Art Core Information                    

Alston's Art Cores:

All Students at Alston study one area of art daily for the entire school year.

Band - The band core is for those who want to play a woodwind, brass, or percussion instrument.

Classical Guitar– Students will learn classical guitar technique using acoustic instruments.

Creative Writing  - Students will learn to express themselves in a variety of writing techniques and styles.

Dance - Students will be taught a variety of movement forms with the focus on classical dance.

Orchestra - Students will learn to play one of the following instruments: violin, viola, cello, or bass violin.

Piano - Students will be taught to play piano in a class setting with traditional methods.

Theatre Arts - The theatre arts core not only includes all types of acting but also involves set design, costume design, make-up design, and stage lighting.

Visual Arts / 2D (Drawing and Painting) - This visual arts core teaches primarily the 2-D art forms of drawing, painting, and printmaking.

Visual Arts / 3-D (Sculpture and Computer Generated Art) - The 3-D art forms including ceramics and sculpture will be the focus of this visual art core.  Students will also learn ways to generate their own artwork using computers.

Vocal Music - Students will learn about vocal techniques and perform in small and large groups.

Arts Faculty:

Our arts faculty includes artists from many fields.  All of our art teachers are certified in their arts areas and are experienced performers in their respective  areas of expertise.  To ensure students’ successes with the infusion process, Dorchester District Two has provided special training to assist teachers as they integrate their art cores into other subjects. Their passion for students and their art forms were key factors in their selection as members of the Alston faculty. Their contributions to our school community  make Alston Middle School a great place for students to experience success in an individual way.

The Grant: 

At the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year, Dorchester District Two in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education began a four-year Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination Program (DARTS).

 The DARTS Project is twofold:

1. To determine whether middle school students who are enrolled in an arts discipline that is scheduled and taught as a core academic content area will show greater academic growth in ALL academic subjects than middle school students who receive arts instruction as an “exploratory” or “related arts” area;

2.    To develop, administer, and test an instrument that can be used to schedule individual middle school students into the arts discipline that will lead to their optimal academic performance in all content areas.

The project was funded for $892,268 in federal funds and $56,596 in non-federal funds.  The project director is Larry Barnfield.  He can be reached at: barnfield@dorchester2.k12,sc.us or 843-832-5532.

Alston ArtReach

Through the ArtReach program our students share their art gifts and skills with the community.  Connections include having our visual artists’ work displayed in local businesses, dancers performing for the Adult Respite Care organization, and Theater Arts students acting in the Summerville Ghost Walk.  Alston’s PTSA helps fund this program that benefits the school and the community.

Alston Middle School   500 Bryan Street  Summerville, SC  29483    843.873.3890    Fax 843.821.3978