ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021
Creative Arts Report Carolyn Acorn
Creative Arts Department Coordinator
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t ISK, our Creative Arts Department continues to be a source of inspiration and creativity for our community. As in all schools around the world, our students and teachers have dealt with the challenges of teaching and learning in a world with COVID-19. From the continuing change in our learning environments to how we socially interact with our peers, our ISK community continues to rise to the occasion. This is true in our Creative Arts Department, where the very nature of our subjects is about self-expression, creativity, collaboration, and communicating with an audience. Our amazing students and teachers have found ways to still do it during this challenging time.
Arts in Elementary School Our Elementary Music teachers are Mrs. Rachel Aondo and Mrs. Laois Rogers, supported by teaching assistant Mrs. Margaret Oganda. Our Visual Art teachers are Mrs. Liza Goold and myself, with teaching assistant Mr. Josphat Magut. For the first half of the year, with the exception of Grade 5 students, most teaching and learning was done via weekly scheduled “live” Zoom classes and asynchronous learning tasks on the online platform, Seesaw. Teachers had to learn how to help our younger students to communicate, create, share feedback, and revise work in an online environment. Although we were mostly online, we did celebrate Elementary School Arts Week later in the year during International Week, showcasing their learning on the International Day website. When our students came back in January, the Arts Centre felt alive for the first time since last March. Visual arts students were getting their hands messy with paint, textures, and clay. Musicians were singing, dancing, and playing instruments once again. Even though
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masks and social distancing have become a part of our learning experience, students still came to arts classes with excitement, ready to share their creative ideas. Some students even shared their learning with their parents during student-led conferences.
