A Celebration of the Arts at Winchester

Fine Arts Night was a celebration of the artistic and musical talents of our Winchester students, a true win-win for us all. As our students entered with their parents and families, they beamed with pride as they led their families to locate their artwork. I told each student that it was like a treasure hunt, and you had to walk through the entire exhibit to find your work. At least two works of art (some students had three) were displayed for each Winchester student which totaled to approx. 700 pieces of art displayed. That's a lot of tape! (and thanks again to all the staff members who helped to hang much of the artwork - I love you guys!) As you know the tape did not hold up this year, and during the show I had tape rolls under the display table so I could add more tape to keep the artwork on the walls! Even if you could not attend the event, the halls were filled with colorful artistic expressions for all of us to enjoy. The students really benefit from seeing all their work on the walls of the school. They take pride in their accomplishments and enjoy the beauty and energy of all the colors, shapes and textures that surround them. Believe me when I tell you that they are diligent in their search to find all their artwork, and are quick to let me know if anything is misspelled, falling down or not positioned correctly. We as a staff are also the winners by being able to enjoy original artwork made by our own students hands. I never tire of viewing all their work, remembering the process and sometimes stuggle that they go through to get things just right. This creative, problem solving process is what art is all about, and what I believe our students will take with them as they go through school and on to their careers. Even if our students never paint or draw again as adults, having a creative mind and having the ability to think "outside the box" is what art class is meant to instill in our students. Being able to problem solve with a creative mind is a skill that will be necessary for our students to succeed in the 21st century.

Making Students Responsible in the Art Room

I don't think any classroom in the school gets as dirty and unorganized as mine does in one day. I guess I'd describe myself as neat and somewhat anal about the way our art supplies should be kept organized. You would never know that fact by looking at my art room. It's impossible to keep it clean and orderly without extra help. I knew a long time ago that I needed my students to take part in that effort everyday. The 7 Habits have helped me a great deal with clean-up time. Near the end of class I ask my students to synergize and work to clean-up the art room. I will say that the 6th grade class is still a bit sluggish in this effort. Some like to sit and watch while others do most of the clean-up. These students don't sit for long as I make sure everyone is part of the clean-up experience. On the opposite end of the spectrum are my kindergarteners, clean-up is their favorite time. They like nothing better than to synergize and wash 'n dry my tables. In fact, I had to delegate wash and dry jobs to specific students because everyone in the room was scrubbing one day with wet paper towels. Can you imagine 29 kindergarten students washing my tables at once? It's a beautiful thing. Synergizing is working well in the art room and getting better all the time. I'm proud to say that I really see the 7 Habits working as my art students synergize to help clean-up the art room.