Studies reveal that students with an active participation in the arts generally have higher GPAs and standardized test scores than those with limited access to the arts.
That’s the impetus behind a creative initiative in Sussex County.
Since 2013, students at six Southern Delaware middle schools have painted large scale murals in their schools.
The project is a partnership with the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation. In 2013, the nonprofit announced a goal of helping students produce murals in all of Sussex County’s middle schools.
Doug Phillips is a spokesperson for the Freeman Foundation. He’s been to each of the school’s mural reveal ceremonies.
“The kids are always so excited to show off their part of the mural to their friends and family and the administration is always kind of taken aback as to what these kids have created together,” he says “There’s always a swelling of pride and joy at these reveals. It's a great thing to see.”
Seaford Middle School will unveil their mural on January 19th. Meanwhile, students at The Southern Delaware School of the Arts in Selbyville will begin their art project tomorrow Tuesday.
“We wanted to have a way to introduce the arts or reintroduce the arts to some students while also maybe making a connection in their minds to combat bullying and to create collaborations with fellow students and give them a way to express themselves using the arts," says Phillips.
The murals typically take about a week to produce. The overall theme for the paintings consists of personalized book spines that are painted by each student.
This piece is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.