JACKSON, MISS. – June 10, 2019 – This week in Jackson, the 2019 Whole Schools Summer Institute will be held June 11-13 at Millsaps College. Now celebrating its 20^th anniversary, the Summer Institute is a professional development opportunity for educational and community leaders to learn how to integrate arts into the school curriculum.

A program of the Mississippi Arts Commission and Mississippi’s first comprehensive statewide arts education program, Whole Schools uses the arts as a vehicle for promoting high-quality instruction and learning for students in all disciplines. This unique program goes beyond “art for art’s sake” and applies the arts across the curriculum.

This year, Whole Schools is celebrating the 20^th anniversary of its Summer Institute in the same location where the first institute was held, Millsaps College. The first Summer Institute paved the way for educators to experience more arts-integration focused professional development opportunities in Mississippi. Whole Schools now annually hosts both Summer and Winter Institutes.

“The Mississippi Arts Commission is proud of the longevity and success of this program,” said Malcolm White, executive director of MAC. “Whole Schools has hosted transformative institutes in the state, which have ultimately benefited Mississippi’s children for the past 20 years. When educators learn how to teach through the arts, students gain deeper and lasting knowledge, and now, with data gathered over the past two decades, we can definitively say that this educational strategy works.”

The Summer Institute is open to any teacher (pre-k through 12th grade and pre-service, self-contained SPED and arts specialist) artist, school administrator, parent and community arts supporter. Workshops and arts experiences offered during the event allow attendees to engage with presenters from across Mississippi and throughout the nation.

More information is available at http://www.mswholeschools.org or by calling (601) 359-6030.

Contact:  Anna Ehrgott | Communications Director | aehrgott@arts.ms.gov | (601) 359-6546