Art
Offered through explicit instruction time and as an integrated activity, art is a valued component of an RCLS education. Made in the image of their Creator, students are offered opportunity to create and given tools and taught methods for doing so.
Art Curriculum
The art curriculum enables the student to develop a sense of design using the principles and elements of art. It allows the student to produce imaginative and expressive ideas through visual images using a variety of art media, tools, and techniques. Art projects provide experiences to show appreciation and to make critical judgment of personal artwork and the works of others. The curriculum allows the student to demonstrate an understanding of the importance and existence of art in everyday life.
Art is taught at least once each week in each grade. Art is also integrated throughout the curriculum. Ultimately, the art curriculum is designed to enable the student to expand his/her awareness of the beauty and diversity in God’s world, and it equips the student with an opportunity to use his/her talents to enrich life, to reflect the Creator, and to use the fine arts in worship.
Art Adventures
Brought to RCLS by a trained, volunteer art teacher, Art Adventures is a program that introduces students to the art of the Minnesota Institute of Art. The program sends visual art into the classroom and is an opportunity for students to engage with art through reproductions, technology and props. According to the MIA, Art Adventures "encourages creativity, critical thinking and global awareness through in-depth explorations of art across various cultures and time periods." Each grade level engages in a six-week session that is an in-depth exploration of the art of a particular style, culture, or time period.
Creator Space
RCLS is pleased to have a space dedicated to creation. The Creator Space is a collaborative studio space that has its roots in the technology "maker culture." It is a combination lab, shop, conference space, and room for children to create. The room provides students with space to work, tools to create, and freedom to collaborate. In the first few years, our Creator Space has already seen children creating works of art, programming robots, and cooking ethnic dishes. The Creator Space is ideally suited to STEAM activities, for it is a space that invites the integration of disciplines and encourages imagination. The Creator Space is a hub of creativity at RCLS and offers new and varied opportunities for students to create across the curriculum.
