Savannah Chatham County Public School System (SCCPS) Update:
- SCAD donated hundreds of professional-grade art supplies to Jenkins High School students.
- The Bee Sharps performed, aiming to inspire students to pursue music and creative passions.
- SCAD SERVE connects university talent with community schools to expand hands-on arts education.
- SCAD’s ongoing donation program, begun by Paula Wallace, supports local arts education in Savannah and Atlanta.
The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) visited Jenkins High School last week to donate hundreds of new art supplies and surprise students with a performance by the Bee Sharps, the university’s elite vocal ensemble. It’s part of SCAD SERVE, an initiative to harness the university’s artistic talent to create meaningful, community-centered solutions and inspire the next generation of artists, designers, and performers.
“Access to arts education opens up so many possibilities,” said SCAD SERVE vice president Scott Linzey. “Whether students are painting, designing, building, or performing, immersing themselves in different creative disciplines helps them see how art connects to every part of life. That kind of hands-on experience builds confidence, imagination, and a sense of what’s possible for their future.”
As part of this visit, SCAD SERVE students delivered several boxes of professional-grade art materials — including acrylic paints, watercolor palettes, clay, ceramic glazes, charcoal pencils, canvases, and sketchbooks — ensuring Jenkins High students have the tools to explore and express their creativity. The Bee Sharps – including Savannah Arts Academy graduate Ashlyn Rusgrove – shared their love of music and hoped to inspire students to pursue their own creative passions.
Jenkins students in drawing, chorus, and music appreciation classes attended the event, including those taught by SCAD alumni Linda Duncan (M.A., Art History, 2007) the chair of the fine art department and Kit Micillo (B.F.A., Sequential Art, 2020) who teaches sculpture, visual arts, and photography.
“The most important thing I learned at SCAD, and what I want my students to know, is how incredible the SCAD community truly is,” said Micillo, “Just like today’s gift of art supplies, SCAD really does care. I made lifelong friends there, and I want my students to see that there’s a whole university full of people just like them—creative, supportive, and passionate about what they do. I love teaching art because I love helping people make things. I discovered that joy at SCAD, and now I get to help my students discover it for themselves.”
Each year, SCAD donates tens of thousands of art supplies with educators and students in the university’s hometowns of Savannah and Atlanta. Initiated by SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace in 2010, this initiative continues the university’s more than forty-year legacy of giving.
Read more on the official SCCPSS website
