Leaning on one another

Deirdre Newman

For students at Santiago Creek School in Santa Ana -- an alternative

school for students who have experienced physical, mental and sexual

abuse -- art has been a powerful, therapeutic tool.

So, many of these students wanted to share the joy and fulfillment

they have gotten from art with other struggling students.

When they heard that the special education classes at Corona del Mar

High School did not have art classes, they volunteered their services

with the assistance of their own art therapist teacher, Lisa Albert, who

has a studio and teaches art full time at Newport Coast Elementary

School.

On Friday, Albert and seven Santiago students came to Suzy Thatcher’s

special education class and taught seven of Thatcher’s students how to

create a colorful, printing project. The shared artistic experience was

beneficial for all the students, said Cyndi Borcoman, a teacher at

Santiago Creek.

“It’s important for Suzy’s kids to be with kids their own age,”

Borcoman said. “[Our students] are the mentors. They’re seen in a helping

role. That’s the mission of our school -- to get them out of the stigma

of being losers.”

The printing project started with the students using a pencil to make

scratch marks in pieces of foam. Because it was difficult for some of

Thatcher’s students to grip the pencil, the Santiago students helped

them. Santiago student Alberto Gomez Jr., 18, took Michael Vu’s hand and

helped him trace lines in the foam. Michael let out cries of delight as

he saw the shapes being created. Eventually, the 15-year-old, who has

multiple disabilities, was able to make the lines by himself.

“Way to go, Michael,” Albert said, explaining that the freedom of the

scratch foam art enabled the students to create any shapes they want.

After making the scratches, the students then applied purple paint with

rollers to their artwork. Then they turned it over, set it face down on a

piece of white construction paper, patted it down, peeled it off and

voila -- a dramatic picture emerged. The result -- white lines where the

scratch marks were, randomly scattered throughout the purple background

-- sort of how it would look if Jackson Pollock had been around to do

cave art.

For the finishing touch, the students used colored markers to fill in

the white lines and enhance the psychedelic flavor of the artwork.

The Santiago students said they enjoyed the opportunity to share their

artistic passion with others.

“Art keeps me out of trouble,” said Marcos Millan, 16. “I like

teaching them how to do art to try to make someone else better than us.”

Thatcher has ambitious goals for the display of her students’ artwork.

“I will probably display them first and then send them home, so they

have the opportunity to feel proud,” Thatcher said. “I would eventually

like to see it hung in a museum. Other high schools have the opportunity,

so I don’t see any reason why these guys can’t.”

That’s a chance that Michael would be especially ecstatic about, as he

was beaming with delight when he finished his project and

enthusiastically showed it to whoever walked by.

* IN THE CLASSROOM is a weekly feature in which Daily Pilot education

writer Deirdre Newman visits a campus in the Newport-Mesa area and writes

about her experience.