Mr. Kim Wheetley, Director of the Southeast Center for Education in the
Arts (SCEA),  and his staff have received $60,000 from the Lavine
Production Group to fund the first year of Arts Integration in the Middle
Grades.

The SCEA staff developed the Arts Integration in the Middle Grades program
to enhance the knowledge middle grade teachers have about the arts so
that  they can integrate elements of dance, music, theater, and the visual
arts into their classrooms.  The program is modeled after a successful
program that Mr. Wheetley and his team designed to better incorporate the
arts into elementary school classrooms.

Mr. Wheetley and the SCEA staff will develop a variety of professional
development resources for middle school teachers.  Teachers across the
nation will gain content knowledge and  develop
teaching strategies from a series of professional development television
shows; they will have access to a videotape resource library containing
documentary footage of arts-education planning, teaching, and community
involvement; they will utilize interactive websites for enrichment and
support; and they will be provided with print materials including various
manuals and lesson plans.

Congratulations to Mr. Wheetleyand the SCEA staff!  In a time when budget
cuts are reducing state funds for arts education, this program will  help
ensure that middle school students have access to the arts across the
curriculum.