Fulton County Schools Art Curriculum is organized in a sequential manner, providing students with the opportunity to learn new skills each year that build on previous art learning. Students view and discuss well-known works of art, as well as participate in discussions about the artists. Students watch a demonstration to learn the steps necessary to complete each lesson's artwork. Next, students synthesize their previous art learning, the current art lesson, and their ideas about ways to create their own unique artwork. Students also assess the progress of their own work and have opportunities to reflect on their work once it is completed. We make connections with math, science, social studies, and language arts, as well as all other aspects of our world.
the art teacher
Gina Steffensen
Mrs. S. in Fourth Grade
Once her children were older, Mrs. Steffensen returned to school full time, graduating from Georgia State University in 2009 with a BFA in Art Education. Mrs. Steffensen considers it her mission to create a student-centered environment that promotes an appreciation for the visual arts, as well as using differentiation on a daily basis to enable each individual to reach his or her fullest potential. Mrs. Steffensen has been teaching for fourteen years, two of those years were spent teaching middle school, two years as the Itinerant traveling to three schools and three years at Northwood Elementary in Roswell. Starting with the 2016-17 school year, Mrs. Steffensen has been teaching at Crabapple Crossing Elementary School. This is a homecoming of sorts, as her children attended CCES years ago. Volunteering in their classrooms and being a part of the nurturing environment that brought out the best in every student inspired Mrs. Steffensen to be a teacher herself. Mrs. Steffensen is an active member of the Georgia Art Education Association and the National Art Education Association, as well as the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. Mrs. Steffensen was a resident of Milton for 20 years and now resides in Ball Ground, GA. She and her husband, Mark have four grown children and three grandsons. Mr. Steffensen recently retired after 30 years in the corporate world and is now enjoying a new adventure as a commercial pilot. Away from school, Mrs. Steffensen enjoys family time, gardening, reading, hiking, and traveling. Mrs. Steffensen is also currently enrolled at the University of West Georgia in the Masters in Reading Instruction program.