Success Stories[return to Success Stories home] Success in Incorporating Activities for Kids: The Folklife Festival at Clay County Middle SchoolThe annual Folklife Festival at Clay County Middle School undertakes changes and improvements every year, all of which employ the ideas, effort, and energy of the students. Teachers, students, community craftspeople, the school’s Family Resource Center, the County Extension Office, Community Scholar Jamie Johnson, Kentucky Arts Council Circuit Rider Judy Sizemore, and festivals project field coordinator Gabrielle Beasley came together last year to improve on all the festivals of the past.
They decided to engage four special education classes in all parts of the processes of stool caning and basket weaving, from the start to pricing and selling the product.
Two hundred students total were involved in learning about, practicing, demonstrating, and displaying various folkways and customs such as soap making, cordage, candle dipping, traditional dance, and the uses of corn from the 1860s to today.
Local Community Scholars trained the students in how to identify folklife in their families and make connections between family traditions and local heritage. The students did much of the work, including brainstorming ideas with Judy, Jamie, and their teachers, deciding which new artists and craftspeople to invite to the festival, designing props, and executing the set up.
They actively participated in most of the steps in creating the festival and interacted directly with craftspeople and other organizers. The unique design of this folklife festival provides for the Junior Apprenticeship Program, in which students are individually mentored by craftspeople, and also involvement in the Heritage Youth Network.
Through this education and hands-on experience, the students are encouraged to take up art as a trade and career. Many students revealed talent and interest in that pursuit. After witnessing the success of the festival and the excitement of the students, many more teachers want to get involved and find ways to relate folklife to their curriculum. They will create more lesson plans around the programming of the festival to ensure that students have an experience that is enriching, fun, and educational. Jamie Johnson’s advice is to involve children as much as possible because they have the capability to help and have endless energy to offer. Other images from the festival (click for larger) |
