For six years our school received a grant and was a part of the Whole School Initiative sponsored by the Mississippi Arts Commission.  As part of this initiative we strove to use the arts (visual arts, drama, dance, creative writing, and singing) to teach the state's objectives.  We had a tremendous amount of positive feedback from students and staff as we invited artists in to train teachers to use the arts and exposed our students to a myriad of hands-on activities.  When the grant ran out, our superintendent and our district have continued to allow Madison Middle School to receive funds in order to have our students be challenged in creative ways as they receive a well rounded education.  This year, due to budget constraints, our PTO has agreed to fund some of these arts activities.   We have a huge number of artists (storytellers, musicians, visual artists, authors, blacksmiths, weavers, dancers, specialists from a variety of fields, etc.) on tap to come to our school this year.  We are encouraged by the success we've experienced thus far over the years in offering stimulating higher order thinking experiences for our students and are excited to see how this year unfolds and look forward to witnessing many "lightbulb moments" for our students and staff.

    

 

     Mrs. Schelver teaches sixth grade art as a semester course.  During this course, she teaches the basic elements of art: line, shape, mass/form, space, texture, value, and color, as well as the principles of design.  Projects which directly relate with the information that's being taught are created, and students are exposed to an overview of some of the great artists of all time.  Mrs. Schelver serves as the project director for the arts-related student enhancement funds, and is the chairperson of the Arts Committee, which presently has the following members:  Dee Walsh, Teresa McLelland, Jan Bruening, Suzanne Ray,Tina Sanford, Kay Franz, and Be'Be' Schelver.

 

    Ms Franz teaches Art 7, Art 8, and Advanced Art (8th grade).  Students continue their study of art concepts and art appreciation, exploring a variety of production methods and media in painting, printmaking, and sculptural projects.  The murals that adorn the main hallway of our school were all created by Advanced Art classes to represent and celebrate the school's curriculum.   Ms Franz assists the drama coach, Mrs. Jan Bruening, with the fall and spring production by serving as a back stage director.