About Buckman arts elementary
2016 class project Mr. Scott's Third Grade Class '3d Portland Skyline'
Buckman Arts Elementary is Portland's only arts-focus elementary school, but more than that, it's an educational and cultural resource for the entire city. Sadly, this resource is perpetually balanced on the edge of extinction. The cuts that PPS has made to programs at all schools have endangered the cherished 20-year-old arts program. Buckman parents have responded by logging more and more volunteer hours in an attempt to raise the money needed to keep this arts program alive.
The level of commitment to saving this program is easy to understand. Buckman's arts program is like none other in the state. It isn't just about giving kids a chance to act, dance, and paint during the school day. The integration of the arts into all aspects of the curriculum is intended to provide every student with an engaging and meaningful educational experience. The arts teachers work closely with each other and with classroom teachers to weave art into every aspect of the curriculum, from science instruction to writing projects to class presentations and school performances.
Every day students at Buckman observe their peers producing art, and they have frequent opportunities to get up in front of the school to sing, dance, act, and draw. To these students, this isn't something out-of-the-ordinary. It's their normal -- it's simply the way learning happens. While some of these children will surely grow up to be singers, dancers, actors, or visual artists, turning out future artists isn't what the Buckman experience is about. The guiding intention is to produce good people, lifelong learners, and well-rounded citizens. What Buckman turns out year after year is young people who learned geometry through art, math through music, science through dance and movement.
Our hope is that Buckman can serve as a model for what is possible in education. By preserving Buckman's arts program each year, we believe that we doing more than just saving the school that we and our kids love. We feel that we are playing a vital role in energizing our city's commitment to public school arts programs. We are dedicated to promoting our entire community's role in fostering curiosity and creativity among all children, and we hope to inspire others to join us.
The level of commitment to saving this program is easy to understand. Buckman's arts program is like none other in the state. It isn't just about giving kids a chance to act, dance, and paint during the school day. The integration of the arts into all aspects of the curriculum is intended to provide every student with an engaging and meaningful educational experience. The arts teachers work closely with each other and with classroom teachers to weave art into every aspect of the curriculum, from science instruction to writing projects to class presentations and school performances.
Every day students at Buckman observe their peers producing art, and they have frequent opportunities to get up in front of the school to sing, dance, act, and draw. To these students, this isn't something out-of-the-ordinary. It's their normal -- it's simply the way learning happens. While some of these children will surely grow up to be singers, dancers, actors, or visual artists, turning out future artists isn't what the Buckman experience is about. The guiding intention is to produce good people, lifelong learners, and well-rounded citizens. What Buckman turns out year after year is young people who learned geometry through art, math through music, science through dance and movement.
Our hope is that Buckman can serve as a model for what is possible in education. By preserving Buckman's arts program each year, we believe that we doing more than just saving the school that we and our kids love. We feel that we are playing a vital role in energizing our city's commitment to public school arts programs. We are dedicated to promoting our entire community's role in fostering curiosity and creativity among all children, and we hope to inspire others to join us.