Art studio
Find out more about our art teacher here.
The River Academy Art program emphasizes building art skills while also learning to pay attention to good design and beauty. Students focus on 4 areas: creating, presenting, responding, and connecting to works of art. The creation process begins with an idea that is then developed and refined. Presenting the art requires the student to analyze, select, and refine the work in preparation for display. Responding to art requires self-interpretation, evaluation, and analysis of works. Connecting is the process of expressing discoveries made during personal art creation with other life experiences. In addition to having fun while learning to create art, the ultimate goal of our art program is to help students grow in their knowledge of themselves and God’s world. Below is a sampling of student art (students in grades K-12 take Art at The River Academy). You can view more works on our Artsonia gallery linked here.
Music
Music in the classroom for learning math and grammar and history has long been a bedrock of an education at TRA, well-employed in our hallways for singing Psalms and in the Great Hall for worship. At The River, we’re currently building and growing an intentionally comprehensive classical and Christian music program.
Some of the ways our students experience the music program is through our school-wide Christmas Concert, a newly added Ukulele course for grades 5-6, music reading and choir practice for secondary students, and rhythm and percussion instruments for elementary.
Spelling Bee & Speech Meet
Public speaking starts early at The River Academy with elementary Spelling Bee and Speech Meet among many in-class opportunities and some occasions for addressing the whole school.
This consistent experience in public speaking helps build confidence in our young students and prepare them for the eventual Senior Thesis in 12th Grade at TRA.
Reading & Science Buddies
Having grades KP-12 in the same building offers us many opportunities for our older students to mentor and lead our younger students. We try to create as many opportunities as we can to foster these relationships. Our halls come alive with laughing and learning when our secondary students meet with their elementary partners for either Reading Buddies or Science Buddies.
The secondary students love having the opportunity to share what they’ve learned with the younger students and the young ones look up to and look forward to these weekly meetings. Our teachers frequently team-up to encourage the secondary students to create projects that include teaching and interacting with their elementary counterparts. It is truly a joy to watch the ways our older students care for and encourage the younger. This is one way we develop the next generation of Christian leaders.
