Art has always been a big part of the culture at Pegram Elementary School.
Beginning in August, PES will build upon that culture as it will become the Cheatham County School District’s first fine arts magnet school.
The school will add new disciplines and content to its arts curriculum and integrate arts into the four core subject areas (Math, Language Arts, Science and Social Studies) to help students build skills in communication, collaboration and creativity.
The school, located at 4552 Dogwood Lane, will host an information session on Tuesday, April 9 at 6 p.m. for the community to learn more about this new opportunity.
Enhancements to the arts program include students attending an arts personal development class once a week during each nine-week rotation. Students will be able to choose areas of interest, such as music, dance, theatre, drawing, painting, sculpting and more. They will work on a project during each nine-week rotation, and they will then have the opportunity to showcase their project to the community.
Additionally, students will attend various art-related field trips and the school will host talent and art shows.
PES will be the only school in the district to offer these expanded art opportunities.
Students currently zoned for PES will continue to attend the school. Students from other schools in the Cheatham County School District can attend and will need to complete an open enrollment form. The school is also open to students from surrounding counties, and they will need to fill out an out-of-county application. Homeschool families who are interested in attending the school should contact the Cheatham County Board of Education at 615-792-5664.
The out-of-county tuition fee has been waived for the 2019-2020 school year. Students who are not zoned for PES or live outside of the county must provide their own transportation, if approved to attend.
“This is an exciting opportunity for our school,” said Principal Detra Emery. “With the support of the Cheatham County School Board, students will be exposed to a variety of art forms and will experience endless possibilities. Our faculty will specialize in an area of interest to lead the arts personal development classes.”
The school has already partnered with the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and has started incorporating arts in the classroom this year. The entire faculty will participate in an integrated arts professional development seminar this summer as PES continues its transition into a fine arts magnet school.
Applications and open enrollment forms are available at www.pegramccs.net or www.cheathamcountyschools.net.
The completed application, along with the required documents, can be emailed to [email protected], mailed to Board of Education at 102 Elizabeth St., Ashland City, TN 37015 or delivered to the Board of Education office at the same address.
For additional information, call the school 615-646-6637 or the Board of Education at 615-792-5664.