Student Teams use the Arts to Make a Difference

March, 2010

This year, Arts @ Large has developed a new project that empowers young people to use the arts to make a difference in their school, community and world. The Arts @ Large Student Teams are groups of 5-15 4th-8th grade students that meet regularly to discuss issues that are important to them and their peers then brainstorm ways to use the arts to address those issues.

In partnership with the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities and Artist Bob Kann, Arts @ Large Student Teams fill out a grant application for their altruistic project and, pending review, are awarded up to $500.00 to bring their idea to life.

The Stuart Elementary Student Team, or as they like to call themselves ‘Haiti’s Helpers for Hope,’ have developed a project in which they will collect plain white rain hats and shoes, organize the whole school to help decorate these items using a variety of arts supplies, then send the decorated materials to help relief efforts in Haiti.

“We know that they had a bad earthquake and we don’t want them walking on rocks and splinters hurting themselves,” said a 4th grade member of Stuart’s Student Team.

The Student Team project encourages the inclusion of students of all learning and physical abilities from the project planning phase to the implementation. Student Teams are made up of students that represent the diverse make-up of each school and work to include everyone’s voice.

Other Student Team projects include an anti-bullying campaign that uses theatre and multimedia, and an environmental awareness project combining school murals with community clean-up.

If your school is interested in developing a Student Team, visit http://artsatlargeinc.org/p_student_team.php for ideas to get started.

Garland Uses the Arts in the Afterschool

March, 2010

Hamlin Garland Elementary School teachers captured art in various lights with its multi-art afterschool classes in March.

Garland, which is in its second year of the Arts @ Large program, implemented special activities for different grade levels that covered many aspects of art, all a part of its afterschool recreation program.

The school offered ‘Science and Art’, ‘Art is Fun’ and ‘Scrapbooking’ as the afterschool activities of the program, which ran on Wednesdays for 6 weeks starting in February. Each week a different type of art was offered to expose the students to the various forms of art.

The teaching staff at Garland worked closely with A@L staff to craft the unique program. The staff ran the program themselves, which first grade teacher Hrysanthi Kinis said wasn’t too difficult.

“We have a really motivated staff and a few of our teachers have degrees in creative arts,” said Kinis. “[the teachers] are ready to jump in and use the supplies and do a lot of fun activities to tie the arts into our curriculum.”

‘Science and Arts’ was a way for the arts to be connected to science and nature. Students in that class did things like take a trip to a greenhouse and create clay pots that they used to grow plants; teacher Stacy Robarge taught that class.

In addition, ‘Scrapbooking’ allowed students to dig into their family history and culture and craft their own story in their custom made scrapbooks, created in the afterschool program with teacher Maria Porn.

Teachers Jessica Deibel and Kimberly Olszewski worked with students to make masks and color pictures in ‘Art is Fun’, as a way to get the students involved in the visual arts. Students also focused on other art mediums in that class, including drama and scenery painting, an activity that fifth grade teacher and afterschool recreation program operator Michael D. Key says is all a part of the multi-art afterschool experience.

“We would not have the exposed criteria or curriculum that we have now if it wasn’t for Arts @ Large. They have come in and made the kids aware that drama is art, that dancing is art, that you can bring science into art…we have kids looking at art as a career now,” said Key.