SchoolArts - October 2007

Finding the right balance is critical. It became our mission to create learning environments where there were ample opportunities for kids to secure a solid academic foundation and excel creatively in the arts. We believe that competitiveness in the world’s global economy starts with the education of our youth. That education needs to provide sensory experiences that challenge the creative intellect of our children and help them develop the academic skills to compete in the twenty-first century.

After the first year of our reform efforts, students at Huff School not only began seeing the world in all its aesthetic beauty, but experienced unparalleled levels of academic success. Academic success, while maintaining an emphasis on the arts and technology, is a true success story.

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References

Florida, Richard. “America’s Looming Creativity Crisis.” Harvard Business Review, 82 ( 10): 122– 136, 2004.

Shawn K. Smith, Ed.D. is principal of
Huff Elementary School in Elgin, Illinois.
shawnsmith@u- 46.org
Garrett Seaman is the technology teacher
at the same school. garrettseaman@u-
46.org