At Amelia Earhart Elementary, the halls are no longer just corridors, they are a rotating museum of student imagination.
While the school currently operates without a designated art class, teacher Angi Webster saw an opportunity to ensure creativity didn’t fall through the cracks. With the support of an Innovative Teacher Grant from the Goddard Education Foundation, Webster launched “EarhART,” a school-wide initiative that turns every student into a featured artist.
“Our teachers incorporate art whenever they can, but resources and time are often limited,” Webster explains. “EarhART was designed to fill the gap, engaging the entire school community through themed gallery exhibits.” EarhART is a school-wide program designed to fill the artistic gap.
Instead of a traditional classroom setting, EarhART turns the entire school into a living gallery. Each quarter, students are challenged with a themed creative project—like the Spring quarter project "Falling into Creativity" exhibit, which combines nature, print media, and the vibrant colors of autumn.
The impact goes deeper than paint and paper. By integrating art history, science, and literacy into each theme. EarhART helps over 500 students in grades K-4 develop the fine motor skills and critical thinking necessary for success in all subjects. Perhaps most importantly, it invites families to be a part of the process, celebrating student achievements through quarterly gallery walks.
"EarhART brings art to Earhart," says Webster. "It’s about building momentum and showing our students that their creativity has a permanent home here."
Thanks to your generosity, the school was able to purchase the initial supplies and gallery display materials needed to make this vision a reality. Now, with a permanent gallery space and plans for an after-school art club, the future at Amelia Earhart Elementary is looking much more colorful.
Check out this video to learn more about EarhART at Amelia Earhart Elementary!
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