Sometimes all the news about Alameda Unified School District construction, policies and Board of Education activities drowns out the great news about wonderful programs taking place at our schools. Below are just a few spotlights of what has been happening at our school sites since the New Year.
Last week, elementary students at Maya Lin School joined readers, writers and listeners from around the world to participate in World Read Aloud Day (WRAD). Founded by LitWorld in 2010, the event “celebrates the power of reading aloud to create community and amplify new stories and to advocate for literacy as a foundational human right.”
During the day, nine award-winning authors visited the school virtually, including Carole Lindstrom, who wrote the Caldecott Medal-winning “We Are Water Protectors,” read “My Powerful Hair” to the children and previewed her soon-to-be released book, “The Gift of the Great Buffalo;” Bea Birdsong, who read her soon-to-be released book, “Goat Is the G.O.A.T.,” to Maya Lin first-graders; and Josh Funk, who gave a group of Maya Lin first-graders a sneak peak of his latest book in the “Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast” series, which will be released this fall.
Marianne Dilworth, Maya Lin’s teacher-librarian, organized the WRAD event at the school after learning about it at a California School Library Association conference she attended last year.
Art students at Island High School now have their work hanging on the second floor of the Main Library. The project merged portraiture with reflections on “the Season for Nonviolence.”
During the Season for Nonviolence, which runs from Jan. 30 (the anniversary of Mohandas Gandhi’s death) through April 4 (the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s death), people around the world pledge to reflect on words and readings about nonviolence.
For this lesson, Island High students studied a variety of diverse portraits, practiced drawing facial features and then created a final piece using the media of their choice. Some drew themselves; others chose to draw a family member. Each piece also connects to a word that comes from the Season for Nonviolence, such as “truth,” “humility,” “peace” and “witnessing.” The artwork will remain up through April 26.
Alameda High School students also displayed their art recently when the AHS Diversity Committee held its annual Art Gallery at the Phoenix gathering and work space Jan. 29. The show included more than 30 student artworks, including digital art and animation, as well as more than 150 nature photographs, which were submitted as part of a contest organized by the student Environmental Committee.
“Every month, we dedicate our time and effort into promoting different cultures, minorities and allowing everyone to be noticed,” said Brissia Perdomo Coreas, the committee’s commissioner. “In January, we celebrated International Creativity Month, which brought in the idea of showcasing all of the beautiful and talented art many AHS Students create.”
The show has been held at the Phoenix for the past four years because of its “coziness and its beautiful space,” Coreas says. “It truly makes it feel like you’re in an actual art gallery.”
We love hearing about these wonderful programs for students and appreciate the extra work that students, staff and families put into bringing them to our school sites!
Reach Susan Davis, the Alameda Unified School District’s senior manager for community affairs, at 510-337-7175 or SDavis@alamedaunified.org.