Integration with Blue Planet Global Education brings international learning to underserved youth
(West Palm Beach, FL) – The Center for Creative Education (CCE) has merged with Blue Planet Global Education (BPGE) to enhance international education through virtual classroom-to-classroom projects. Dr. Susan Gay Wemette, who joined CCE 18 months ago as the Director of Arts Integration and Creativity at CCE will also serve as the Executive Director at BPGE and will oversee the partnership’s implementation with students at CCE’s The Foundation School in West Palm Beach and schools in India, Turkey, Morocco, Spain, Vietnam, and more.
For nearly 30 years, CCE has been serving Palm Beach County students with a mission to transform teaching and learning through creativity and the arts. CCE also operates The Foundations School, a K-5 independent school that focuses on improving literacy and breaking the barriers of traditional education through the arts for students from underserved communities. The school uses a sliding fee scale based on household size and income, and no one is turned away for inability to pay.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Wemette working with us on integrating BPGE into our curriculum and engaging our students not only through global literacy but also by weaving the arts into the experience,” said Robert Hamon, President and CEO of CCE. “Her expertise in global collaborations paired with our hands-on, arts-focused curriculum is invaluable in helping us provide more students with the opportunity to learn about different cultures and perspectives.”
CCE’s integration with Blue Planet Global Education provides teachers at The Foundations School with the resources and support necessary to bring global literacy into their classrooms. Under Dr. Wemette’s leadership, The Foundations School teachers use international classroom-to-classroom projects to teach core curriculum and global competence. These projects facilitate authentic connections between classrooms worldwide, promoting fundamental understanding and breaking harmful stereotypes.
“Connecting children with other students across the globe has a prominent impact on a young mind,” said Dr. Wemette. “Some of these kids have never been outside West Palm Beach, let alone the country. Crossing borders through digital connections changes how these students view the world; with a country that feels as foreign as India, CCE students were shocked to learn that kids in India have the same candy and video games as them.”
This spring, Dr. Wemette traveled to the Center for Creative Education’s sister school in India, Saint Bachanpuri International School, where she stayed for 10 days to focus on creating BPGE’s international collaborations, presenting different strategies in arts integration to that school’s educators, and looking at opportunities to apply new modes of communication in a way that supports global partnerships.
“Creative thinking is one of the most important 21st century skills,” continued Hamon. “Providing global opportunities like the ones Dr. Wemette is introducing to our students allows them to practice creative thinking strategies. Our students are learning how to generate new ideas, design solutions and solve problems. When skillfully integrated, academic content comes alive for students through the animation provided by the arts.”
Families are invited to visit CCE on Friday, May 19 at 10 a.m. to join the Kindergarten Round-Up at The Foundations School. Students in grades K-5 are invited to tour the new campus followed by an information session. The Center for Creative Education’s creativity-infused curriculum emphasizes arts integration while providing a whole-child focus, fostering a safe and loving environment with intimate class sizes of 15 students or less. Future Kindergarteners looking to attend The Foundations School must be age 5 on or before September 1, 2023, to enroll.
For more information about CCE and to support The Foundations School, please visit cceflorida.org. To register for Kindergarten Round-Up, email Jerry Crank at [email protected].