🎨 Arts Focus

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Every session ends with a joyful public exhibition at City Hall, where students proudly share what they’ve made. It’s a heartwarming celebration of their creativity—and yours.

Past classes have included: ceramics, 3D art, drawing and painting, kinetic art, paper art, music on stage, physical theatre, photography, printmaking, animation, textiles (weaving and dyeing), textiles (sewing), materials exploration, global beat, and video.

Arts Focus isn’t just for the kids—it’s a meaningful, memorable way for parents to jump in and be part of the magic. We’d love to have you join us!

Join the Fun—Be an Arts Focus Dabbler!

Arts Focus is one of Stevenson’s most cherished programs, and it thrives thanks to the creativity of our parent volunteers. Want to help out in a hands-on art class, share a skill, or just try something new? Join us as a dabbler! No experience needed—just curiosity and a willingness to jump in.

To sign up or learn more, contact our Volunteer Coordinator at [insert contact], or reach out to the Arts Focus Chairs at [insert contact].

We’d love to create with you!

Arts Focus at Stevenson: A Creative Adventure for Kids—and Parents, Too!

At Stevenson, we believe learning should be joyful, hands-on, and full of discovery—and our Arts Focus program brings that to life in the most colorful way. Launched in the school’s second year, Arts Focus has become one of our most cherished traditions. It’s a time when students step out of their regular routine and into a world of creativity, collaboration, and community.

Twice a year, for six Thursday mornings, students of all ages come together in mixed-grade groups to explore the arts—everything from ceramics to kinetic sculpture, animation to music on stage. Classes are led by a mix of teachers and parent volunteers, and that’s where you come in.

Whether you’re an artist, a crafter, a hobbyist—or just someone who loves being around curious kids—there’s a place for you in Arts Focus. Parents help design and lead classes, assist in hands-on activities, and share their unique talents with students. You don’t need to be an expert—just willing to dabble, guide, and grow alongside the kids.

It’s an amazing way to:

• Spend quality time in the school community
  
  

• Share a passion (or explore a new one!)
  
  

• Help kids build confidence, friendships, and creative skills
  
  

Every session ends with a joyful public exhibition at City Hall, where students proudly share what they’ve made. It’s a heartwarming celebration of their creativity—and yours.

Past classes have included: ceramics, 3D art, drawing and painting, kinetic art, paper art, music on stage, physical theatre, photography, printmaking, animation, textiles (weaving and dyeing), textiles (sewing), materials exploration, global beat, and video.

Arts Focus isn’t just for the kids—it’s a meaningful, memorable way for parents to jump in and be part of the magic. We’d love to have you join us!

Founded in Stevenson’s second year, the Arts Focus program continues the school’s commitment to fostering social relationships in a project-based learning environment. During Arts Focus sessions, students build relationships across age groups and social circles while learning the skills and habits of creative work.

Teachers and parents collaborate to offer 15 diverse classes that run for six, three-hour sessions on Thursday mornings, twice a year. These classes combine hands-on activities with a formal curriculum designed and presented by parent volunteers. Each class is carefully structured to ensure an even distribution of students across grade levels. Volunteers work alongside teachers to guide each class. At the end of each session, students showcase their work in a public exhibition at City Hall.

The enhanced arts curriculum is designed to:

• Significantly increase the number of hours students engage in creative exploration

• Expose students to a wider variety of art media than what the standard school curriculum can provide

• Support students’ cognitive, academic, and social development

The goal of Arts Focus is for students to experience all phases of the creative process, with an emphasis on the free expression of ideas rather than simply creating replicas of predefined outcomes.

The courses offered include: ceramics, 3D art, drawing and painting, kinetic art, paper art, music on stage, physical theatre, photography, printmaking, animation, textiles (weaving and dyeing), textiles (sewing), materials exploration, global beat, and video.

Founded in PACT's second year, Arts Focus continues the school's focus on developing social relationships in a project-based learning environment. During Arts Focus sessions, students build relationships across age and social groups and learn the skills and habits of creative work.

Teachers and parents partner to present 15 classes that run for six, four-hour sessions on Thursdays twice a year. The classes incorporate hands-on study with a formal curriculum designed and presented by parents. Regular classes are dispersed and re-assembled, so that each course has an even number of students from each grade level. Volunteer parents partner with teachers to run each class. Each Arts Focus session concludes with a public exhibition at City Hall of student work from each class.

The enhanced arts curriculum is designed to...

1. substantially increase the number of hours the children participate in creative exploration,

2. expose them to a much greater variety of art media than what the schools are able to provide, and

3. contribute enormously to the children's cognitive, academic, and social development. The goal of this program is for the children to experience all phases of the creative process, with emphasis on the free expression of ideas (rather than on simply creating facsimiles of pre-established end products).