TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — University of Alabama students and faculty are working with a new magnet school in the Tuscaloosa City School District to offer artistic, cultural and scientific insights to students.
The program is starting to provide during-school and after-school programs in the Tuscaloosa Magnet School elementary-school section, in areas including music, dance, art and engineering through activities and classes called “exploratories.”
“We’re partnering with people in the community and the university to go over and mentor the kids at the magnet school and provide enrichment,” says Laura Woolf, director of the UA/Magnet School Partnership.
The magnet school opened in August 2009. Starting in October, students will be placed in three mini-courses during the year. Students and faculty from the University, including graduate students in music, dance, theatre and art history, will participate. The idea is to expand the students’ ideas of world culture and how they fit in it.
Students, led by professionals in their given fields, will be able to pursue their topics of interest in ways that will enable them to see themselves as the professionals of tomorrow. The program also seeks to enhance students’ critical thinking skills and creativity.
“We’re trying to include as many things that will help them know where they fit into the global community as we can,” says Woolf, whose position comes from the provost, the College of Arts and Sciences, Creative Campus Initiative and the UA School of Music. “Also, communication between the university partners and the magnet school teachers is another key component, so these things aren’t taught in isolation.
“For example, if the students are working on Alabama history in fourth grade, then what they do in their exploratory may link the culture of Alabama in dance form or in art form or whichever topic they are currently exploring.”
Programs include robotics, simple machines, renewable energy machines, geology, meteorology, forensics, broadcasting, journalism, graphic design, yoga, dance, art, art history, drama, French, guitar, violin, handbells, choir, recorder and world drumming. Dr. Jennifer Caputo is taking the lead on drumming. Sarah Barry of the theatre and dance department is coordinating work on dance, and Dr. Cathy Pagani of the art and art history department is coordinating exploratories in art history, printmaking, art and art history.
A drama club with 40 students is meeting after school, and UA theatre majors will teach drama classes. The drama club will put on a fully staged show at the end of each semester; the show for this semester is “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.”
Jennifer Wofsey of Yoga Bliss will teach classes in yoga. Michael Johnson and Danny Holmes will teach guitar. Dr. Jane Weigel, director of the UA Community Music School, will teach recorder. Yang Zhao, a certified Suzuki teacher, will teach Suzuki violin. Erin Parker Woods, a licensed music therapist, will lead a handbell choir. Other students from the school of music will teach piano and choir.
In addition, Meredith Cummings of the journalism department will work with the elementary school students on putting out a newspaper, and Roy Clem and the WVUA news production staff will help the fifth-graders learn how to produce a newscast for the school.
Dr. Andrew Goodliffe, UA professor of geology, will teach courses in geology. John Oldshue, former on-air meteorologist for ABC 33/40, will teach a class on meteorology. Professional engineers, including Susan Warner, an environmental engineer with the CFM Group, LLC, are working with students on activities that teach about simple machines, robotics and renewable energy technology.
Plans are on the board for more activities.
Teachers from the Magnet School will meet Sept. 28 with the exploratory teachers at a reception held at the school. UA’s Community Music School is a partner in this endeavor. The Tuscaloosa Magnet School’s PTA is raising funds for the project and is an equal partner with the University.
For details on the program, contact Laura Woolf at laurawoolf@bellsouth.net or the Community Music School at 205/348-6741.
Contact
Laura Woolf, Laurawoolf@bellsouth.net; Community Music School, 205/348-6741; Richard LeComte, media relations, 205/348-3782, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu