BY BRANDY TEMPLETON
For the first time in three years, Scotts Elementary School students got to enjoy the A+ Arts Celebration on Friday.
They had a little help from their big friends at West Iredell High School.
The idea for the celebration came to fruition after Scotts Elementary became an integrated arts school in 2016. Except for the past two years, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the event to be canceled, the two schools have collaborated to showcase the different arts programs at West for the Scotts students.
During the morning, kindergarten through fifth-grade students rotated to different areas, interacting with students in art, band, chorus, and drama classes.
Drama teacher Maggie Hughes brought six of her students from West Iredell to participate in theater exercises.
“If you like to pretend, be silly, or be loud, that’s what theater is,” she told the Scotts students.
Second-graders giggled while trying to say the “Peter Piper” and “Woodchuck” rhymes.
They enjoyed singing about a moose drinking juice and Bob in the button factory.
Band director Chad Evans brought his drum line to get students excited about band. He talked about all the different instruments used in band and then allowed the Scotts students to try their hand at drumming.
“The drum line is probably the most exciting part,” Evans shared. “They’re the ones that make you want to dance and move around.”
Kindergarten students enjoyed hitting on the bass, snare, and tenor drums until it was time to rotate to the next area.
In Ms. “B’s” music room, fifth-graders tapped their hands and feet to Smashmouth’s “All Star” before a stop in Amanda Prevette’s art classroom.
While there, students used pieces of torn construction paper to imitate artist Jean Arp. Another treat for the children was singing with chorus students from West Iredell teacher Tara Pass’ classes.
Around 20 students led small-group efforts broke into groups to teach students voice warm-ups and the words to a song in Swahili.
Instructional facilitator Lashon Lee thought WIHS students did a terrific job interacting with the young students.
“They did a great job,” she said.
Scotts Principal Susan Fail was also pleased.
“I think with the A+ school team planning it out with WIHS it was a success,” she said. “I went to every grade level at every area to watch.”
Fail said the students seemed happy to participate.
“Even the fifth-graders seemed engaged,” she said.
And she enjoyed having the high school students around too.
“One student got down on his knees,” she said. “It seemed like they were trying to be little too.”
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