Sue Silverstein could not stop talking about how wonderful her new art room is at Bishop Gibbons.
And when Jon and I got to there today I could see why. It’s not just one room, but a big space with many smaller rooms off of it.
There’s a room for print making and paper mache. A ceramics room and a kiln. There’s a room that will be the art library and even a room for the computer and Sue’s desk (Sue’s standing in front of it in the photo above).
And there’s a room for fiber art.
The three sewing machines that the Army of Good bought for Sue’s class last year plus three more sewing machines that are being donated will have a room of their own.
Jon and I got to meet Kiante Jones, the principal at Bishop Gibbons too.
It’s easy to see why he and Sue get along so well. His mission is to make sure that each student who goes through the high school, not only graduates but has a plan for life after school. Whether it’s college, an apprenticeship, or work.
And he’s as dedicated to community service and teaching it to the kids as Sue is.
Sue has been cleaning up and moving into the art room since school ended in June. There were some art materials left over from the last teacher, and she brought some from Bishop Maginn. Soon she’ll know what she has and what she still needs.
Next week the floors will be cleaned and waxed, but the walls and sinks already say art room. You can’t make art if you have to worry about making a mess.
There are already some murals painted in the hallway leading to the art rooms. And Sue plans on having the kids paint more.
Today Folasade, who was one of the students in my sewing class, came to paint the door. It had blackboard paper on it when Jon and I were there. Folasade gave it a background coat of yellow after we left and will be painting her own design on it once that dries.
Sue said that some of her students can take two weeks to work on a project and others will have it done in a day. So she’s planning on having projects available in each room for the kids to work on.
This way they can work at their own pace and always have something to do.
It was great to get a feel for the school today. I’m looking forward to teaching more sewing classes.
Sue already has a project in mind. There’s a nursing home next to the school and She wants to have the students make lap quilts to give to some of the people who live there.
I’ll be there to help.
