Pea Ridge elementary wins national art leadership award

From Staff Reports

In the just over six years that Pea Ridge elementary schools has had a presence on the Artsonia world wide online art gallery, the local artists ended the competitive school year as the top ranked school in the United States.

Thousands of elementary school from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico had a presence in this year's competition. The kindergarten through fifth-grade students have been ranked in the top 20 nationally several times since signing onto the program in the spring of 2009 but this year marks the first time to end the year ranked No. 1 in the U.S. In addition, Pea Ridge was cited for being the best in Arkansas for the sixth straight year.

Art teacher John McGee said: "The students really worked hard this year and we had some outstanding work to show for it. I've gotten several messages from art teachers in other states complimenting the students for their work," John McGee, art teacher, said, adding that a teacher, Beth Koon of Kansas City sent an email stating "your school is one of the best schools in the country and I am impressed with your program."

The web galleries are ranked and scored on the art works submitted and displayed, with additional scoring based on the number of visitors who sign up as fans of the gallery, the number of positive remarks or comments left by visitors, and the number of remarks or comments posted online by the students themselves. Pea Ridge posted more than 23,000 artworks this past year, with more than 2,300 fans signing up. The school had more art than any other school in the nation and had the second most fans.

The school ranked second nationally in the number of student statements, and sixth nationally in the number of visitor comments. This year's top national spot came down to two schools, Pea Ridge and Gattis School of Round Rock, Texas. With a perfect school score being a 4, Pea Ridge led with 11 points while Gattis was close behind with 16 points. No other school in America got their score under 30.

Friends and family who sign up as fans of a student on the school gallery get sent that student's artwork via email every time a work is posted.

Parents like Brandy Key said: "I love being able to see the art online and also being able to share it with others."

Heather Galbraith wrote: "I just love this website."

Steven Morcus wrote: "My family is so thankful for all the effort and time put in to share the art."

Wendy Pruitt thanked the school for "taking the time to put student art online for all to enjoy and share."

After students complete art in McGee's classroom, the art is photographed, uploaded onto the Artsonia website, and then curated by McGee during the school year. The artwork is arranged in an electronic portfolio where it will be available for viewing indefinitely. It will be on the website in the student's current grade and it will later be placed in the archives upon the student's graduation from high school.

"Since I began this online art gallery, student effort and pride has risen dramatically," McGee said. "It is helping not only with expressing themselves through their artwork, it also is an aid in encouraging students to express themselves in their writing about their work. This is the best art tool I have ever come across."

Sometime this fall, the Pea Ridge website will eclipse 500,000 in the number of visitors perusing the school's art work. In six years, Pea Ridge artists have posted 126,000 artworks all-time, the most of any school in Artsonia's 15 year existence.

Virginian Emilie Parle and Floridian Ms. Smith wrote in comments that sum up what a lot of observers state, saying "How can your students draw all this?" and "Your school's online gallery looks amazing."

Anyone wishing to visit the school's art gallery online may log onto www.artsonia.com/pearidge2.

Community on 07/29/2015