Maintaining
A Public Presence
My commitment to public service has been a cornerstone of my educational philosophy, seamlessly integrated into our fine arts program and creative initiatives. By leading through example, I've guided students to understand how their artistic talents and leadership skills can create meaningful impact in our community.
Our program's dedication to community engagement has manifested through numerous successful projects and initiatives, earning recognition and awards while achieving something even more valuable: showing students how their creativity can transform and uplift their community. Through murals that brighten public spaces, performances that bring people together, and artistic initiatives that address local needs, we've demonstrated the powerful intersection of arts education and civic responsibility.
Below, you'll discover a curated selection of our community outreach projects. Each exemplifies how we've:
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Transformed artistic vision into community enhancement
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Developed student leadership through real-world service
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Created lasting partnerships with local organizations
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Demonstrated the vital role of arts in community building
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Inspired the next generation of civic-minded creatives
I'm proud of my 9th grade Art class here at East Elgin Secondary School in Aylmer, Ontario. This semester we have been examining the intersection of Art and Science! At the center of these efforts is this large-scale mural which represents a unique fusion of artistic expression and scientific learning.
NEW for 2025!
"SCIENCE!" The Story of Us All
A new mural by my 9th grade Art class, AVI1O1!
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The mural is the culmination of a reimagined curriculum that combines artistic techniques with scientific principles. Throughout the semester, students explored topics ranging from cosmic origins and gravity to cellular biology and metallurgy, expressing their understanding through various artistic mediums including ceramics, metalwork, and painting.
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Scientists theorize that life originated in clay, which inspired an engaging learning approach. Students crafted ceramic models of plant and animal cells, using bas-relief techniques to bring microscopic structures to life.
Aluminum is an exceptionally abundant metallic element that serves as both an artistic medium and an industrial cornerstone of the Canadian economy. Students gained experience in metalworking learning Repoussé.
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While examining gravity, a spandex “Gravity well” was constructed as an example, while students used cross-contour lines and chiaroscuro techniques to illustrate the effect mass has on gravity. This activity becomes more than a visual metaphor for Relativity—it's also a tactile exploration of physical principles.
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Now permanently displayed in the school's science wing, the mural features integrated QR codes that transform the static artwork into an interactive educational resource. Viewers can scan these codes to access detailed scientific information related to the imagery, making the artwork both visually striking and educationally valuable.
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This project is a testament to how art can serve as a universal language to communicate complex concepts while fostering creativity and innovation in students.
The purpose of studying the intersections of art and science are to cultivate not just artistic skills, but to develop students into adaptable, creative thinkers prepared for the challenges of our rapidly evolving world. They did a great job!
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We were happy that this project also received recognition from our local press!
A History of the Mennonites Mural!
Created by ASPIRE students at East Elgin Secondary School.
Self-Portrait Mural Installation
"The Colors of East Elgin"
January 2024: I am proud of my new Canadian art students! My 10th grade Art class just completed and installed a mural installation outside the cafeteria of East Elgin Secondary school. This is my first semester teaching in Canada and I am proud that these kids stepped up and got great results. Everyone seems to enjoy the new work and I am happy they have used their Art to creatively brightened up the campus.
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I am happy to be teaching an Art class in the Aspire program at East Elgin Secondary school this spring semester, 2024.
The Aspire program is a culturally responsive and relevant program that honors Mennonite faith, values, culture and language. It is an individualized program that incorporates lived experiences and interests through hands-on projects connected to curriculum expectations.
I am so proud of my students for creating this visual History of the Mennonites! The overall design is based off of traditional Mennonite quilts, with each panel depicting a portion of the story of Mennonite migration from Europe, to Canada, to Mexico, back to Canada and beyond. This mural is meant to be educational and interactive. Each panel of the mural also contains a QR code which will inform the viewer with more detailed historic information, videos and other resources. They did a great job!
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This 16' x 8' mural was created in
sections and painted like a quilting bee!
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Collaborative Mural at EESS
"Seeing the Forest for the Trees"
It has been installed on campus in the "Aspire Lounge".
Please see this news story about the mural in the London Free Press
and this article below by the Aylmer Express:
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I'm proud that my student's hard work received recognition in the Canadian press!
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Social Justice Mural
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In January 2021, my Drawing and Painting students created an award-winning "Social Justice" themed mural for a city park. It was well-received by the community.
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Sister Cities Lightbox Installation at City Hall
April 2021, PUBLIC INSTALLATION: Light Boxes installed at the Sister Cities Pavilion at City Hall. My Photography students created these large-scale, informational Photoshop collages that detail each of our city's nine Sister City relationships. The Mayor was on hand at the dedication for a tree planting ceremony. For more information about Gainesville's Sister Cities, please visit gnvsistercities.org
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Each school where I taught is colorfully adorned with self portraits by my students.
These were replaced every few years with new colorful, smiling faces.
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Mural 9/11/02- After the tragedy of 911, our students were driven to create this mural to commemorate that sad event. We also secured one of 72 official pieces of steel salvaged from the world trade center wreckage to include in our monument. This project and photograph was featured in "LIFE" magazine.
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9/15-MURAL SERVICE: Students and I helped on a project for the nationally televised show, "Extreme Makover/Home Edition" when they helped a local family by rebuilding their home. The show guest-starred the famous rock band KISS and we were featured on the show! It was an exciting community effort that we were happy to be a part of. https://youtu.be/iCDtPnm4V08?t=1522
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UNDERPASS MURAL: In 2000 we created our biggest mural yet on the Underpass of the Newberry Road exit of I-75 in Gainesville! Students helped create the flora and fauna themed mural that helped beautify our city. We won a city beautification award that year for our efforts.
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Field stencils for Athletic Department
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Collaborative Creation Station Mural
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ACP Sister City Blues Jam at Lightnin' Salvage
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ACP Caribean concert at Tioga Ampitheater.
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"Kung Fu Pollock" Public painting performance by Bob Zhou