Celebrating National Arts in Education Week

Shawnee Mission joins schools and organizations across the country in honoring all that is made possible through arts education.

Sept. 12 through 18, 2021 is National Arts in Education Week. We invite everyone in our community to show their appreciation for artistic learning and creativity in our schools. 

Art classrooms support and enrich learning in all subjects, noted Megan Ellis, visual arts coordinator.

“Arts education builds creative, problem-solving skills and explorative, inquisitive mindsets and motivations in the unique environment only found in art classes,” she added.

Visual, musical, and dramatic arts help people communicate and connect to information in ways many other fields cannot, highlighted Dr. Bill Thomas, performing arts coordinator. Whether students become professional artists or musicians or not, Thomas often shares with students and families how music and the arts strengthen interpersonal skills and social emotional learning.

“It allows students to creatively tell a story about what they have learned or express thoughts and emotions connected to their learning,” Thomas stated. “It is well known that emotional connections will be remembered longer and more profoundly than facts alone.”

Ellis added a word of pride to all who provide creative environments for students every day.

“Our district is a proud home to some of the most exceptional arts educators, dedicated to the growth and success of the whole student and every student,” she expressed. “They are driven to create an environment where every student feels valued, heard, connected and successful, and you can see that every time you set foot into any of our art rooms.”