Stevens Elementary

Test scores are consistently low, and now there’s NO extra circular activities. Nothing after school anymore. I came from a school where the after school activities were overflowing with choices like Art, Band, cooking, science, cheerleading, taekwondo, sports and more. The kids all get an I — pad for free so that’s awesome, but we have yet to see if the new technology will help scores. I wonder if the PTA ever considered a huge bake sale, community yard sale, art sale or something like that. Gift cards, haunted house, there’s endless ways to raise money to help get these programs in there. I hate to complain because I am too busy to even go to the PTA let alone become a leader there. Pretty upsetting.

I began teaching the Violin Club at Stevens Elementary in January of this year. It is an after school program for any children who are interested in learning violin for free with a free provided instrument. This is an incredibly rare find nowdays. Normally elementary schools have to fight just to keep instrumental music in the 5^th grade classroom. Stevens has gone above and beyond to right grants and find funding to make arts apart of the lives of their students. They were featured on NPR’s Colorado Matters on March 11^th, (I think) because of their arts enrichment. This is a title 1, low income school, but you would never think it when you walk inside. It is well-​maintained, newly renovated, and filled with colorful art everywhere you look. They have had the Cleo Robinson dance troupe in to perform for their students; some students practice tai chi in the classroom, and lots of alternative teaching methods are used that incorporate the arts, such as dance and theater.
For students who decide to stay after school for violin club, they can also go to mariachi, basketball, and tutoring, as well as day care. All of these are provided, and students are given a free snack every day before they go to after school clubs. The school recently threw an Arts Night for parents, where they had students show their talents by playing music, displaying art, etc. They also brought in talented educators who gave lectures to parents on how to use the arts to help enrich their child’s life.
In an era where all everyone ever cares about is test scores, it is so wonderful to work in a school where they are using the arts to help test scores, instead of putting test scores before art. The staff is incredibly caring and friendly to all students. I see administrators all the time who are interacting with students on a first name basis. The principal sits with students as they wait for the bus and is one of the first things I think of when I think of this school. I would be happy to have my children go to Stevens.