Leave it to our Junior Kindergarten through fourth-grade artists in Beasley to put a creative spin on the MICDS Mission Statement!
More than ever, our nation needs responsible men and women who can meet the challenges of this world with confidence and embrace all its people with compassion. The next generation must include those who think critically and resolve to stand for what is good and right. Our School cherishes academic rigor, encourages and praises meaningful individual achievement, and fosters virtue. Our independent education prepares young people for higher learning and for lives of purpose and service.
Under the direction of Lower School Visual Arts Teacher Sarah Garner, our Beasley students have been busy creating since the beginning of the school year. In every project, Garner ensures that an aspect of the MICDS Mission shines through so that there’s a deeper meaning to each work of art. Check out just a few of the projects that are adding color to those profound, guiding words!
Self-Portraits in 4th Grade
Fourth graders are working on abstract self-portraits. They started with an abstract portrait using organic shapes and painted with acrylic warm and cool colors. “I also told the students that at the end of the project, there would be something else revealed about the portraits,” Garner said. To the delight of the students, she had the artists examine the portraits under a black light, and they learned that sometimes you have to look with a new lens to see something unique that you may not have noticed before. Garner added, « The portraits encourage taking a second look to appreciate everyone’s differences.” The students framed messages in their own words, helping them think about looking twice to find unique or shared qualities. What a great way to embrace others with compassion as the MICDS Mission encourages.
Junior Kindergarten Makes a Box of Crayons
« We are a box of crayons, each one of us unique, and when we come together, the picture is complete. » Inspired by this message from The Crayon Box That Talked, Junior Kindergarteners (JK) created their own box of crayons. Each student colored a paper crayon and the crayons were then assembled into a larger picture designed to actively illustrate that message. Every single individual in the JK community matters and each student is learning to embrace and celebrate one another.
Designing Geometric Shapes in First & Second Grade
First and second graders are working with organic and geometric shapes. Each day in the Beasley Art Studio, they practice being part of a larger community. This includes learning how to be considerate and kind in each of their interactions. As they work on their shape illustrations, they share paints, borrow colors, and take turns working with different materials—all simple ways of expressing virtue among one another.
Still Life Flowers Bloom in SK
Students in Senior Kindergarten (SK) are learning to share and work together in the art community as well. Inspired by French painter Berthe Morisot, they are creating still-life flowers that gather together to create a beautiful SK garden masterpiece. “We focused on using lines and shapes to make an image complete and adding color to fill in the spaces,” detailed Mrs. Garner. What a fun way to learn how to get along with others through art!
Third Graders Serve Up 3D Ice Cream Cones
In learning how to meet challenges with confidence, third graders served up a fun test in creativity. They were tasked with inventing their own ice cream flavors that they then brought to life by using oil pastels to add color shading, highlights, and shadows. “The background is blended watercolor paints,” Garner said. “Oil and water resist one another, so the oil creates a barrier for the paint.” The students worked hard to draw lines for the ice cream that showed movement to look like a real swirl of ice cream.
With the mixed media approach and the creative challenge accepted, the students far exceeded Garner’s expectations. Like the JK box of crayons, the ice cream pictures came together with all of the various elements incorporated, showing how each individual component matters in completing the whole piece. It was a great way to celebrate each individual’s ice cream flavor and design like MICDS celebrates every individual’s achievements.
Look out for more artistic fun during the rest of the school year as the MICDS Mission colors every project and lesson with a fuller meaning!