January SPARK! News
SPARK! Arts Artist Residencies &  Enhancements

Residencies and arts experiences for students are back in full force in the new year! This month, Lulu Delphine taught first graders about matter and the Earth through dance. Jennifer Corbin incorporated Caribbean Culture into fifth grade classrooms also using dance.  SPARK! Arts provided a TON of arts enhancements this month. For example, Bat Honey came into Kindergarten classes to perform their Squidbelly puppet show. How fun! Fourth graders went to see the Missoula Symphony Orchestra, while eighth graders attended the University of Montana School of Music Fusion X concert. Stay tuned for more exciting student experiences to come, including the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival arts enhancement for sixth graders this February!
Thank you Letter B & Logjam Presents for a Rockin' NYE!

THANK YOU again to Letter B, Logjam Presents and the Top Hat for an exciting New Year's Eve concert that supported SPARK! Arts and raised over $1600. Your generosity amazes us!


Denver Exchange to Explore Arts Integration Schools

This month, a group of MCPS administrators, a UM dance professor, and the SPARK! Arts director traveled to Denver and Boulder, Colorado to visit four arts integration schools. Principals and teachers were able to visit with the Missoula team to share their successes, and provide much inspiration for creating an arts-rich education. "One of the biggest take-aways for me is the fact that Missoula has already made great strides", states Sienna Solberg, SPARK! Arts Director. "Our teachers are integrating arts much like the Colorado schools we visited. We are trying to create a culture throughout a whole district, which takes time, but the support is here. Missoula educators know arts integration is an effective mode for teaching content and curriculum. I'm excited to continue to provide professional development to expand our teachers' tool boxes, and continue to provide and increase arts opportunities for our students. Denver and Boulder were an inspiration and reminder that we are heading in the right direction!"
Other News:




Russell Elementary, Second Grade Roxy Premiere

Tuesday, February 5th, 5:45pm at the Roxy Theater

Russell Elementary second graders have been hard at work designing movies about fairy tales, folk tales and fables through their SPARK! Arts residency with the Roxy. Join them in viewing and celebrating three short films their classes have created !
 





SPARK! in the News

This month, 6th graders at C.S. Porter were featured on KPAX during "East Coast Swing Dance", a SPARK! Arts Residency with teaching artist, Heather Adams! 

Check out the full article and video: HERE! Thank you, KPAX for featuring SPARK! Interested in reading more about SPARK! in the News? Click HERE! for more article links.





#ThankfulThursday

Every Thursday for the past few weeks, we have been thanking one of our amazing sponsors/supporters. SPARK! Arts Ignite Learning is incredibly thankful for the community support we receive in order to bring more art to kids. One of our recent #thankfulthursday posts was for Stockman Bank [pictured left]! Others include Washington Foundation, Missoula County Public Schools, Logjam Foundation, Allegiance, Montana Arts Council, First Interstate Bank, and MORE. To stay up to date, like SPARK! on Facebook. 

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