News

The South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities has been recertified by the Arts in Basic Curriculum (ABC) Project as an ABC School for exemplary efforts to provide quality, comprehensive arts education to all students. The residential high school for the arts has been certified as an ABC School since 2007.

“We are honored to serve the artistically talented students of South Carolina and to be recognized for this work by the ABC Project,” said Dr. Cedric Adderley, Governor’s School president. “We congratulate all of the schools who received certification and thank this organization and the South Carolina Arts Commission for championing arts education in our state.”  
 
Designation as an ABC School is achieved through a rigorous certification process. This process was led by Dean and Vice President of Arts and Academics Dr. Jennifer Thomas. “We are so grateful to the faculty, staff, students, and parents who contributed during the certification process,” said Thomas. “This work gave us an opportunity to collaborate and reflect on how we are achieving our mission, including areas for growth and improvement."

“Being certified as an ABC School means your school is ready and willing to serve as a model for others across the state and across the nation,” said Dr. Kim Wilson, ABC Project director. “ABC Schools know the ‘why’ to their often unconventional and courageous choices. They can provide the pedagogical rationale, evidence and data to support those choices, and models of practice to clearly communicate the benefits of the arts to others.”

All ABC Schools must have an approved five-year arts education strategic plan. Such commitments require grant-writing, creative partnerships, and specialized professional development. According to Wilson, “ABC Certified Schools believe that the arts are an essential component in the basic curriculum and are central to student development. Each school is unique but all understand how to make meaningful connections to art in all aspects of life and learning, understand how an arts-rich environment inspires creativity, and the role the arts play in defining our students’ diverse cultures but defining a schools’ inclusive culture.” 

ABC Advancement grants provided by the South Carolina Arts Commission are eligible by ABC Certified Schools in order to support schools committed to implementing standards-based art curricula and to making the arts an integral part of the basic curriculum and daily classroom instruction. This commitment is achieved through partnerships with several neighboring companies, organizations, and/or individuals to help the schools meet their vision of being an ABC Certified School.

Earlier this year, the Governor's School was also selected to serve as a model for arts-rich learning environments and innovative arts programming as an ABC Lab School. Lab schools provide an observational process that allows visitors to understand the strategic commitments and practices of ABC schools. 

To see a complete list of ABC Certified Schools across the state and learn more about ABC Project, please visit us at ABCProjectSC.com.