Whole School Initiative
In the late 1960s the Mississippi Legislature created the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) as the official grantsmaking and service agency for the arts. The Commission has broadened its role as an active supporter and promoter of the arts in community life and arts education.
Its commitment to strengthen education in and through the arts has been the primary focus for The Whole School Initiative, a nationally recognized model using the arts to teach across the entire standard curriculum. Schools participating in the Initiative receive matching grants through MAC for a period of six years, then become self-sustaining.

Three Meridian-area schools were successful in completing the application process and receiving a 50-50 matching grant to participate — Clarkdale Attendance Center (Lauderdale County School System), Poplar Springs Elementary School (Meridian Public School System) and Quitman Lower Elementary (Clarke County School System). All three schools have employed certified teachers or paraprofessionals to provide arts instruction.
The Meridian Council for the Arts strongly supports this initiative and assisted in lobbying for local applications of this exciting new approach to expanding the arts into a mainstream educational experience, reaching children of all ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds in the public school system. MCA has also provided matching funds to Clarkdale and Poplar Springs in order to secure additional grants.

Educational experiences for students in the Initiative are enriched by the infusion of the arts in a variety of ways. Classroom educators are supported in the development of thematic units that incorporate the arts — drama, music, dance and visual arts. Educators attend a Summer Institute, as well as arts retreats held in the spring and fall. The Summer Institute offers training by nationally recognized experts, such as the Metropolitan Opera and the Grant Wiggins’ “Understanding by Design” program.

Thanks to matching grants from the MAC, local, regional and national artists and experts have visited the schools for performance and professional development. Special arts events such as Brown Bag Concerts with the local group Track 45 have become highly anticipated traditions.
For more information in becoming a Whole School, visit www.mswholeschools.org