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    Art/ESOL Field Trip to
    Tuesday, May 10, 2011
    10 am--1 pm
     
    On Tuesday, May 10, Ms Yates' art students grades 4+5, ESOL students grades 1st--4th and Ms Kimel's 3rd grade class went to the Master Craftsman Studio to learn about primitive pit/smoke firing. Both ESOL and Art students have been studying about native FL cultures and peoples such as the Seminoles or the Apalachee Indians.
     
    Earlier in January/February, they had formed their own pinch pots under the tutelage of visiting artists, Mary Donahue and Lynn Quinsey, of the Big Bend Potters' Guild.
     
     
    At the Master Craftsman Studio, students listened to retired FSU professor of ceramics, Bob Bocz, explained about the dug out pit while he laid some bricks in there. Then the students decorated their pot with baby oil to make patterns. After that, Professor Bocz laid their pots in the pit kiln and layered a lot of dried leaves on top of the pots, filling the pit. Then he set the leaves on fire. As the fire was burning down, Professor Bocz layered more materials on top, such as palm fronds, to build up a really hot fire.
     
     
     
     
    Visiting educators from Mission San Luis, Heather Skelly-Douglas and Gabriela Reed, also showed and told about the Apalachee Indian way of life using artifacts and 300-year-old pottery shards.
     
    After that Ms Yates distributed spiral bound sketchbooks to each student and encouraged everyone to draw from their observations of their surroundings. While sketching, smaller groups of students toured the inside of the Studio, where they got to see works in progress, such as stained glass, mosaic, etc.
     
    Many thanks to Sarah Coakley, Bob Bocz and Wayne Spinks for helping out at the Studio.
     
    Many thanks also to Mrs Salazar (mother of Raul) and Mrs Santiago (mother of America) for chaperoning!
     
    On Monday, May 16, 2011, local author, Jan Godown Aninno of She Sang Promise presented about Betty Mae Tiger Jumper, first woman tribal leader of the Seminole Tribe. ESOL students had been studying her biography and about the Seminole Tribe during this semester.
     Before the presentation, Mrs Aninno autographed copies of her book. She also judged "rain" patchwork pattern bookmarks made by the students. Our first prize winner was America P! Students also received runner-up prizes: fans and special treats: pencils and bookmarks.
     
    Again, many thanks to Mrs Salazar and Mrs Santiago for attending this presentation!
     
    During the month of May, FSU guest art educator, Sunny Spillane and biologist, Amanda Buchanan, taught students about our local ecosystem. Students made their own terrarium, created animal sculptures and wire webs and connected them to generate a gigantic "web of life". This lesson taught students that human actions affect their environment, a philosophy that was followed by many Native American cultures.