An "Elfie" display was part of the fun at the Evergreen Elementary art walk on Dec. 1. Students worked on art projects since the beginning of the school year, with different themes.
Papier-mâché masks fashioned in the style of sugar skulls to celebrate Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) adorn a hallway at Evergreen Elementary School during the school's first art walk held on Dec. 1.
Construction paper snowflakes hang throughout the halls of Evergreen Elementary during the school's first art walk on Dec. 1.
The sounds of laughter and excited conversation filled the halls, while brightly colored pieces of art adorned the walls on Dec. 1.
Evergreen Elementary held its first art walk, allowing students to showcase their creative works throughout the school, a months-long effort that came about as a result of helping children express themselves.
The art program, which is classified as a social-emotional learning (SEL) program, was created to help students walk through the mental and emotional challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tawny Crowley, SEL teacher, was put in charge of the program, which gives students from every grade level the opportunity to work on projects twice a month.
Art projects from the SEL program and from lesson-based classroom curriculum culminated in the art walk. It's an event that staff said was a much needed morale booster.
"Things are way better now that we've got a little event going on, spreading a little holiday cheer," said Jenn Miller-Yancey, assistant principal. The event was held after power had been lost then restored to much of the community. "The last 24 hours or so have been a little rough."
Artwork ranged from multi-colored "holiday chains" made of construction paper to papier-mâché Dia de los Muertos sugar skull masks (Day of the Dead, a holiday of celebration for friends and family). There were even depictions of sea life mixed with machinery as in the case of fifth-grade student Arabella Nore's "Whalerine," a whale that was also a submarine.
"This is really cool. It's the first time they've even done this, so it's really neat," said Arabella's mom, Edna Nore. "It's neat to see the other kids' (work) and what they're doing. It gets you into the spirit. With COVID, things have been different, so this is kind of a nice thing."
Crowley was pleased with the outcome of the art walk, and believes the goals were met. "Overall, the goals for the night were totally exceeded," she said. "The main goal was to have an opportunity for students to showcase work and just not thrown in backpacks to pack home. The smiles, the engagement and the parents' comments put the entire event over the top. The entire team at Evergreen pulled together to make the displays amazing."
Elementary students weren't the only ones showcasing their art. High school senior Sophia Hagelman had her senior project on display, a large acrylic painting of Evergreen's mascot, an eagle, fashioned in the style of Tlingit art.
Hagelman enlisted the help of three students from every grade level.
"I have a really big passion for art, and I like working with kids, so this was a big opportunity for me to work with kids and do art," she said. "I got a lot of help from teachers, from Tawny and my (family)."
Her mom is the fifth-grade teacher at Evergreen.
Miller-Yancey estimated 225 people turned out for the art walk, which allowed staggered attendance every 20 minutes for social distancing. She said students and staff were thrilled with the outcome.
"Kids worked really hard. It's all our art from the beginning of the school year till now. ... They've been having a blast," Miller-Yancey said. "Students and staff were still over the moon about it (the next) morning. We hope all of our participants felt the same way."
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