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.
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