Irving ISD aims to “Make a Connection Through Art”

by PegNews wire

For the past three years, Irving ISD students at Lamar, de Zavala and Crockett middle schools have participated in the program Make a Connection Through Art. The program is sponsored by Nokia and the Pearson Foundation and is managed by Big Thought, a Dallas based non-profit organization that provides programs and educational opportunities for young students.

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Photo from Irving ISD

Mianca Mejia speaks to classmates at Crockett about her motivation for a photo she took. After the Make a Connection program has concluded for the season, works will be exhibited on the web at makeaconnectionthruart.org as well as displayed at various times and places in the local community throughout the year.

“With Nokia based in Las Colinas, and because of the number of their employees living here, they decided to open the program domestically in Irving,” said Lisa Schmidt, senior program director at Big Thought. “Nokia is dedicated to kids learning about life skills.”

According to Amy Gerald, communications manager for Big Thought, the program pairs professional artists with middle school students ”in order to create written works and visual art that represents a wide-range of topics that are personal and important to each student.”

Donna Gooding, art teacher at de Zavala, said “we are very fortunate to have this program in our district. It motivates the students to express themselves in varied ways…sharing ideas that communicate a common goal.”

“Some of them don’t realize how artistic they are so it can inspire them in that direction and sometimes it helps them in the classroom as well,” said April Brooks, eighth grade reading teacher at Lamar. She also said she thinks middle school is a good age group for this program because the students are starting to be independent and want to do some things separate from what the parents want them to do.

The afternoon program includes a students’ tour of the Nasher Sculpture Center in downtown Dallas and 10 days of participation in interactive activities with professional artists focused on what motivates an artist when creating their work.

“It is such wonderful program to be involved in as it compliments my curriculum… bringing a new dimension to my lesson plan,” said Jette Buckingham, gifted and talented humanities teacher at Crockett Middle School.

Make a Connection is a nationwide program and by Spring 2008, project coordinators hope to expand the program within the district to include all IISD middle schools.

Source: IISD