Peabody Cultural Collaborative​ Helps Schools Stay Creative

Peabody MA

10 February, 2021

3:16 PM

Description

PEABODY, MA —The organization behind the CuriousCity pop-up children's museum has found a way to continue to support creative programs in the city even though the museum has remained closed amid the coronavirus health crisis. The Peabody Cultural Collaborative has granted the Peabody Public Schools funding to support programs that complement their curriculum with remote and in-person activities during the hybrid school year. "When museums were finally able to reopen, we knew that due to the size of our space and the activities we offered, CuriousCity would not have been able to be the safe, fun place we had created," Collaborative President Camille Bartlett said. The PCC sought permission from its foundation supporters to redirect the funds and was able to maintain local funding through J.B. Thomas Foundation and Essex County Community Foundation. "The PCC wanted to be supportive of the school programming but had not worked directly with the schools in any formal way in the past," Bartlett said. "We needed advice on how to get started and immediately reached out to the Peabody Education Foundation for guidance." PEF Chairperson David Gravel said the Collaborative funds were used to complement its initiative amid the pandemic to supply students with the tools and materials needed to be successful in a remote environment. With the PCC's help, the schools were able to use programming from the Young Audiences of Massachusetts. Kindergarten classrooms began using "Songs and Stories for Science Learning — Frogs and Butterflies" at the end of January. Programs for other grades are currently being scheduled and will begin during February and March. According to Tim Brown, PCC board member, the initial investment voted by the full board was to fund up to $15,000 towards this project. "The support from the community this year has been very much appreciated," Peabody Superintendent of Schools Josh Vadala said. "The PEF was able to respond to the immediate needs identified this fall, ensuring students had supplies necessary at their homes to be able to fully participate in remote activities. "The added programming available through the Cultural Collaborative has created a new level of excitement with the students." Did you find this article useful? Invite a friend to subscribe to Patch. (Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)