School recognized for ARTTS program
By:Vanessa S. Holt
BORDENTOWN CITY The Clara Barton Elementary School already has been honored three times with "Best Practice" awards for creating volunteer, mentor and philanthropy programs.
Now they can add another award to the shelf, one for a massive cross-curricular project that took students through the cultural history of the town in which they live.
The program, Art-Related Topics Touching Students (ARTTS), was implemented in the 2000-2001 school year and was recognized this year by the state Department of Education with a "Best Practice" award for the arts.
Students in all grades participated in everything from walking tours and field trips to projects involving drawing, modeling, writing and acting as they explored local history last year.
"The ARTTS program was designed using the humanities to integrate the history of Bordentown with the school curriculum," explained Principal Berenice Blum-Bart.
Among the goals of the ARTTS program were fostering "real world" connections between the school and community and increasing student participation in projects outside the regular curriculum, she said.
The culminating project last year was a theatrical and musical production and an art show demonstrating what the students had learned.
A grant made it possible for the school to buy a projector and other video production equipment students needed for the presentation.
Some of the projects included a map study of Bordentown, a book on the history of the town, models, costumes and sketches.
The effect of the ARTTS program continued through this year, as students continued to explore local history through various projects and utilized some of the technology that had been put into place through the ARTTS grant.
"We feel very honored and very fortunate, said Ms. Blum-Bart. "This was based on a lot of hard work and commitment from staff, students and community. It’s very stimulating for students to have a vision like this and bring it to fruition."