The Nebo School District Beverly Taylor Sorenson Arts (BTS Arts) team has been all over the world recently sharing the arts with countries far and wide. This elementary arts team is made up of 8 arts integration coaches that work with classroom teachers on using the arts as a teaching tool for core subjects. All 32 elementary schools have a BTS coach working at their school every year. Nebo’s arts integration coaches are state-wide leaders, highly skilled, and oft sought after presenters. Their talents have taken them all over the world in the last year.
Melanie Fillmore, Dance Specialist, recently joined a group of BTS Arts educators from around the state on an educational outreach mission to Samoa. Generously funded by the BTS program and Westminster University, educators visited schools throughout Samoa on a two week trip. Participants modeled arts integrated lessons with K-6 students, and delivered bins of donated arts supplies. They also observed the education system in Samoa in general and were treated to several performances showcasing the artistic strengths of the Samoan education system.
Jeanmarie Andersen, Visual Arts Specialist, joined a group of Nebo educators on a humanitarian journey to Zimbabwe. Educators delivered palettes of educational materials to 18 different schools, each with hundreds of students. They taught multiple songs to the vast crowds of students and learned some of their indigenous songs as well. The group finished their visits with a little candy treat for each of the kids.
Ben Sansom, Drama Specialist, presented at the prestigious 2025 National Arts Integration and STEAM Conference in Baltimore, MD, with over 1,000 participants from around the US and the world. His workshop, The Hero’s Journey Math Story Problem Role Play demonstrated the power of drama integration to make math engaging and understandable and was a huge success. Attendees continue to comment on how much they enjoyed his session and the different ways they will apply Ben’s ideas in their classrooms. One teacher raved “This was by far the best session! A perfect exclamation point at the end of the Conference!” Ben represented Nebo School District and Utah’s BTS program well.
Trudy Seely and Laura Brockbank, both music specialists, traveled to Brazil and Ireland respectively. While their travels may not have been educationally oriented, their musical talents could not be hidden. Trudy ended up performing in multiple settings, sharing her gift of singing and Laura put her gifts to work, joining impromptu bands in various locations throughout the country. Laura’s knowledge of Irish instruments can be found every March 17th as she visits multiple elementary schools with interactive demonstrations and performances on St. Patrick’s Day.
Nebo School District has an amazing elementary arts program, sponsored by the statewide Beverly Taylor Sorenson Arts learning initiative. We are grateful to have our Nebo arts team back at home and ready to start a new school year.
