Remember that group of sixth and seventh graders that got out the vote hip hop style? Their hymn to the political process, a parody of T.I’s “However You Like,” swept across the Internet, amassing more than 15 million hits on YouTube and booking them appearances on ABC's Good Morning America and BET's 106 & Park.

Now, their poetic and scholarly talents have earned them a spot in CNN’s documentary “Black in America 2.”

The wonders of the academy

Cultivating creativity is one of the goals of the Ron Clark Academy. In fact, one of the academy’s trademarks is singing and dancing to popular rap and R&B songs during class to get the kids engaged.

“My first day at Ron Clark Academy, I thought all the teachers were psychopaths,” seventh-grader Jai Springs told CNN. “I thought Ron Clark was going crazy. He was up in front of the kids desks, he was dancing… I never saw a teacher get up on a desk and dance. But now I’m used to it, so I get up on the desk and dance too.”

Together with co-founder Kin Bearden, Ron Clark transformed a decaying factory in a rough part of Atlanta, Georgia, into a state-of-the-art educational model for middle schools across the country.

The educator, known for his unconventional teaching methods, expects students to excel in all subjects and puts a heavy emphasis on current events.

Their knowledge of the election prompted the kids to come up with a lampoon of T.I.’s hit song, which in turn catapulted them to stardom.

“We got lots of media attention,” Clark says of the Youtube video. “But when the media arrived to the school they realized the song is not the story, it’s the kids.”

In fact, the students at Ron Clark Academy are better versed in current events than many adults.

“My knowledge of the world has improved. I know more about what’s going on in other countries and I’m more curious about things… I’m just hungry for knowledge,” says Chi Chi Kasarachi.

But it’s not just the singing and dancing to contemporary music that makes the school so exemplary, say the students. It’s the academy teachers’ creative ways of instilling education, solid values, and a passion for learning.

“They want you to pass the people at the top,” says one student. “To be at the top nonstop, be at your fullest, to be creative, to think out of the box.”

Get arts integrated into your school's curriculum!

• Write a letter to your local school board about the positive influence of arts in your education experience.
• Organize an Art Show! What better way to show the benefits of arts an education than a visual display?