As we move onto 2014, it is always nice to take a look back at the year that was. Here are some of the many highlights from 2013:
January
Getting 1:1 technology with Macbook Airs has been one of the major highlights of not only January and the school year, but probably my whole career. The things I am able to do as a teacher is beyond what I could have imagined and my students have benefited as a result.
February
Teaching Intro to Photo for Kendall Dual Enrollment was a great experience for me and the students made a lot of interesting images from the class. The example above is from a student who used his phone to show movement.
March
Empty Bowls is one of my favorite events of the year. It brings the Fine Arts together to showcase talents and raise food and funds for our local families. Our local Subway has been a great partner in this effort from the beginning and I am really excited about planning our 2014 event which will take place on March 20th! 2013 was particularly exciting because of the newly acquired potter's wheel from DonorsChoose! Thank you again to all of the parents who donated and Byron Center Fine Arts Boosters for helping match funds towards the end!
April
Taking students to the Meijer Gardens has become a Springtime tradition thanks to the generous grants awarded from Michigan Youth Arts and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. I am happy to announce that I will be taking students back there again this Spring due to another grant awarded from MYA and MCACA!
May
Due to a grant from the National Art Education Foundation, I was able to invite local artist Cindi Ford into the classroom for printmaking activities and demonstrations. Students learned new techniques and the importance of experimentation and play when creating art.
June
It was awesome to see student produced videos on the big screen at Celebration Cinemas for the Meijer Great Choices Film Festival! I am so thankful to all of the students, parents, friends, and teachers who took time each day and voted to help my students win and our classroom earn $1400 in additional funds for supplies and arts experiences. We will be participating in this competition again this year and hope to achieve the same kind of success as years past!
July
The above student work was selected to be a part of the Michigan Art Education Association top 15 for Middle School works in the State of Michigan! Her work will remain on display on the MAEA website and also toured with the other top winners for this year across the State of Michigan.
August
It was really excited for ArtPrize to allow students to enter a competition this year and I could not wait to share the news with students once we returned in September. It was even better when we had a student selected to be in the top ten, winning many art-related prizing and getting her work on TV - congrats again Emma!
September
Students took even more ownership of their learning this school year with the use of Classroom Mode from Artsonia. This new feature has allowed us to finish 2013 with almost 2000 works of art uploaded, mostly by the students who made them!
October
Going to ArtPrize is something I look forward to every Fall! Thanks to a grant from ArtPrize and funds from the Meijer Great Choices Competition winning videos, we were able to go without cost to students! It was a great time and we enjoyed seeing it all on the LAST day it was up!
November
Sharing student Art is something I feel strongly about. That is why I use Artsonia. It was awesome when Anna shared in class how Noli Novak, the artist we studied as inspiration for our portraits, took the time and made a comment to her about her work. It is one of my favorite moments of the whole year!
December
It was amazing to finish out 2013 with a month showcasing student work and celebrating their talents. From our k-12 District Show that highlighted the efforts and talents of our students as they progress through the Visual Arts Program at BCPS, to the competitions that also showed the strength of our program (with winners 5-12 in Sooper Art and 7-12 in the 2014 Scholastic Art Awards - BCPS receiving the MOST recognition 7-12 than any other school in Kent County), December was the icing on the cake for a year that I will remember fondly.
Here is to an even better 2014, if that is even possible!
Here is to an even better 2014, if that is even possible!
Scholastic 2014 Winners~
The above gold keys will go onto the National Competition and results will be posted this Spring.
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