Jackson Free Press

Ever seen the 1995 movie starring Michelle Pfeiffer "Dangerous Minds?" If you have, do you remember how the students walked into a virtual war zone for school and initially worked to hide their intellect because being smart was not cool? These, among many other unfortunate misconceptions, are ideas that some folks have of public schools and the children who attend them. Jackson Public School District's Casey Elementary School is challenging these erroneous ways of thinking and will replace them with hope, if we'll let them.

On Feb. 21, the Ask4More Arts Initiative held a press conference at Casey Elementary. Casey received the Governor's Award of Excellence for strides toward fully integrating the arts into the curriculum. Dr. Cappucine Robinson, assistant superintendent of elementary schools, and Dr. Roma Morris, the school's principal, said studies have shown that when schools make efforts to incorporate fine arts, noticeable changes take place. These students outperform those who come from a traditional academic program because their critical and creative thinking skills are sharpened keenly by comparison. Nine schools in the district have now been added to the program.

Aside from enriching children's lives, the effort also affects others, explained Susan Womack, the project's manager. Bridging the gaps between children, teachers and the outside world strengthens the public's love of art.

A third-grade Casey student shared her thoughts about Ask4More Arts. "Without it, school would be boring," said third-grader Olivia Hines. She also detailed what teachers had done to help her discover more about her African-American heritage by talking about individuals who have contributed to our culture while making a wax museum. Another student, fourth-grader Nicholas Fitch, is a member of the Imaginary World Club and the Cinema Club, which meet after school on Wednesday and Friday afternoons, respectively. After introducing John Howell, leader of the Cinema Club, Fitch explained that students "come up with movies, ideas of (their) own and learn about how to turn them into movies."

The school welcomes visitors. Expect to see hallways decorated with students' interpretations of Claude Monet paintings, pop art, poems and stories the students have written, along with tributes to the persons who are most influential in their lives. These children's minds are not dangerous ones at all, but rather offer encouragement and promise to a world that could certainly use them.