leadership in high schools

Vueduciel-GuV1.pps The photos are from Yann Arthus-Bertrand.  Simply stunning. 

Highlight the name of the photograper.  Copy and paste in your web browser.  Select the ling to Arial Photos or Photos from above the earth. 

The above link can really set the imagination of students aflame.  Ideas that come to mind are for earth science, geography, history, English composition, Art, Archeology etc. 

Topics are land erosion, volcanic erosion, the melting of the snows of Kilimanjaro, East Africa, Art in Morocco etc. 

http://www.ted.com/talks/yann_arthus_bertrand_captures_fragile_earth_in_wide_angle.html

Last year we successfully collaborated with Das Puppenspiel and wrote a grant that was funded by the Arts Council of Chautauqua County an organization that manages the local capacity grants for New York State in support of the ARTS.  This collaboration resulted in the puppet production of Peter and the Wolf (a Russian Fable).  This school year 2008-2009 we have again submitted a grant proposal for consideration by the Arts Council.  We hope to make the cut this February 2009.  Many teachers are involved in this venture and have lent their full hearted support to this project which will allow us to work again with Das Puppenspiel and bring to production another excellent puppet show that will utilize and develop the skills and talents of our students at the Hewes Center grades K-12.

The Arts Council works in collaboration with Erie 2 CC BOCES which supports a cooperative service titled the Arts in Education.  Through this Cooperative Service (Co-Ser),  schools within the supervisory district of this BOCES can invest money in the Arts and allow for the funding of valuable resident artists like poets, sculptors, actors etc. who come into school and work directly with teachers and students to make the arts living, breathable ventures that are multi-disciplinary in approach and celebrate the highest level of Blooms Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, focus on multiple intelligences and teach/model creativity for all types of learners. 

On Friday, January 23rd, 2009 about 60 students, their teachers and support staff at the Hewes Center, will travel by bus to the Reg Lenna Civic Center to attend a Hip Hop production.  Hip Hop music and dance interpretations are the current craze amongst young people.  This student field trip will extend the boundaries of understanding for both students and adults.  American culture in flux and in the making will be discovered anew by different generations that all make up the fabric of learning activity at the Hewes Center – Baby Boomers and generation Y will have the opportunity to celebrate the Arts on stage.  Conversations and positive relations will be built between students and adults via this outing.  I am very excited that so many teachers and students have shown enthusiasm for this field trip.  Thank you Laurie Wilcox, Jamie Monaco, Amy Stormer, Dru Cole, Cindy Jackson and Jim Hedlund.  The latter two teachers teach a course on the Foundations of Music and will delight in the extension of this learning via the Hip Hop production.  Our teachers and students will have an opportunity to meet Mr. Len Barry, Program Coordinator  of the Arts Council and we, Erie 2 CC BOCES, hope that this relationship will grow the collaboration of our instructional programs  with the Arts Council.  The  bounty of this great gem in our local community together with the collective talents of people like Len Barry allow schools like Jamestown, Ripley, Clymer (that I know of) to bring exciting programs to the level of students in these school districts.  We must get the message out to more school districts in Chautauqua County so that they too can participate in these student centered community based programs that expand the visions of our school and promote the mission of education. 

New US President Barack Obama claims to be a  firm supporter of the arts in education.  Go to the link below to hear a speech he gave to a high school in Pennslvannia when he was on the campaign trail wherein he celebrates the fact that in even the poorest of schools when he grew up, they had music and art teachers.  Let us hope that his committment is real and that we shall see greater collaboration between school and institutions that promote the arts in education. 

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98931463

This is a class project I read about  which currently involves three countries Australia, China and Turkey.  The object of this exercise using a power point presentation is to have students select their favorite foods.  I thought of the universal appeal to all students for this kind of input which is both gratifying and immediate.  Food and and the development of epicurean tastes!  In addtion the ability to bridge a global area of interest.  I see the value of this exercise across several subject areas and an experiment that can be introduced to students of all age groups.   On coming across the blog post I was surprised that America is not yet a part of this experiment, so in an effort to join our teaching colleagues in Australia and share our  students passion for food with their global counterparts please check out this slideshare presentation.   

This is a power point presentation contained in the blog http://hawkesdale.globalstudent.org.au. However it is not always accessible.  You may also go to the actual slideshare presentation at http://lunchboxproject.wikispaces.com and add your own uniques features to this classroom project.  Whereas it is listed Kindergarten through 3rd grade you can easily adapt this project to any grade level with your own teacher input and creativity. 

If we could all collaborate on this expeiment I believe we shall expand the horizons of our web 2.0 reach as well as teach our students a variety of skills.