Our school attracts a diverse student body, as we offer a Magnet Language Program that offers 11 different foreign languages and 110 clubs and student organizations! We are proud to offer outstanding academic programs, and especially proud of our wide range of visual and performing arts classes.
The students come from a wide variety of backgrounds: we teach students who are gifted and talented, socioeconomically disadvantaged, English language learners, at-risk, life skills, you name it!
This past fall, we started school three weeks after the original first day date, as numerous students, faculty, and staff in our school community endured Hurricane Harvey. Our campus, along with many other campuses in our area, has been in the recovery process ever since. However, the resilience of these young adults is absolutely amazing and it has been a pleasure to see them smile and create regardless of their circumstances.
My Project
Every year in Art I, we teach our students basic ceramics. Each student is given the opportunity to draw a portrait of a person he or she wants to sculpt. They are able to learn rudimentary techniques on how to build a human head out of clay. This is their first opportunity in my class to make something three-dimensional, and it always ends up being one of the most memorable and favorite projects!
I think that if students could still be allowed the opportunity to sculpt these identities, the project would serve a cathartic and therapeutic purpose for them and would give them something to look forward to.
Because our school community has just endured Hurricane Harvey, the Art Department has had little to no budget this year. We have cherished the supplies we do have, but have been trying to do without the ones we have always had to replenish. The Clay Head Project has always been a learning experience the students anticipate, but can't be done without the budget to provide the one thing we need: clay.
Art class has always provided the opportunity for creative expression that students need when they do not have the words for what they are feeling. Our students would be able to transform an idea from their minds to a two-dimensional drawing on paper, and then into a three-dimensional, tangible clay head sculpture finished product! Through the generosity of donors, these students will never forget the experience of working hands-on.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Giuffre and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
