Catholic Herald Parenting™

	GLASS ART -- Blessed Sacrament School students study a blown-glass work of art created by Dale Chihuly. The glass art is exhibited in the Milwaukee Art Museum's Windhover Hall. (Photo by Sam Lucero)

MILWAUKEE -- Litza Janowski teaches 26 second grade students at Blessed Sacrament School about weather using fine art posters from the Milwaukee Art Museum. Mary Anderson, fifth grade teacher at Holy Wisdom Academy, guides students in their study of the American Revolution with a special workbook. Third and fourth graders in inner city Milwaukee public and private schools study fine art to learn about their community and Wisconsin.

Home Base

This imaginative learning is due to Marlene Doerr, who saw what the power of art could do for children. An art museum docent and talented artist, Doerr looked for a way to expand students' art museum visits. Her solution came in the blue skies of Arizona when her daughter, an elementary teacher in Phoenix, sought Doerr's help in teaching weather in the usual Arizona "sunny and warm" daily setting. As they worked, Doerr came up with what is now Creative SHARP Presentations, Inc. (Student Historical Art Resource Program)

Creative SHARP began in 1996 with second grade classes studying weather and seasons. The program uses visual art and art history to promote literacy, social studies, oral and written language for those who may not otherwise have the resources. Creative SHARP brings classes to the Milwaukee Art Museum, provides inservice for teachers, sends presenters to classes with slide shows and creates workbooks for students to follow through the year.

SUBTLE EXPRESSIONS -- Blessed Sacrament School fourth graders, along with their teacher Christine Srok, far left, and chaperone Matt Halase listen to a Milwaukee Art Museum docent describe the subtle features of a painting. (Photo by Sam Lucero)

In May, students are invited to present skits, read poems they have written, sing songs or tell stories at a Family Evening of Recognition at the Italian Community Center.

Students learn to research, read, write and present their work, thus building confidence, self-esteem, and a greater awareness of the world, all with a renewed excitement for learning.

At Blessed Sacrament School, second graders were captivated by the posters. Janowski asked what season was depicted in a picture by a Russian artist and guided children to the obvious answers with her questions. Students considered the green grass, bare trees, blowing laundry and came up with spring. Richard Lorenz's well-known painting of a cowboy in a blizzard enabled Janowski to explain a "whiteout" and talk about seeing your breath in the cold.

Blessed Sacrament second grader Tyler Rogney said, "It's good because you're learning a lot about weather." Classmate Gabbie Weis, who had visited the art museum prior to her school trip, enjoyed the paintings on the bottom floor, an area new to her.

"All of a sudden the students are watching the weather report (on television). They become more descriptive in writing. When they are asked to finish a story, what they come up with is so strong. The creativity just flies," said Janowski. "The program has a strong drawing power. It doesn't differentiate between schools. It reaches all different types of learners. It's a very hands-on program."

Fifth graders trace a timeline to the American Revolution in artwork on their museum trip. They are able to see how differently people dressed and notice their surroundings. Kaitlyn Gwiazdowski of Holy Wisdom Academy liked going to the museum to see "lots of interesting stuff." Another student researched Revolutionary art pictures on the Internet and printed them to use in a project.

Anderson said expressions on some of the students' faces are incredible during the museum trip. Often, students go back to the art museum on their own with members of their family who may be making their first trip to one of Milwaukee's prime attractions.

Last year, fifth graders from two public schools and Holy Wisdom Academy wrote a play, "Sharp'n Up on the American Revolution," that was performed at Milwaukee's Lincoln Center of the Arts. This spring, the fourth graders will present a play about children of Wisconsin, showing the state's ethnicity, scheduled for April 9 for school children and 7 p.m. on April 11 for the public at the Lincoln Center of the Arts. (For tickets or more information call Milwaukee Public Theater at (414) 347-1685.)

A variety of art venues show the skills of Wisconsin artists for fourth graders. This year, the third graders, with a 'community' theme, participate in a pen pal program and each student received a book on its history from the Betty Brinn Foundation.

Doerr's original goal of bringing the program to second through fifth grades is now in place with the addition of fourth grade in fall, 2002.

Creative SHARP began with 1,100 students in 15 schools at a cost of $95 per student. This year, there are 21 schools with a total of 3,500 students and the costs have been reduced to about $60 per student.

Doerr's dream for the future is to "help as many children as we can."

Because the program has been offered at minimal cost to the participating schools and students, funding is the biggest challenge. Attaining non-profit, tax-exempt status in 1999 opened the door for participation by local businesses and foundations.

In the future, Doerr would like to provide a model for programs that could be incorporated by schools outside the program. Last fall, the Milwaukee Sign Language School found funding to launch a third grade program and will have a signee at the May recognition dinner, further broadening the experience for the other children.

The Creative SHARP board and presenters plan a brainstorming session in February to look to the future. A two-year assessment began last fall to measure positive and negative aspects of the program.

As this year's program update states, "Creative thinking, once learned, lasts a lifetime and can be applied to other endeavors. Programs such as Creative SHARP offer these intangible benefits which translate into real-life tools that students can use throughout their lives."