News

Middle School Art Students Showcase Creativity!

COVID or not, the show must go on! 

Middle School Drama teacher, Jenni Brown, alongside of art teachers Rachel Cook and Anna Boyer, are making adjustments to ensure that middle school drama students will get to put on a performance this year. That includes getting creative when it comes to putting together costumes and the use of masks. And that's where our art students step in.

“We are creating paper mache heads out of strips of newspaper and a glue/water mixture,” explained art teacher Rachel Cooper. “Once we begin the design process, we will be adding string, cloth and other material to bring the "big heads" to life. Although the actors in the play are only 6th graders, we are having both 6th and 7th grade working on creating and designing each character throughout the next few weeks. They will take two weeks to create the structure of all 14 "big heads" and two more weeks to paint and add each character's unique features.”

But why paper mache heads? “There are two reasons they are creating "big heads" for the play this year,” Cooper continued. “First, the 6th and 7th graders get to be a part of the creation and design process of their characters and will get to see their artwork on display during the play. Secondly, each actor can wear their character's head (instead of wearing a mask) on stage in order to maintain COVID protocol.” The upper school art students are helping as well, putting together the backdrops for the scenes.

With all the hard work put forth by not only the teachers but the students, these performances are sure to be a colorful and fun sight.

Celebrating Black History Month At PCA

Black History Month is “an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history.” In 1915 Harvard historian Dr. Carver G. Woodson and minister, Jessi E. Mooreland developed the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), an organization whose purpose was to bring to focus the achievements of Black Americans as well as others of African decent.

It took more than 50 years of work before Black History Month became a vital part of curriculum in schools and celebrations in communities around the nation. In 1976 Black History Month was officially recognized by President Gerald Ford who asked citizens to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

Following the traditions set forth by Dr. Woodson, Pastor Mooreland, as well as President Ford, PCA is celebrating Black History month by focusing on the works of Black Americans across its grade level curriculums.

In the elementary school hall, second grade teacher Leesa Welch is spotlighting historical figures though stories and activities. One man being George Washington Carver and how he came up with over 300 uses for the peanut!

Art teacher Anna Boyer’s elementary classes are taking the classic story, Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold, and recreating the illustrations with drawings of themselves. “The children are drawing and painting themselves flying over NYC,” said Boyer, “as we discuss what we would like to see changed in the world and our lives.”

Coach John Harris’ 6th and 7th grade Leadership classes focused on Black and African Americans through the Black Inventor research and poster project. Students chose an inventor such as Augustus Jackson, Madam C.J. Walker, T.W. Stewart, and Otis Boykin, researched their accomplishments, and presented their findings via an informative poster. When asked to name an interesting fact she learned by doing this assignment, 7th grader Luci Noce said, “I learned there were more black inventors than we can ever count. More than I ever knew.”  

Other greats such as James Weldon who wrote the poem, “The Creation” and great musical artists such as Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong along with many other historical figures are also being celebrated throughout PCA classrooms this month.