Author: A+ Schools of North Carolina
Photo: Teachers from Odyssey School at the 2024 A+ Summer Institute in Asheville. Photo credit: North Carolina Arts Council.
A+ Schools of North Carolina capped off its twenty-ninth summer with three fun, engaging conferences for nine A+ schools, serving 275 educators from North Carolina and Texas. Conference attendees participated in arts-integrated workshops, collaborative curriculum work, and team-building activities to strengthen their creative learning environments, all rooted in the A+ Essentials, which are the core tenets of A+ practice and philosophy.
“This training has changed me as an educator!”
The A+ Schools team also welcomed two new schools to the A+ network this summer: Iredell Charter Academy of the Arts and Science (Iredell County) and Odyssey Community School (Buncombe County).
A+ Schools educators had hands-on opportunities to learn:
• Theater games for use in social studies classrooms
• Kinesthetic math problems
• Creating kinetic sculptures to explore science
• How music and lyrics can help students write compelling stories
They networked with educators from other A+ schools to share best practices, brainstorm lesson-plan ideas, and celebrate the joy of working at an A+ school.
The A+ Fellows cohort at work
The in-depth professional development that takes place at A+ summer conferences and throughout the school year is led by skilled, passionate A+ Fellows who are trained in A+ processes and who bring their own artistic, professional experience to each session. The A+ Fellows cohort is made up of classroom teachers, teaching artists, higher education professors, and school and museum administrators.
This summer, 11 of the 48 Fellows facilitated A+ sessions for the first time after completing a one-year apprenticeship. They are welcome additions as providers of high-quality professional development to the A+ network! A+ Schools recruits new Apprentice Fellows every other year and will host information sessions and accept applications in early 2025.
"[The A+ Fellows] are incredible facilitators—prepared, compassionate, hilarious, and just so fun. Thank you for all your effort—it shows!"
