from District 54 qualified for the state competition and three of them received honorable mentions at state (Alexander Jacobs, Aaron Alukkal and Monika Narain.)

The Prairie Center for the Arts in Schaumburg also honors our students during the month of March by showcasing the artwork of one student from each school in the Prairie Center gallery this month. The village even hosts a reception for the students at the gallery, which was held March 15.

Since the Prairie Center hosts its artist reception in March, the District 54 School Board waits until April to honor and thank the students who contribute art to the board room at the District 54 Rafferty Administration Center.

Before the School Board meeting April 20, all students who have artwork displayed in the board room will be invited to an art walk and recognition ceremony at the Rafferty Center. Each school has a permanent frame in the board room, and teachers change out the student artwork each year.

Would you like to join School District 54 in celebrating Youth Art Month or Music in Our Schools Month? I invite you to share on social media how music and art have inspired you and your children using the hashtags #YouthArtMonth and #MusicInspires.

And if the inspiration was due to a District 54 teacher or student, we would love it if you also tagged us - @D54Schools.

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