In June, the program “Medieval Knights” visited Ichabod Crane CSD
Questar III’s Arts in Education service connects teachers with performers and experiences for their students that bring to life the lessons taught in the classroom.
While BOCES staff manage these relationships, coordinators in our participating districts do much of the legwork to schedule events for students.
Jamie Stickles of Ichabod Crane CSD is one of those coordinators, and has been in the position since 2012, when a friend on the PTA asked if she’d be interested.
Each year after the school budget is approved, Jamie reaches out to teachers in Kindergarten through eighth grade to compile their requests for the upcoming school year. Some teachers have specific requests or idea for things they’d like to do, while others are more general requests.
Knowing that teachers often have a full schedule, Jamie assists with the planning as much as she can to take some of the burden off the teachers. Working from the list of teacher requests, she checks artist availability, programs, logistics and paperwork at the school, such as securing space for an event or submitting any documentation required by the district.
James Warren brought his magic show “Magic with a Message” to the school district.
“I can remember as a kid having different assemblies or plays or things at the school, and today with education it’s nice to have that added supplement where kids can learn in the classroom but have that extra piece where it’s education or art related but giving them something to do that’s hands on.”
She says she also tries to be at the school for the various events throughout the year to take photos that the district can share on social media. What can’t be seen in the photos, however, is the lasting impact these presentations can have on a student.
“That’s when students are learning, when my kids come home and say ‘Mom, we saw this show today,’ or ‘we did this thing in school today’ and it’s something memorable to them that they want to tell mom and dad about. Something touched upon them that they’re remembering and they want to come home and talk more about.”
For more information on the service, or to request an artist visit to your school, visit www.artsandenrichment.org
