Ceramic bowls created by art students at Brook Glenn Elementary. Photo by Greenville Federal Credit Union.
Bowls for a cause.
As I entered Brook Glenn Elementary School's main building, I was met with a cavalcade of colors and shapes. The walls of the two halls branching off from the main office were covered from floor to ceiling with student art. From cityscapes to landscapes, self-portraits, pigeons, and penguins, it all swirled together to make a joyous collage that one can’t help but smile at.
Artwork on the walls at Brook Glenn Elementary. Photo by Greenville Federal Credit Union.
At the end of the hall, I’m led to the focal point of all this creative wonder, the art room of Sarah Jones. Already working diligently on art supplies, Sarah greets me with a smile. She instantly shows me what her kids are working on. Arranging Lego on tiles, the students dip the tiles into ink and make prints.
Sarah, recipient of a $500 teacher grant from Greenville Federal Credit Union, has done some utterly amazing things with the funds.
“I got twelve molds with the grant money. Slump and hump molds,” she explains with a chuckle that she always informs her students that she didn’t come up with the name. “I was also able to get tools like these stamps and rollers,” Sarah pulls out a box of ornate rubber stamps and wooden rollers. “It’s tools like these that allow the students to add a little more personality to their pieces.”
Brook Glenn art teacher Sarah Jones. Photo by Greenville Federal Credit Union.
Ceramics is always a part of Sarah’s curriculum with each grade making something different. She shows me the little clay monsters her third graders made.
“I usually try to do these around Mother’s Day,” she picks up a green one with bubble-like blue eyes, “yeah, they can get their mom a card, but something like this lasts a lot longer,” Sarah informs me that a lot of students at Brook Glenn Elementary fall into a lower socio-economic bracket. Not only do these thoughtful clay gifts last longer, but they also allow students to give their mom a gift when they otherwise couldn’t afford one.
Throughout my time with Sarah, you can feel how passionate she is about teaching and about fostering creativity in her students. I asked her where her passion and drive for being a teacher came from.
“I went to a small Christian school in Ohio, and my art teacher taught me from kindergarten into high school. But around my sophomore year, he went to teach at a college level. Well, my school never replaced him. I had all his notes; I had been studying under him for so long. I asked if I could teach the class. I even said, ‘Put an adult in the classroom with me, just let me teach the class.’ That never really got off the ground, but my senior year, after not having him for two years I got the calling.”
It's this passion and a yearning to help her community that culminated in an Art Show Ice Cream Social Extravaganza. On Monday, April 7th, parents and students were invited to the school to witness the art the students had made, as well as purchase ice cream served in the bowls the fifth graders made. They could also purchase the bowls themselves.
“The cool part about the ice cream? Marble Slab donated all of it.” After originally intending to pay for the ice cream, Marble Slab generously donated all the creamy confections so that the total amount raised during the event could go to charity. “I asked if I could pay them with a hug.”
In total, Sarah, her students, and their parents raised $1,152 for the Eastside YMCA food bank. But why that charity?
“A unique thing about that food bank is that it delivers to our kids and community. I wanted to be sure to keep everything right here. We partner with the Y for other events, so I have a soft spot for them, but really, it is because they are so ingrained in our community.”
As my time with Sarah ends, she takes me on a tour of the art lining the halls pointing out each grade and what their projects are. One stuck out to me. A wall of black and white photos accompanied by written pages.
“This is the “Best Part of Me” wall. Fourth graders write what they consider to be the best part of themselves and then we bind them into a book. The parents can purchase the book, and we even have copies in the library for the kids to read and remind themselves what makes them special.” As I pass by, I catch glimpses of phrases like “I am great because I can draw a cinnamon roll” and “The best thing about me is I have legs that can run and kick a ball.” Yes, they are simple things, but these reminders of what makes them special mean the world to a child.
The Best Part of Me art display at Brook Glenn Elementary. Photo by Greenville Federal Credit Union.
I ask Sarah a two-fold question, what would you say to teachers who want to apply for a grant from Greenville Federal Credit Union, and what would you say to teachers in general?
For the grant: “Just do it! What do you have to lose? I know sometimes teachers are apprehensive about time or if their project will catch eyes, but if you try, you can’t lose.”
To teachers: Remember being a child. Remember your favorite project. Remember what it felt like to create. Take that same wonder and use it to reach your students.”
It’s that sense of wonder that stuck with me as I left Brook Glenn Elementary School. A sense of wonder at the passion of a great teacher and what a community can accomplish when they come together.
Brook Glenn Elementary in Greenville, SC. Photo by Greenville Federal Credit Union.