Celebrating the return of special-area classes at EE
Students at Elbridge Elementary are settling into routines that once again include special-area classes, such as art. For some kindergarten and first grade students, this is the first time they’ve had a structured art class while in school. Last year, art classes weren’t available due to the pandemic.“If I’m walking in the hallways, they see me and wave and get so excited, the little kids especially because it’s brand new, they’ve never come to anything like this,” explained art teacher Erin Sadowski.
For students who are returning to art class after more than a year, there are some adjustments to get used to. Each student must use their own supply box, and the boxes are grade-level specific. Students no longer share buckets of supplies. Despite the differences, there’s no doubt students benefit from the creative outlet art classes offer, especially following a difficult year of transition and uncertainty.
“It’s so different from everything else they learn in the classroom. In math, 2+2 =4, there is no other right answer, but in art, everybody is going to do things completely different, so it’s a great place for them to learn that,” said Sadowski.
If families are looking to view and share their student’s artwork, Sadowski uses a platform called Artsonia to help with that. Families can use the Artsonia website or app to look at artwork, add family and friends as fans, leave comments and be notified when new artwork is posted. Families can even order items featuring their student’s work.
“At this age, I’m trying to get students excited about art and to enjoy creating, as well as build their confidence in creating art,” added Sadowski.
Families must grant permission for their student’s work to be added to the site. They can do so by following this link and filling out the information. Once that’s done, the account continues through a student’s entire time at Elbridge Elementary, so there will be a full portfolio of work by the time they leave for middle school.
