Five Beaufort County schools have won more than $52,000 in grants to enhance arts education in their classrooms, the South Carolina Arts Commission has announced.

Only one South Carolina school district – Richland District 1 in Columbia – had more 2017 grant winners than Beaufort County.

The five schools were:
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	<li style="padding-left: 30px;">Beaufort Middle School ($9,437, eighth grant) and Mossy Oaks Elementary ($12,883, first grant) will work together to produce a musical performance of “The Lion King Jr.” to showcase the skills and talents of students for parents and the community. The grants also will help support the schools’ artists-in-residence programs.</li>
	<li style="padding-left: 30px;">Hilton Head Island School for the Creative Arts ($10,799, fourteenth grant) will use its grant to purchase dance shoes for students, arts supplies, costumes and props for theater productions and teacher professional development in the arts.</li>
	<li style="padding-left: 30px;">Lady’s Island Elementary ($11,509, sixth grant) will create expanded performing arts spaces in classrooms, support its artists-in-residence program and also purchase classroom materials that support the integration of the arts into its curriculum.</li>
	<li style="padding-left: 30px;">Lady’s Island Middle ($8,327, third grant) will create a lab for arts and math teachers to use in creating collaborative student projects that involve both disciplines. The grant will also support the school’s artists-in-residence program.</li>
</ul>
“Arts education enriches not only the lives of students who participate, but also the lives of entire communities,” said Superintendent Jeff Moss. “These five schools serve as models for our district and our state.”

The South Carolina Arts Commission is the state agency charged with creating a thriving arts environment statewide. Created by the General Assembly in 1967, the Commission works to increase public participation in the arts through arts education, community arts development and artist development.