Shaw Elementary School receives Crayola grant

WASILLA — Karl Schleich is one of 20 elementary and middle school principals from across the nation selected by Crayola and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) to receive a Champion Creatively Alive Children school grant.

Schleich is principal of John D. Shaw Elementary in Wasilla. Crayola and NAESP together selected 20 schools to receive the grants, which will fund innovative programs aimed at fostering children’s critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication skills.

The Champion Creatively Alive Children grants are intended to help principals explore new ways to nurture children’s creativity and inspire other principals to do the same. Each school received a $2,500 grant and $500 worth of Crayola products. Recipients will share outcomes from their programs via NAESP’s website to help other principals develop promising practices related to arts education.

Schleich will use the grant to implement a Salmon on Parade program at Shaw Elementary to enhance communication between staff and families in a community that includes Russian, Ukrainian and English cultures. Students and their families will attend a workshop on salmon migration and family migration and examine the parallels between members of the community’s livelihoods and lives. Each family will receive a 15-inch wooden salmon as their artistic foundation, and it will represent their heritage in visual arts and storytelling.

“At Shaw Elementary, we believe in actively educating students on the virtues, and the result of this practice has led to an atmosphere filled with joy and kindness and a culture of encouragement,” said Schleich. “The Salmon on Parade program will allow us to build on this idea by prompting our students to create art that shows individuality, yet reflects a common thread within our community.”

To view the complete list of the 20 Champion Creatively Alive Children grant recipients, visit naesp.org/2010-crayola-grant-winners.