Mississippi Whole Schools

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Mississippi Whole Schools

Every child deserves to be taught in and through the arts, nurturing the imagination.

Mississippi's Whole Schools Program is an arts integrated conceptual approach to re-designing school environments to create a culture of collaboration and transparency. The Whole Schools Initiative, Mississippi’s first comprehensive statewide arts education program, uses the arts as a vehicle for promoting high-quality instruction and learning for students in all disciplines. This unique program g

oes far beyond “art for art’s sake” and applies the learning power of the arts across the entire curriculum. The Five Goals of the Whole Schools Initiative are:

1.To improve student academic achievement through the integration of the arts into the basic curriculum.

2.To enrich the lives of students by increasing their skills and knowledge in all arts disciplines.

3.To assist the professional and personal growth of teachers and administrators through arts experiences.

4.To use the arts to increase parental and community involvement in schools.

5.To assist schools in building a sustainable system for supporting arts integration and arts infusion.

08/26/2026

Miss Summer Institute? No worries, we’ll be back next July!

Get ready for more creativity, connection and hands-on learning designed to bring the arts to life in classrooms across Mississippi.

Visit mswholeschools.org to learn more about Mississippi Whole Schools and stay tuned for Summer Institute updates!

08/21/2026

Teaching Artist Collaborative is back! Join us on August 25 at noon for the next Teaching Artist Collaborative session, “What Is a Teaching Artist, Really?” with Roxie Clayton.

This session will explore how Mississippi Whole Schools defines the role of a teaching artist in supporting arts integration. Participants will learn how teaching artistry differs from performance work and examine the core competencies that guide effective practice within MWS.

Join here: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81126291659?pwd=b40dQqeXWgn9vR8EvVrmVze7wSJTX1.1

08/20/2026

We see quite a few new faces around here, along with many familiar ones, and we’re so glad you’re here! 👋

This year’s Summer Institute welcomed more educators who are not currently part of the Mississippi Whole Schools program than ever before. We also welcomed 100+ new followers, so we thought this was the perfect time to reintroduce ourselves!

Mississippi Whole Schools helps educators bring learning to life through the arts. We believe every child deserves to learn in and through the arts, and that creative, engaging instruction can help meet the unique needs of every student.

Through professional learning, resources and a growing community of educators, we model, cultivate and support arts-based learning across Mississippi.

Whether you joined us at Summer Institute, recently followed along or have been part of this community for years, we’re so happy you’re here. Welcome to MWS!

Learn more about who we are and what we believe: mswholeschools.org/our-story

08/19/2026

The Mississippi Whole Schools team gathered last week in Ocean Springs for our annual Team Retreat! We were excited to welcome back Dr. Cameron Jenkins to help us connect, collaborate and prepare for another year of supporting arts integration in schools across Mississippi.

The team also had the opportunity to explore Ocean Springs and the Walter Anderson Museum of Art. It was a wonderful week and we're excited for the year ahead!

Walter Anderson Museum of Art
Cameron W. Jenkins

08/17/2026

At Summer Institute, educators in the Intro to Arts Integration session were asked, “What does arts integration mean to you?”

Their answers highlighted what makes arts integration so powerful: collaboration, creativity, confidence, hands-on learning and new opportunities to reach every student.

What does arts integration mean to you?

08/10/2026

The arts make learning magical, intuitive, relevant and fun. They create lessons that last long after students leave the classroom—shaping the whole person and inspiring them to dream bigger.

When the arts are part of learning, anything feels possible!

Leflore Legacy Academy
Saltillo Elementary School
Tupelo Public School District
Madison County Schools
Luther Branson Elementary

08/07/2026

Mississippi Whole Schools invites educators to join upcoming RESA trainings focused on using arts integration to increase student engagement, bring lessons to life, and strengthen classroom outcomes.

These hands-on sessions will share practical strategies educators can use immediately to make learning more meaningful, memorable, and impactful.

📍 Dates & Locations

- September 11 | Making It Stick: Engaging and Impacting Student Learning
Oxford, Mississippi

- September 11 | Making It Stick: Engaging and Impacting Student Learning
Gulfport, Mississippi

- October 16 | Making It Stick Through Music: Engaging and Impacting Student Learning
Meridian, Mississippi

- October 21 | Making It Stick Through Music: Engaging and Impacting Student Learning
Cleveland, Mississippi

Visit msresaservices.com to learn more and register!

08/06/2026

Congratulations to our newest Whole School campuses for FY27!

Oak Park Elementary School, Laurel
St. Alphonsus Catholic School, Ocean Springs
St. Anthony Catholic School, Madison
Poplar Springs Elementary School, Meridian (not pictured)

Whole School campuses demonstrate a school-wide commitment to arts integration and whole-child learning. We’re proud to welcome these schools into the Mississippi Whole Schools community and look forward to supporting their educators and students in the year ahead!

Oak Park Elementary School
Laurel School District
Meridian Public School District
St. Alphonsus Catholic School

08/05/2026

Congratulations to our newest Arts in the Classroom Schools for FY27!

Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School, Biloxi
Southeast Lauderdale Middle School, Meridian
West Hills Elementary School, Meridian

Arts in the Classroom Schools are committed to strengthening teaching and learning through meaningful arts-integrated instruction. We’re proud to recognize these schools for taking this exciting step and look forward to supporting their educators and students throughout the year ahead!

Meridian Public School District
Southeast Lauderdale High School
Our Lady of Fatima Elementary School

07/29/2026

Meet Florina Burnwatt, a special education teacher at Leflore Legacy Academy in Greenwood, Mississippi, and a returning Mississippi Whole Schools Summer Institute attendee!

Florina continues to return to Summer Institute for the knowledge and strategies that help her students become stronger learners through the arts. Last year, she used music to teach central idea—inviting her scholars to combine individual guitar notes into chords, just as supporting details come together to form a central idea.

In Florina’s words, this year’s Summer Institute was “excellent, empowering and enjoyable.” We love seeing educators take what they learn at Summer Institute and transform it into meaningful classroom experiences!

Leflore Legacy Academy

Address

501 North West Street, Woolfolk Building-Suite 1011A
Jackson, MS
39201

Telephone

+16013596040

Website

http://www.mswholeschools.org/

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