PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. – In partnership with Dramatic Results, Calvert County Public Schools (CCPS) and Calvert Library have been selected to receive over $1.5 million in funding through the Assistance for Arts Education (AAE). This funding is for the first year which runs through September 30, 2022. The grant is expected to be renewed for four subsequent years. Dr. Crystal Ricks, Coordinator of Gifted & Advanced Learning and Ms. Beverly Izzi, Youth Services Coordinator of Calvert Library worked with Dramatic Results to develop this extensive grant. The two Calvert entities, working as one ecosystem, will serve as a demonstration site for the STEAM Ecosystem Expansion Demonstration (SEED) Project.
CCPS and Calvert Library will work closely with Bowie State University’s College of Education, and a variety of community-based arts groups to train, coordinate and deliver arts-integrated STEAM programs to students in Calvert County Public Schools. Calvert Library will implement the ecosystem approach in community MakerSpaces during out-of-school time to share SEED educational and professional development resources within the community.
The short-term goal of SEED is to develop the community’s capacity to create and sustain high-quality, engaging, and equitable STEAM programs for students in Gifted and Advanced Learning. In addition, the long-term goal is to build arts-integrated educational pathways for a more creative and diverse workforce. The SEED project will engage instruction through arts integration, with special emphasis on providing year-round, well-rounded arts education for students to comply with Every Student Succeeds Act.
The U.S. Department of Education reviewed 109 applications and funded 27 new grant awards. We are excited about this partnership and the opportunity to engage our students, families, and community in the development of our future leaders!