Featured Image: Paxinosa Creativity Week 2025 (provided by Crayola)
January’s newest global holiday and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania proclamation recognize Crayola Creativity Week and the value of creativity 16 percent of all Pennsylvania elementary schools participate in Crayola Creativity Week
Easton, PA (January 30, 2025) – Students at Paxinosa Elementary School, Crayola’s United Way Community School, were among millions of children around the world putting their imagination into action today as part of Crayola Creativity Week. The program featured a proclamation from the Commonweath of Pennsylvania, a hands-on creative activity focused on building confidence, and a special appearance by Crayola crayon mascot Denny.
Launched in 2022, Crayola Creativity Week is a free, creative learning event. During the annual seven-day program, Crayola provides schools, families, and libraries with inspiring and interactive content—delivered by world-renowned creative talent—that highlights the transformative power of creativity. More than 12 million students from all 50 states and 118 countries now are celebrating Crayola Creativity Week, which is part of the company’s Campaign for Creativity advocacy program that speaks to the importance creativity as an essential life skill in preparing children for success in any career.
In Pennsylvania more than 133,500 students and 9,000 teachers representing about 16 percent of the state’s elementary schools participate in Crayola Creativity Week. During today’s program at Paxinosa Elementary School, special guests Crayola President and CEO Pete Ruggiero and Crayola Chief Marketing Officer Victoria Lozano spoke about the value of creativity with the help of “Denny”. They were joined by Pennsylvania State Senator Lisa Boscola, State Representative Robert Freeman, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure, and City of Easton Mayor Sal Panto.
Boscola and Freeman shared proclamations from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in recognition of Crayola Creativity Week and the positive impact it has on educators and students around the world. The proclamations acknowledged Crayola’s efforts to celebrate imagination in action and advocate for the importance of children’s creativity. Boscola highlighted creative moments with children as a cornerstone of childhood development and a critical skill for the next generation of Pennsylvanians.
Kids also put their imagination into action by listening to a video led by Hamilton actress Phillipa Soo and an in-person creative activity led by Cheri Sterman, Senior Director of Education for Crayola.
In addition, this year’s Crayola Creativity Week is the inaugural celebration of Global Crayola Creativity Week by National Day Calendar. Starting this year and for years to come, the new “holiday” will be recognized and celebrated beginning the last full week in January. This special recognition celebrates every child’s unique creative spirit and every parent’s and educator’s opportunity to foster creativity and encourage imaginative discovery to help children everywhere reach their full potential.
Crayola Creativity Week programming includes hands-on video lessons; downloadable handouts to inspire hands on creating; daily prizes; guides for teachers and parents to provide children with additional creative learning beyond this special week; and a livestream school assembly that brings all participants together globally. This year’s event, which started Jan. 27 and runs through Feb. 2, showcases lessons from creative luminaries including Matthew McConaughey, Henry Winkler, Mo Willems, Phillipa Soo, Ada Limon, NASA scientists, Mikaila Ulmer, and Max Greenfield, among others.
In addition to boosting students’ creative confidence and problem-solving skills, the self-expression experiences build literacy and social-emotional skills with cross-disciplinary lessons that address math, science, social studies, and citizenship. Schools join Crayola Creativity Week because it aligns with educational standards and results in student benefits of increased collaboration and family engagement.
Following Creativity Week, all hands-on daily activities and celebrity video events, including the live-streamed assembly, will be available for free viewing on demand until Feb. 28, 2025. Parents and educators can learn more about the program, and others from Crayola Learning, by visiting Crayola.com/CreativityWeek.
Crayola provides funding to Paxinosa and Cheston Elementary Schools to help students succeed through the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley’s Community School initiative. The Community School model has a track record of enhancing academic growth, ensuring students’ and families’ basic needs are met, increasing engagement and attendance and fostering a positive school culture. With goals to demonstrate growth in math and literacy across every school and every grade level, Community School Coordinators activate a network of cross-sector partners to offer a range of services that aim to improve student attendance, increase family engagement and remove barriers to learning.
About Crayola
Crayola LLC, based in Easton, Pa. and a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards, Incorporated, is the worldwide leader in children’s creative expression products. Known for the iconic Crayola Crayon first introduced in 1903, the Crayola brand has grown into a portfolio of innovative art tools, crafting activities, creativity toys, content and experiences that offer children innovative new ways to use color to put their imagination into action. Crayola Learning provides free creative learning resources to K-8 educators to prepare students with academic and life skills that hinge on creativity. Visit www.crayola.com/learning for more information or join the community at www.facebook.com/crayolalearning.
Information provided to TVL by:
Constance Walker
Crayola
