Future Artist Choice Class
At the end of 2021 The Crystal Dezember Memorial Scholarship donated to 5 classrooms. One these classrooms was Mrs. Pendergast’s. She was looking for help with supplying her students with art supplies.
At school this year, students will have the chance to participate in choice classes to explore different hobbies or passions. The choices include classes such as coding, STEM, and working with buddies. I would like to run an exploration in art class which would include drawing, painting, oil pastels, and watercolor.
CDMS was able to donate and help fully fund her classroom project and today we recieved a thank you from Mrs. Pendergast and her class and we wanted to share it.
Dear Crystal Dezember Memorial Scholarship Fund,
Thank you so much for the art supplies! My students have been able to use them so far in a few classes, and they just enhance our learning and curriculum so much! Through art, my students are learning to be confident and are proud of their work. As adults, we are super critical of our art, but I find that students are just overall proud of what they draw and paint. Some of my students who worked with the watercolors didn't have experience with them, as we had to have a lesson on how to use them.
One project that we recently completed was the study of whooping cranes. Students read about them, watched a video, and did wrote an informational piece on why the birds were in danger, and how scientists are helping them survive. At the end of this challenging project, they were able to draw and watercolor a whooping crane to put with their writing. This really brought the project to life and was motivating for many students.
The students are displaying these works in the school.
The next steps for my students would be to use the art materials in a more student choice way. I want them to be able to explore and express themselves. We also are planning on using oil pastels to do self portraits to go along with writing autobiographies. We hope to be able to display these.
Next year, we hope to do a mini art show with all our art throughout the year!
With gratitude,
Mrs. Pendergast
Thank you to everyone that helped us fund her classroom!