The students on stage, from the 10 classes participating in the school district's literacy through the arts program, were being recognized for their hard work in the program.Now in its second year, My Story: Literacy through the Arts, gives Escondido fourth- and fifth-grade students the chance to develop artistic and language skills simultaneously.
Once a week, each of the program's approximate 330 students got an hour to spend with a digital camera, using photographs in combination with writing to tell stories in new ways. As a final project, the students produced a photo-essay using their writing and pictures.
"I used to be a classroom teacher," said Lee Ann Anderson, one of the program's teaching artists, "and one of my frustrations was that there wasn't enough art in the classroom."
One goal of the project, according to Anderson, was to teach the students to use symbolism to get ideas across. In early projects, the students took pictures of objects in Grape Day Park that represented feelings and emotions to them. For their final projects, the students had to get creative to tell their stories, taking all of their pictures in and around their classroom and using props to symbolize their story's action.
"The kids really embraced this project once they got the hang of using symbolism," said Anderson. "The final outcome far surpassed my expectations."
Some students, like Janet Martinez, 11, had the chance to read their stories on stage with their pictures projected behind them. Her story, "My Broken Hand," told of a bad fall from the monkey bars and a trip to the emergency room. Martinez used photos of the monkey bars, the sling that covered her cast, the wood chips she fell on, and a big red heart to illustrate her story.
"I really enjoyed it ---- the people who helped us were nice," said Martinez, "It was fun, but it was really hard."
Both the fun and the mental workout are by design. Even taking just an hour a week out of class time for art education is a tricky prospect, but, according to Emilie Elmore, one of the program's teaching artists, the program has proved itself.
"We're proud and passionate about this program," Elmore said. "To be able to get that time in the day ... that shows that it's very valuable, and it enhances their language arts learning."
"I have no words to express how wonderful this event is," said Brenda Jones, assistant superintendent for the Escondido Union School District and one of the day's special guests. "It's experiences like this that help kids to love school."
Samples of the student stories will be on display in the Arts Center's Center Stage lobby for the next month.