MOUNT DORA, Fla. -- Students at Triangle Elementary School in Mount Dora are getting in touch with their artistic side through a new program.
- Teacher launches school's new arts program
- It's the first one at Triangle Elementary
- Company donated $10,000 to cover supplies
Christine Palmer has been a Lake County educator for seven years but this year she's launching the school's art program as the new art teacher.
Principal Marlene Straughan says the school has never had an arts program.
"I knew coming into this role that I was going to have to be very creative," Palmer said. "Everybody has a genius but sometimes we don't know what that genius is until we expose it to those kids."
According to school officials, Superintendent Diane Kornegay is bringing art programs back to all elementary schools.
However, Palmer said she had little funding for art supplies.
"I assumed that it would probably take me, I don't know, 10 years to get what I wanted which is a kiln, clay all those other media," she said.
Instead, Main Street Leasing Company, which opened the Modernism Museum in 2013, donated $10,000 for all the items on Palmer's wish list.
"Science has proven that the students that have art and music do better overall in their studies and we think art is essential and Mount Dora is known to be an art community," said Michell Middleton with Main Street Leasing Company.
"These kids will be exposed to clay, water color, chalk, oil pastel so many other media this year starting day one," said Palmer.
Palmer hopes to bring in local artists and is also planning a Festival of the Arts night where students can display their work.