After School SMAART
For information about the 2026 Summer SMAART program, please CLICK HERE.
Program Overview
For students who have been identified as Artistically Gifted and Talented (GTR), the Charleston County School District offers a slate of after school programs each semester in Dance, Drama, Music, and Visual Art. Class offerings, dates, and locations vary depending on the availability of teachers as well as student interest. Information about these classes and registration forms are shared with families of eligible students in the fall and winter prior to the beginning of each class session.
Depending on the course you select, classes will meet once or twice a week. These classes are open to students who have already been identified as Artistically Gifted & Talented. Before registering your student for a class, please note the course's grade range and Arts area to make sure they're eligible to enroll.
Classes for the Spring 2026 program will run for 12 weeks from the week of January 26 to the week of April 20 (with no class the week of April 6 for Spring Break). Times and days of the week vary by class. Most meet once a week, but a few meet twice. Please see the course listings below for more information.
District transportation is not provided for these after school classes.
If your child has not been identified as Artistically Gifted & Talented and you are interested in them being nominated/tested, please click here.
Please see the list below for our Spring 2026 After School SMAART course offerings!
Exploring Dance Literacy
Instructor: Heather Merritt
Location: North Charleston High School, Room A122
Eligible Grade Levels: Grades 4-12
Date/Time: Mondays, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Students will develop foundational dance skills through the four core artistic processes (Creating, Performing, Responding, and Connecting) to develop dance literacy. Students will study/rehearse choreographic principles, basic technique skills, and performance etiquette while also exploring how Dance relates to history, culture, and other subjects.
Improvisation and Creating Your Own Play
Instructor: Jill Goodman
Location: Lucy Beckham High School, Room 141
Eligible Grade Levels: Grades 6-12
Date/Time: Wednesdays, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Play improvisation games and experience the art of devising theatre during this weekly class. The program will culminate with an end-of-semester original performance. You do not want to miss out on this fun and inventive theatre class!
Puppetry Foundations
Instructor: Jill Goodman
Location: Lucy Beckham High School, Room 105
Eligible Grade Levels: Grades 4-8
Date/Time: Tuesdays, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
During this class, we will explore different styles of puppetry from around the globe. Students will also get to design and create their own characters. From shadow puppets to something you might see on the Muppets, students are in for a treat!
Triple T Tune-Up: Acting, Singing, & Dance (WAITLIST - CLASS FULL)
Instructor: Heather Todd-Schlieper
Location: Buist Academy Media Center
Eligible Grade Levels: Grades 4-8
Date/Time: Wednesdays, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Update your acting, singing, and dance skills with new thinking and ideas! Learn a new monologue and find a fresh solo to sing whilst brushing up on your dance routine to your favorite musical theme tune. Then add something NEW to your repertoire like juggling, acrobatics, miming, magic, stage sword fighting, or a comedy set!
Beginning Guitar
Instructor: Elaina Windes
Location: Stiles Point Elementary, Trailer C10
Eligible Grade Levels: Grades 7-12
Day/Time: Mondays, 4:00 - 6:00 PM
A beginner-level guitar course for anyone who has always wanted to play, but wasn't sure how to begin learning. In-class guitars will be provided!
Charleston Children’s Chorus
Instructors: Justin Watkins & Anna Reid
Location: West Ashley High School, Room 606
Eligible Grade Levels: Grades 4-12
Day/Time: Tuesdays, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
The Charleston Children's Chorus consists of vocalists in Grades 4-12 from across the Charleston County School District. In addition to Winter and Spring Concerts, the group often performs at community events.
For questions about eligibility, please contact the Visual and Performing Arts Office at 843-937-6456.
District Jazz Band
Instructor: Jack Pettit
Location: Stiles Point Elementary, Trailer C10
Eligible Grade Levels: Grades 7-12
Day/Time: Wednesdays, 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Band students from across the Charleston County School District are invited to participate in CCSD's District Jazz Band! Participants must have at least 1 year of classroom experience on the following instruments to be part of the ensemble:
- Flute
- Clarinet
- Alto, Tenor, or Baritone Saxophone
- Trumpet
- Horn
- Trombone
- Euphonium
- Tuba
- Percussion/Drum Set
- Electric Guitar
- Electric Bass
- Upright Bass
- Piano
For questions about eligibility, please contact the Visual and Performing Arts Office at 843-937-6456.
District Orchestra
Instructors: Jessica Zhou Seymour, Ian Errandonea, Dominik Fields, and Buddy Huckabee,
Location: Allegro Charter School of Music Fine Arts Wing
Eligible Grade Levels: Grades 4-12
Day/Time: Mondays, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
The Charleston County District Orchestra consists of three performance ensembles made up of Strings students in Grades 4-12 from across the Charleston County School District:
- Preparatory Orchestra
- Intermezzo Orchestra
- Honors Orchestra
Ensemble members must play at least at a beginner level with one of the following instruments:
- Violin
- Viola
- Cello
- Bass
For questions about eligibility, please contact the Visual and Performing Arts Office at 843-937-6456.
Steel Drums Class
Instructor: Justin Brooks
Location: R.B. Stall High School, Room B119
Eligible Grade Levels: Grades 5-12
Day/Time: Thursdays, 3:45 PM - 5:30 PM
A fun, high-energy music group where students of all levels learn to play steel drums, explore Caribbean and contemporary styles, and build teamwork skills. Includes rehearsals, music production, and performances that will showcase our unique sound.
Ceramics Handbuilding Techniques & Glazing (WAITLIST - CLASS FULL)
Instructor: Tracy Harler
Location: Goodwin Elementary School, Room 303
Eligible Grade Levels: Grades 4-8
Day/Time: Tuesdays, 4:00 PM - 5:45 PM
Students will be learning and reviewing handbuilding and glazing techniques, and discovering how we can use these techniques in creating our own project designs. We will have an exhibit of our work in the last class.
