Shoppers in Sunset Park were treated to the music of students from PS 69 this holiday season, recorded by the Business Improvement District and pumped in through speakers set up along the local streets.
And at PS 169 in Brooklyn, students dedicated their holiday performance to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
“I was so proud to play Michael Jackson in Thriller,” said Brian Medina, a fourth-grader. “The show, to me, was amazing. I noticed the same things I did in dance could help me to speak up in many ways,” he said.
Holiday performances are just one way City students are displaying their creativity. Arts programs are thriving in classrooms across the five boroughs, according to the NYC Department of Education’s annual Arts in Schools Report.
“The arts are a vehicle that opens up the hearts and minds of young students,” said PS 69’s principal, Jayne Capetanakis. “Many of the students who attend this school live in poverty and more than half are learning the English language. The arts are the universal language that helps students succeed in their new country and gain confidence.”
The school’s third graders recently created mandalas, or intricate circles stemming from Hinduism and Buddhism. Their designs were exhibited at Maimonides Cancer Center.
“I know that my mandala was incredible,” said a PS 69 third-grader, Grace Lin. “Art is important because you use your ideas to make things.”
“Our principals understand the value of arts education and have continued to invest in certified arts teachers and make arts programs available to their students even in tough times,” Schools Chancellor Joel Klein said.
Student paintings and collages cover the hallways of PS 169, where the arts are integrated into many different classes. Students learn to waltz and dance hip hop during physical education, for example.
“Students engage in the arts on a regular basis either with our in-house specialists or with our cultural partners and through various grants,” PS 169 art teacher Pnina Srour explained. “The arts are a form of communication that allows all students to shine.”