So, you would think that the day before break would result in a lot of kids anxious to be away from school and sleeping in...

At least that is what I thought, until bright and early this morning (7:45 to be exact) one of my students made the proclaimation "I could not wait to come back to school today so I could work on this project - I even dreamt about it in my sleep last night!"

Thank you, Kara, for making my day and proving that getting to make art can motivate students to work hard, even if it is the last day before Spring Break!

8th grade students are working with their posters before finishing out the week and taking a nice long break from school!

Inspired by the work of Shepard Fairey and other street artists, students are using celebrities, political figures, and characters from movies as the subjects of their work.

From paint to sequins, students are selecting materials and applying it to their work.

These colorful works will be plastered in the halls shortly after break.

Students are using line today as they finish out the marking period.

8th grade students finished their photo-editing on Photoshop and are using transparencies to project their images on a larger posterboard.

From self-portraits to Justin Beiber, students are simplifying their pictures and adding words for visual impact.

In 7th grade, students are working on the project that I wrote an article about for April's issue of SchoolArts magazine.

We compared Ancient Greek and Roman art to Contemporary artists in this Prezi before making our own scratch art paper and using athletics as our subject.

Both projects should be finished by the end of this week, proving that the week before a long break can be both art-filled and productive!

Starting today, 8th grade students will be working from photographs to create a street art inspired poster. Using their own image, they will use the Stamp filter in Photoshop, a transparency, and a posterboard to create their works.

The how to guide is in the word document below.

8th grade students finished their grid expansion portraits based on the work of Chuck Close on Friday.

Each student had to digitally edit a picture of themselves to then work from using a grid.

Once students transfered their images by drawing in the shapes of value from the photo onto the paper (going square by square on the grid), they then had the task of selecting which materials they were going to choose to fill in the value.

Students selected a diverse array of materials; some of the materials they had used before and some were experimenting with media for the first time.

This is always a fun project to teach because it incorporates math, history, social issues, and art. I know some of these students are planning to put their work in the Sargent Art and Celebrating Art competitions - GOOD LUCK!

Here is another great opportunity to participate in a competition that will not only yeild in the opportunity of having your work published in a book, but also some cash prizes!

In order to participate, you have to get the permission slip below signed by you and your parent and then I will be able to take the digital image of your selected work and upload it to the contest website.

When looking at previous winners, I know that my students can definitely hang with what has been awarded in the past!

So, look through your artsonia gallery and see which piece you would like to put into this contest - the deadline is MAY 5th.

Also, feel free to check out the other contest opportunities coming up by clicking on the "Contests" tag on the sidebar.

As opportunities arise for you to shine, I will continue to post information and requirements to participate!

Good luck and I look forward to seeing what you plan to submit.

Yesterday evening was a night filled with music, art, food, and fun!

Thanks to the support of the community, we are able to give more than $900 in cash and hundreds of pounds of canned/boxed food to Byron Community Ministries food bank.

This is the third year that we have hosted this event and each year it gets bigger and better.

This would not have been a success without the soup, bread, napkins, and bowls donated by Subway, the orange drink and cups donated from McDonald's, and the clay for the student made ceramic bowls donated by Rovin Ceramics.

Without the wonderful performances by our Jazz Band, Orchestra, and Choir, the event would not have been as jam packed with people who gave both money and food to this awesome cause. Because of their support, families in Byron Center will benefit immediately.

And as far as who bid the highest on the bowl - it was our Superintendent Dan Takens! He won the bowl with a bid that was record breaking!

Tomorrow from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in the BCWMS Cafetorium will be the 3rd annual Empty Bowls event to benefit the Byron Communities Ministries' food bank.

This bowl will be on display along with hundreds of student made bowls that represent the people in our community we are helping through our donations of food and funds.

For a donation of non-perishable food items or funds you will get a student-made bowl, and entertainment from our music students as you dine on soup and bread from Subway, cookies from Savory Foods, as well as orange drink from McDonald's.