#BringArtBackToSchools With LIFEWTR^®; Nominations Now Open For School Beautification Project And Teacher Grants

Doing its part to reverse the nation’s creativity crisis, LIFEWTR aims to reach 10 million students through arts education in 2019 with help from Macklemore and in collaboration with Scholastic

PURCHASE, N.Y. (March 7, 2019) –– LIFEWTR, the premium water brand that believes art is as essential to life as water, is committing to advancing arts education in schools nationwide as the foundation of where creativity begins. New research shows we are heading toward a creativity crisis in schools – 91% of American parents agree that arts education is important to teach children to think outside the box, yet 4 in 5 people say that arts education is not being offered as much as it once wasⁱ. This week, in partnership with Americans for the Arts during its National Arts Action Summit, LIFEWTR announced its commitment to making every day vibrant by infusing creativity into schools across the U.S., reaching 10 million students through school and community beautification projects and arts education programming as part of its continued collaboration with Scholastic.

“At LIFEWTR we believe that arts education plays an invaluable role in helping students achieve success and reach their full potential in school and beyond,” said Alexis Porter, Senior Director, LIFEWTR Marketing. “Students involved in the arts are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievementⁱⁱ, which is why it’s more important than ever to #BringArtBackToSchools. Through our collaboration with Scholastic and Americans for the Arts, we are making a concerted effort to impact 10 million students nationwide through arts education programming and to preserve the critical source of where creativity begins, in our schools.”

LIFEWTR, a longtime advocate for arts education, is proud to announce the following as part of a sustained effort to #BringArtBackToSchools:

School Beautification Projects
As a first step to infusing creativity in schools nationwide, LIFEWTR, in partnership with local emerging artists, will beautify more than 10 schools and more than a dozen surrounding communities across the country that  are facing cuts to their art programming. Throughout the year, students will be surprised with vivid and motivational murals on the interior and exterior walls of their schools, serving as a dose of inspiration every day.  

• Miami Beautification Project: The first school beautification project kicked off earlier this year at a Florida City school in Miami-Dade County. Upon their return from winter break, nearly 800 students were surprised with a transformation to the school’s exterior walls. The school’s art teacher also received a monetary grant from LIFEWTR to help with arts education programming. You can view the video of the Miami beautification project, entitled “The First 778” here and here.
• Ongoing Beautification Projects: LIFEWTR is also proud to announce the next school beautification projects will take place in Boston, Baltimore and Chicago. Stay tuned to LIFEWTR social channels for more information on additional schools and communities in the coming months.
• Nominate the Final School: Now you can get involved! LIFEWTR, in partnership with Macklemore, is giving teachers, students and parents a chance to nominate the final high school to be beautified this summer. To enter, take a digital photo showing a space in your local public high school that you would like to come to life with art from local artists.  From March 7 through April 8, post the photo through your own public Instagram account by using #BringArtBacktoSchoolsContest and #LIFEWTR along with the name and city of the school you’re nominating. For full contest rules, please visit BringArtBackToSchools.com.

“Music has always been my creative outlet and I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t grown up with the arts,” said Macklemore. “I’m so excited to partner with LIFEWTR on their mission to reach 10 million students and #BringArtBacktoSchools so we don’t lose art programs that are important for creativity and for a well-rounded education.”

Scholastic Collaboration
To help fill the gap of arts education programming in schools, LIFEWTR is continuing a multi-faceted collaboration with Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, to implement robust arts education programming, and celebrate and empower schools’ creative stewards: teachers.

• Teacher Grants: In collaboration with Scholastic, LIFEWTR will award and recognize 90 teachers for their creative excellence. From March 7 to April 8, 2019, families and co-workers can visit https://www.scholastic.com/artisallaroundus/inspireartaward to nominate a current teacher who has inspired them for a chance to win a monetary grant to help that educator with arts education programming. The first 10 grant winners will be announced and celebrated during Teacher Appreciation Week in May, with the remaining winners being announced over the summer.
• Lesson Plans and Classroom Kits: LIFEWTR and Scholastic will distribute 4,000 ready-made art kits and 26,500 lesson plans to help guide conversations around the connection between art, inspiration, and STEAM learning in middle and high schools. Each kit for teachers and students will include a poster with an Art lesson plan, collage paper, and stickers. In addition, teachers can enter a sweepstakes to submit their students’ best beautification ideas, with the chance for five students and their submitting teachers to each win a gift card. For complete details and to enter the sweepstakes go to http://scholastic.com/artisallaroundus.

“We are thrilled to be a part of this dynamic cross-curricular education program that taps into students’ creativityand inspires them to transform their learning environments with art and design,” says Chandra Turner, Executive Director of Scholastic National Partnerships.

LIFEWTR’s ongoing commitment to championing arts education began in 2018 with its fourth design series which showcased the works of three young artists who demonstrated the far-reaching impact and positive influence that arts education programs had on their lives. The brand also issued a rallying cry to #BringArtBackToSchools, in the hopes of impacting 1 million students through arts education. The school beautification projects and continued collaboration with Scholastic and Americans for the Arts will continue this movement into 2019, as well as represent the brand’s steadfast mission to advance creativity in impactful ways.

For more information, please visit www.LIFEWTR.com. Join the conversation #BringArtBackToSchools @LIFEWTR.