ArtsCalibre Academy Reviews

Too often when a public school board seeks to trim costs they look to arts programming. We like the three Rs, to be sure, and they’re important. But the division between those and the arts isn’t perhaps as clear as some might think. When the people, all those thousands of years ago, wanted to express themselves to others on the walls of the caves at Lascaux, they painted pictures and (presumably) told stories about them. They were communicating about hunting, or so it seems, and they did it through art. We do that too, of course. The arts—music, fine art, dance—are central to the way we express our thoughts, ideas, and our identities. As such, they are central to the way we understand the thoughts, ideas and identities of others. Which is the thinking that ArtsCalibre brings to the delivery of the curriculum. Rather than reducing and isolating the arts, they’ve decided to bring them forward. It’s not for everyone, perhaps, though for many students it’s an important means of engaging with the curricular content. The success that ArtsCalibre has had in the years since it was founded is certainly testament to that. The preschool and elementary programs are divided between two locations, giving each a sense of identity and, through proximity to the Cedar Hill Recreation facilities, an impressive range of resources, especially for a school of this size. Small classes, personal attention, a rich interface between faculty and families, and on it goes. In all, there’s a lot to love.