About Our School

Whitt Fine Arts Academy has a proud legacy of leadership and a tradition of excellence rooted in creativity, innovation, and academic growth. In the fall of 2003, Ms. Jones carried forward the legacy to Ms. Crumley, who built a strong climate of student achievement and set high expectations for learning. In 2010, Dr. April Shaw became principal and continued to cultivate a culture of relationships, accountability, and engagement. During her 13-year tenure, Dr. Shaw championed instructional practices where educators were committed to doing whatever it takes to ensure every child is successful. Under her leadership, Whitt became known as a school where teachers consistently reimagined classroom experiences to keep students highly engaged and motivated toward profound learning.

In 2023, Dr. Shaw transitioned to a new leadership opportunity, and Tiffany Smith proudly accepted the torch to continue Whitt’s legacy of excellence. As principal, she leads a dynamic learning community where students excel both academically and through the arts. Her leadership vision is grounded in cultivating a supportive environment where each child is seen, heard, and valued. She believes fine arts spark confidence, creativity, and connection, while rigorous, meaningful learning experiences drives academic excellence.

Mission Statement

The mission of Whitt Fine Arts Academy is to open the eyes of our Kinder-5th grade students to the Radio/TV/Film fine arts strand by channeling their unique skills and talents through an integrated academic and arts program which focuses on a whole-person developmental approach to learning in unison with high academic and artistic standards.

Mr. Whitt, for whom the school is named, was a longtime educator and school administrator in the Grand Prairie Independent School District. Ervin C. Whitt Elementary School opened in the fall of 2001 under the leadership of Dale Brown Jones.

Then, In the Fall of 2003, Ms. Jones passed the leadership to Ms. Crumley. After taking the lead, Ms. Crumley established a climate and strong tradition of student excellence. In the fall of 2010, Leadership of the school was passed to April Shaw. Today, Ms. Shaw  is a visionary leader empowering staff to take students to the next level while cultivating an intentional culture that is based on relationships and accountability.

Her instructional vision is, that educators  do whatever it takes to ensure that every child is successful and engaged in their educational career.  “Whitt is a school where classes are highly engaged, and when they are not, teachers make every possible effort to redesign the pattern of activity in the classroom so that more students are engaged.” Highly engaged students persist in the work even through challenges to get to the level of profound learning. With this in mind, Whitt aims to engage our digital learners to be problem solvers and life-long learners. As such, Whitt students experience 21st century learning based on best teaching practices and through instructional delivery utilizing iPods, Interactive Whiteboards, Time 2 Know and other instructional technologies. Students also have the opportunity to become leaders through student council or participate in numerous after school clubs for Spanish, computer, art and others.

In the fall of 2009 Whitt earned the title of a TEA Exemplary campus. Additionally, Whitt also opened, GPISD’s first daycare, licensed by Grand Prairie and the State of Texas for GPISD staff members’ children.