Barbara Miller, Outstanding School Leader

Principal Barbara Miller of Alexander School recently was presenting with the Outstanding School Leader Award for her excellent integration of the innovative ‘Learning with the Arts’ program.

Education Minister Nancy Allan made the presentation on April 15 as part of Education Week 2010.

Miller’s efforts have boosted enrolment by over 20 students in the last year alone, and she says the program has helped to expand student minds and talents.

Simply being nominated for the award was a treat for Miller. “It really sent me a strong message that the community is supporting the ideas we’ve put in place here, and I think it really shows that the parents and students believe that ‘Learning with the Arts’ is really helping the kids at the school.”

The ‘Learning with the Arts’ program is a Manitoba curriculum-based approach meant to

address the many different ways that kids learn by integrating artistic outcomes ranging from dance, drama, and music all the way to painting, arts and crafts, and technology-based art. The students learn the lessons in a hands-on way, and show off what they have learned through creative expression.

Miller says that this helps students with all kinds of learning abilities. “It really helps the more creative and work-oriented students by not imposing any sort of limit on the work they can put into a project,” said Miller, “as well as helping the kids who have a harder paying attention by being hands on and constantly changing.”

Shannon Kohut, a French teacher at Alexander School, commented on the positive impact of the program while her students worked on a plasticine project.

“Since we have moved to an arts infused school, students have demonstrated growth in areas such as problem solving, critical thinking, cooperation, collaboration, and engagement. In my room, I have tried to build a learning environment where art is more than decoration, but rather a venue for sharing information and learning.”

To keep the projects varied, the school also brings in ‘in-house’ artists; real-life artists who give lessons to the students about new styles of creative expression.
“We have different professional artists coming in, usually for about a month at a time, and they teach our students and staff the new techniques that the teachers then expand upon and work with after the artist has left.”

The school also focuses heavily on recognizing every student’s work, putting much of the completed artwork on display in the halls throughout the school with art from every student helping to decorate the building and bring the town some extra colour.

Some of the students’ artwork may be found on the school’s website at http://www.brandonsd.mb.ca/alexander/ .