The Cultural Arts Alliance Supports Students in Walton County

The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County believes that educating children in the arts is crucial to their academic and individual development. Unfortunately it is getting more difficult for educators to supply classrooms with ever-growing needs as funding is cut drastically. 

The Cultural Arts Alliance is trying to help enrich the lives of students in Walton County through the arts. Each year the CAA provides assistance through Teacher mini grants and need-based student scholarship programs to teachers and students in Walton County.

This quarter, the CAA has provided grants to the following teachers: Nora Baldwin from Freeport Elementary in Freeport, Cathy Drake from Maude Saunders Elementary in DeFuniak Springs, Kathy Harrah from Maude Saunders Elementary in DeFuniak Springs, Sissy Keppel from Wise Center in DeFuniak Springs, Constance Rogers from Butler Elementary in Santa Rosa Beach, and Donna Standley from Maude Saunders Elementary in DeFuniak Springs. 

The Cultural Arts Alliance encourages all teachers with specific needs for their students to apply for our grants and scholarships. For details about the grant and scholarship programs please visit the CAA website. The following images are some of the artwork created as a result of CAA grants. 

The first image above is from a long lesson on habitat and creativity. Students drew and painted animals and then learned the art of collage where they put it all together to create a large African habitat collage. 

The next image shows a lesson where the students created crazy bird paintings. These paintings are creative and imaginative and the added feathers lend an extra special touch.

The students also studied the first artists of prehistoric times and recreated cave paintings with oil pastels on heavy brown paper. This class is a student favorite and this image is an example of their work from a super-talented student.

The purpose of the Teacher Mini Grants and Need-based Student Scholarship Programs are to enhance the visual, literary, and performing arts experiences of all Walton County school-age children in grades K-12. This includes children in public schools, Private 501c(3) schools and home schools through funding of special enhancement activities established by a teacher.

Each teacher selected for a mini-grant will be awarded up to $350 and each need-based student selected for a scholarship will be awarded up to $75 per child for each program. Grants and Scholarships are awarded quarterly by the CAA Educational Giving Program Committee and CAA Board of Directors and presented to the teacher conducting the special enhancement activity. For details about the grant and scholarship programs please visit the CAA website.