Edgewood Middle School Hosts Expanded 'Evening With The Arts'
Posted
David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
Due to the response in 2006, Thursday night's second annual "Evening with the Arts" expanded out into the hallways and library of Edgewood Middle School.
"I just think it's a good way to showcase a variety of skills in the electives we offer at Edgewood Middle School," said art teacher Sherri Johnson.
Artwork that students might otherwise just stuff in their lockers, never to be seen by their parents, was displayed. "There's a lot of nice work to be seen," said Johnson.Four subject areas are represented during the evening - art, choir, industrial technology and family and consumer sciences.
The school choir performed twice during the two-hour event. Directed by choir director Dan Beam, the choirs sang 10 songs, including "Alleluia," "Sweet Adeline," "We're the Men" and "Girls, Girls, Girls."
Family and consumer sciences teacher Edith Rohrer said, "As far as the FACS, students are making pillows in FACS I." They learn to make pillows, hand sew, follow directions, sequencing and how to use an iron. They practice hand-eye coordination and choose their letters for their pillows.
In FACS II, students make a beach bag, and further improve their sewing skills. Rohrer said FACS II students have a chance to go into the computer lab and program their embroidery into the computer that gets applied to their beach bag.
"Besides doing that," Rohrer said, "these skills are transferable."
The students take pride in their workmanship and can't wait to get a grade on their projects so they can take them home, she said.
FACS projects were displayed Thursday night. As it is in the middle of the trimester, Rohrer said the projects were incomplete.
Eighth-grade advanced art students demonstrated various mediums. Mediums included watercolor techniques, drawing and chalk drawing among others.
At the door, raffle tickets were sold for a chance to win a fused glass bowl created by advanced art student Karla Batres. Proceeds go to the Kailey Zehr Memorial Scholarship Fund. Zehr was an EMS student who died.
Art students learned about fired glass with the assistance of a Middle School Entrepreneurship grant by the Warsaw Education Foundation. Some were for sale Thursday.
A new part of the "Evening with the Arts" were the various Power Point presentations shown. The presentations touched on creative careers, left versus right hand, and students at work in the classroom.
In the industrial technology class, teacher Nick Walenga's seventh-grade students raced their dragsters on a scale quarter-mile trace track. Speeds were recorded by a computer.
A program for the evening was provided. Eighth-grader Tai Gunter won the cover design contest for the program and received a $25 gift certificate for his efforts. The family of Randy Kirkendall, Warsaw Cut Glass, judged the covers.
Of the evening, EMS Principal JoElla Smyth said, "I'm excited. We have the arts, FACS, industrial tech and choir working together to showcase the arts. It's a nice turnout. It's nice to see so many out supporting the arts."
The students also were excited about the second-year event.
"I think it's a good opportunity for people to learn about the different arts and what their children are doing," said Batres, who was demonstrating canvas painting.
Demonstrating cartooning and animation was eighth-grader Ana Celina Lopez.
"I think it's fun and I think it's neat. I get to express myself and I have a lot of ideas to put down on paper," she said.
During a break between performances, eighth-grader Patrick Olson said singing in front of the large crowd was nerve wracking, but he got over it.
"It's good to see all the arts and everything we did this year and how creative everyone is," he said.
Parents were happy to see their students' work on display. Esther Lawlor has twins at EMS, Bethany and Sarah.
"I think this is pretty cool," Esther Lawlor said. "It shows off what they can do and a good job they are doing."
She said Warsaw Schools "definitely" should do more activities like "Evening with the Arts."
"I love to see what my children are doing," she said.
