Newly completed Art/Math Stairways at New Roberto Clemente School!

The New Roberto Clemente School Community has several brand-new Art/Math stairways thanks to Art Teacher Lauren Mandal, Former Math Supervisor and Current NRC VP Daniel Krankel, William Paterson University Art Professor in Residence Triada Samaras, and the Geraldine R. Dodge Arts Integration Grant. 

This eye-catching project has been several months in the making.  It was featured on this blog earlier this year at: http://steamempowerment.blogspot.com/2017/11/nrc-is-rocking-with-arts-integration.html

"Art teacher Ms. Mandal is working with Assistant Principal and former Math Supervisor Mr. Krankel on a "mathematical/color wheel" staircase project.  In this case four staircases are being turned into a colorful place where students can also see the table of square roots.  
Even the number of staircases is a math project:  students will be painting 4 staircases of 9 steps each or 36 stairs total.  Mr. Krankel will help them divide up the table of square roots so that each step has information.  In terms of art, Ms. Mandal is having students use the color wheel to paint. The completed staircases will be colorful and informative." LINK

NRC art students studied color theory with Ms. Mandal first in order to decide what colors to paint on the stairs. Dynamic colors were painted on the stairway that now draw the eye of the viewer as he/she climbs the stairs.  The result is eye-catching. 

Next, the math formulas were added with stencils by the students under the supervision of Mr. Krankel.  Students were so excited to add yet another permanent new art work to their highly creative school building.  These stairways will facilitate learning in new ways for students as they transition from one floor to another at NRC.  In addition, Ms. Mandal has already begun a new "site-specific" art project with her students in the girls' locker room!  (See below) Stay tuned!

Memory Project Video! A gift from the Philippines to the Don Bosco Technical Academy Community!

Recently Art teacher Patty Kaminski received a gift from the Philippines: a video of her Memory Project work with her art students in Paterson, NJ!

Direct Link to Video

This video depicts an Arts Integration project that recently took place at the Don Bosco Technical Academy in Paterson, NJ under the auspices of the Geraldine R. Dodge Arts Integration Grant. Middle school students and art teacher Patty Kaminski were supported by grant-funded Art Professor in Residence Triada Samaras from William Paterson University COE to create a collaboration between children in Paterson and children in the Philippines incorporating: social studies, world language, and portraiture via the Memory Project.
The culmination is this inspiring video created by the Memory Project. 

"The Memory Project is a nonprofit and charitable organization that invites art teachers and their students to create and donate portraits to children around the world who have faced substantial challenges such as violence, disasters, extreme poverty, neglect and loss of parents.  We want the portraits to help the children feel valued and important, to know that many people care about their well being, and to act as meaningful pieces of personal history in the future." (Memory Project) 

An earlier blog posted here featured this project at its inception at Don Bosco school last fall. This is the first year that Don Bosco has been included in the influential Dodge grant.

In addition this project was featured in the Paterson Post recently! 

In the near future the Don Bosco School will begin a new Memory Project with children from Puerto Rico.  Stay tuned!