Students raise their hands while singing "The Dot Song."

Candler Students ‘Make Their Mark’ Through Art, Music, and Literacy

Tim Reaves - BCS Communications Department

September 18, 2026

During Arts in Education Week, Candler Elementary School students celebrated creativity, collaboration, and the courage to try something new through a schoolwide project inspired by “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds.

Visual arts teacher Heidi Shields and music teacher Peter Wilbur teamed up to bring the story’s message of perseverance and creative risk-taking to life. Every student at Candler contributed a three-inch square to a collaborative mural, while first graders connected the story to their classroom literacy studies and learned “The Dot Song,” incorporating music, movement, and sign language.

“Everyone was making their mark,” Shields said. “Making your mark is a growth-mindset concept in this book - to take creative risks. It’s a nice way to start the school year because it applies to all subject areas. When it’s hard, you keep trying, and we can encourage each other.”

“Books aren’t just something you do in ELA,” Wilbur added. “We talk about books in music because they inspire the lyrics of songs and sometimes the subjects of the songs that we do.”

The project reinforces a simple message that extends far beyond the arts: when something feels difficult, start somewhere, keep trying, and see where it takes you.

Students move their hands while singing "The Dot Song."Students move their hands while singing "The Dot Song."Students move their hands while singing "The Dot Song."Students move their hands while singing "The Dot Song."Students move their hands while singing "The Dot Song."Students move their hands while singing "The Dot Song."A wall outside the art classroom shows different colored 3-inch square tiles that make a rainbow.