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Students showcase Creative Arts Academy as board praises role of fine arts in learning
Summary
Students from the Davenport Creative Arts Academy presented music, dance and visual-media projects to the school board, which thanked performers and highlighted partnerships, scholarships and the program’s districtwide reach.
Students from across the Davenport Community School District on Tuesday gave the school board a sustained look at the district’s Creative Arts Academy, with performances, media-art demonstrations and personal testimonials that board members and the superintendent called “the highlight of the year.”
The presentations opened with an eighth-grade CAA Sudlow dance number introduced by Lindsay Krueger, the CAA dance teacher, and continued with three Davenport Central seniors who described how band, choir and theater shaped their high-school experience. “Fine arts at Central really gave me my friends, a space to grow and a community,” student Micah Roldan said.
The showcase included a cross-disciplinary media-arts project developed at Sudlow in partnership with the Putnam Museum and Science Center. Colleen Tomlinson, Sudlow’s media-arts teacher, described how sixth-graders researched Iowa pollinators, translated sketches into 3D designs using Tinkercad and printed biodegradable models before combining the sculptures with digital backgrounds.
Heidi Hernandez, the CAA visual-arts teacher, highlighted two community collaborations: an annual Holocaust art contest with the Jewish Federation and a portrait exhibit with First Presbyterian Church that included awards and a gallery opening. A student project about Nathan Abbey, a person students researched for the Holocaust project, was singled out; a student entrant won a $500 prize from the Jewish Federation.
Board members repeatedly framed the evening as proof that arts education is core to students’ academic and social development. “The fine arts presentation by far…was unbelievable,” Director Hayes said, praising a national-anthem duet and solo performance. Director Barnes called the arts “essential to learning” and urged sustained support for the programs.
Student speakers also noted scholarship supports: board members and others recognized a recent Davenport Schools Foundation scholarship ceremony and a new JP Witterscher scholarship for Davenport Central seniors active in the fine arts.
The board thanked staff, students and community partners. Superintendent (speaker S5) said the student work demonstrated hard work and excellence and urged continued district support for arts programming.
The meeting moved on afterward to routine business; no policy actions affecting the CAA were taken at this session.
