Arts Charter School to Open in Columbia:  Midlands Arts Conservatory (MAC)

A committee of arts professionals, educators, parents and community members

is planning to open an arts charter school in Columbia. The Midlands Arts

Conservatory (MAC) will have a focus on the visual arts, theater, dance and

music.

A public informational meeting for parents and the community will be held

on Monday January 11 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at the Airport Campus of Midlands

Tech, 1260 Lexington Drive, West Columbia 29170.

MAC will provide a free, public education that effectively combines arts and

academics. If approved, the school will open in the Fall of 2017 with 6th and 7th

grades, and will add a grade level each year, reaching 12th grade in 2022. The

school will be free for any South Carolina resident student in the appropriate

grade level who has an interest in the arts and is willing to meet the high

academic expectations of the school.

For more information go to: http://www.midlandsartsconservatory.com and follow

us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MidlandsArtsCon.

The school will be staffed with highly qualified arts and academic instructors in an

environment that provides training, exposure and practical application in the arts

and the integration of arts into the academics of the school. The student-teacher

ratio in classes will be no higher than 20 to 1 and lower in specialized arts

areas. MAC will have small group and individualized instruction in the arts with a

wide spectrum of academic support available. Academic support will include

online instruction and individualized academic instruction on a needs basis for all

students. The school will open with 120 6th and 7th grade students with three

classes of 20 students at each grade level.

The MAC Planning Committee members understand the importance of a highquality

arts education for young people. They want to ensure that every child in

the Midlands has the opportunity to experience the power of creative selfexpression.

For more information, contact Dr. Robert Jesselson at 803-777-2033.