me arts ed

Shut down day to end the week

The week ended with a shut down day which may have had something to do with it flying by. My week started in meetings at the Department and that afternoon I headed north on Route 95 to the Art in the Heart meeting at UMaine. Thirty two teachers attended the first meeting of the year and the agenda was filled with numerous opportunities and information.

Iris Fields

The next morning I headed west to Harmony to meet with Chiho Okuizumi to learn more about the VH1 Save the Music Foundation. I felt fortunate to be at the K-8 school with music teacher Iris Fields on the first day the band students had a lesson together. It was very exciting!

Back on Route 95 on Wednesday I headed south to York to attend the school board meeting to present the Imagination Intensive Community banner and certificates. It was a wonderful chance to recognize the many ways that York provides imaginative opportunities for their young people.

On Thursday I traveled to Freeport to attend the Maine Art Education Association board meeting. Rob Westerberg joined me to share information on the Maine Arts Education Assessment initiative. The board members asked good questions and it gave us the chance to listen to their feedback and learn what art teachers are thinking. Next Sunday Catherine Ring will join Rob and attend the Maine Music Educators Association meeting.

The arts educators in Maine never cease to amaze me with the incredible work taking place in classrooms across the state. It was a beautiful week to be on the road in Maine and great that I could visit some classrooms and schools and with arts teachers.  I must say traveling to York on Wednesday in the rain was a bit tricky but it made the trip that much more interesting! The weekend was beautiful and I had a chance to plant some tulip bulbs and go for long walks.

What do the arts mean to you and how have they enriched your life?

That is the question that students, staff, administrators, and parents answered at Gardiner Area High School and the hundreds of community responses created the center piece for the Arts In Education Celebration which was on display in the school cafeteria. Each of the answers were enlarged, printed, mounted on various colors, and displayed for all to view and appreciated! Below you can see photos of the exhibit that were taken by art teacher Shalimar Poulin.