The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) has reportedly hit a milestone with their Artists in the Schools (AITS) program, extending arts education grants to over a hundred schools across Hawaii for the 2025-2026 academic year. The AITS grants, known for injecting creativity and a love for the arts into the classroom, link students with qualified teaching artists from the Artistic Teaching Partners (ATP) Roster.
Holualoa Elementary School's engagement with the AITS program was highlighted as particularly successful. The school's interim report, according to SFCA's announcement, noted an attendance boost on AITS days, especially among students with previous attendance issues. Moreover, the integration of arts into education is seen not just as an additional activity but as an essential part of fostering community and personal growth in students.
The program is not solely about brushing up on fine arts skills. It is tightly woven with other core subjects such as language arts, math, social studies, and science. For instance, Kealakehe Elementary School in Kona reported that their Honolulu Theatre for Youth residency, involving students from grades 3 to 5, bolstered group collaboration and comprehension of material, satisfying WIDA standards in listening and speaking. "Students listen to stories and act out the parts in different ways. This really helps with their listening skills and comprehension. The students wrote letters to [the Artistic Teaching Partner] after the lesson and several of them were able to write what their favorite part was and why," Connie Simon from Kealakehe Elementary School was quoted in the SFCA's press release.
The impact of these programs extends beyond the classroom as well, as was the case with Holualoa Elementary. Tomoko Nakazato, an Artistic Teaching Partner, stated in an interim report, "Artmaking helps students feel a sense of belonging, both in themselves and their broader community. This program is more than worthwhile – it’s essential for shifting the experience of isolation toward connection and growth," as mentioned in the same press release. The commitment to arts education in Hawaii extends to local government, with school Principal Kristin Muramoto thanking legislators for their dedication to the arts, a sentiment echoed in heartfelt letters sent by her students.