The Drawing Lab (WAITLIST - CLASS FULL)
Instructor: Scobey Thompson
Location: West Ashley High School, Room 602
Eligible Grade Levels: Grades 9-12
Day/Time: Thursdays, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
In this drawing class for gifted 9th–12th grade students, you’ll explore a wide range of mediums—graphite, pen and ink, colored pencil, alcohol marker, and mixed media—while sharpening your technical skills and experimenting with diverse styles. Whether you’re refining the precision of realism or embracing a more expressive approach, you’ll gain the creative strategies, technical skills, and confidence to develop your own artistic voice.
Exploring Mixed Media
Instructor: Maggie Feyko
Location: West Ashley High School, Room 601
Eligible Grade Levels: Grades 9-12
Day/Time: Thursdays, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
This after school course is designed to introduce high school students to a wide range of materials, processes, and creative problem-solving strategies. Students will experiment with both traditional and unconventional art methods, such as fabric, thread, collage papers, paint, found objects, and surface-design techniques to create layered, meaningful artwork. The class emphasizes student choice, hands-on learning, and personal expression.
Intro to Clay
Instructor: Jaime Correia
Location: Morningside Middle School, Room 143
Eligible Grade Levels: Grades 5-8
Day/Time: Tuesdays, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
This 12-week after schol sculpture class introduces students to the basics of 3D art using air-dry clay and Model Magic. Each week will have students focusing on a new technique -- pinch, coil, slab, texture, figure sculpting, mixed media, and more!
Making Murals Section 1
Instructor: Mimi Tierney
Location: West Ashley High School, Room 603
Eligible Grade Levels: Grades 9-12
Day/Time: Tuesdays, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Learn the art of Making Murals! In addition to creating artwork, students will learn about the commission process, enlarging artwork for a mural format, and community-based art!
*Please Note: This same course is also offered on Thursdays with Making Murals Section 2.
Making Murals Section 2
Instructor: Mimi Tierney
Location: West Ashley High School, Room 603
Eligible Grade Levels: Grades 9-12
Day/Time: Thursdays, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Learn the art of Making Murals! In addition to creating artwork, students will learn about the commission process, enlarging artwork for a mural format, and community-based art!
*Please Note: This same course is also offered on Tuesdays with Making Murals Section 1.
Metal, Wire, and Wearable Art (WAITLIST - CLASS FULL)
Instructor: Julianna McRae
Location: St. Andrew's Elementary, Room 111
Eligible Grade Levels: Grades 4-6
Day/Time: Mondays, 4:15 PM - 5:45 PM
Get ready to design, build, and create! In this class, students will explore jewelry and metalworking techniques to make both awesome wearables and small-scale sculptures. We’ll work with paper, wire, metal, and found objects to craft projects like wire creatures, metal-embossed art, faux stained glass, pendants, beads, and more. Whether you want to design something to wear, something to display, or both, you’ll learn the skills to turn your ideas into one-of-a-kind creations. Build it. Wear it. Show it off!
Puppetry Foundations
Instructor: Jill Goodman
Location: Lucy Beckham High School, Room 105
Eligible Grade Levels: Grades 4-8
Date/Time: Tuesdays, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
During this class, we will explore different styles of puppetry from around the globe. Students will also get to design and create their own characters. From shadow puppets to something you might see on the Muppets, students are in for a treat!
Sew Creative Sew Basics
Instructor: Dana Brown
Location: St. Johns High School, Room V-107
Eligible Grade Levels: Grades 5-8
Date/Time: Thursdays, 3:45 PM - 5:15 PM
Students will learn the basics of hand and machine sewing, reading patterns, and making fun items.
Still Life Remix
Instructor: Brenda Reyes
Location: Johns Island Elementary School, Room 117
Eligible Grade Levels: Grades 4-5
Date/Time: Tuesdays, 3:25 PM - 5:00 PM
This course will introduce basic art concepts through the arrangement and drawing of inanimate objects.
Students will learn about elements of art and develop observational drawing skills using a
variety of art supplies. After mastering the basics, students will then move beyond traditional still life drawings to embrace contemporary approaches, develop style, experimentation, and play with mixed media.
Tackling Textiles Explorations
Instructor: Angelica D'Antonio
Location: Lucy Beckham High School, Room 105
Eligible Grade Levels: Grades 7-12
Day/Time: Thursdays, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
This course will cover a wide range of textile artwork in both a functional and decorative sense! Projects include skill building in hand embroidery, fabric collage, crochet, & more! While some skills might repeat from one semester to the next, all projects & designs will always be new! I encourage students who have taken this course in the past to continue building upon their skills each semester with new and creative projects!
Tackling Textiles Foundations (WAITLIST - CLASS FULL)
Instructor: Angelica D'Antonio
Location: Lucy Beckham High School, Room 105
Eligible Grade Levels: Grades 4-6
Day/Time: Wednesdays, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
This course will cover a wide range of textile artwork in both a functional and decorative sense! Projects include skill building in hand embroidery, fabric collage, crochet, & more! While some skills might repeat from one semester to the next, all projects & designs will always be new! I encourage students who have taken this course in the past to continue building upon their skills each semester with new and creative projects!
Contact Us
Charleston County School District
Visual & Performing Arts Office
75 Calhoun Street
Charleston, SC 29401
General Inquiries
843-937-6423
ashley_chisolm@charleston.k12.sc.us
Gifted & Talented Programs
843-937-6456
nicholas_nafpliot@charleston.k12.sc.us
