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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Ponderosa School student Robert Gilwee, 9, works on his Halloween project in Mari Soto's 'Cool Fabrics' class.
Craftwork
Ponderosa Elementary School celebrates Arts Day
By Amy Jenkins
As part of a statewide recognition of arts day on Oct. 10, instructors for the "Starting Arts" program at Ponderosa Elementary in Sunnyvale performed for students and parents.
The students involved in the after-school arts program clapped to the music while program instructor Bud Ayers and partner Melissa Lenon demonstrated swing and salsa dance styles to "All Shook Up." Meanwhile, instructor Dottie White tap-danced in a performance she called "hot percussion."
"Starting Arts" began last March after a $550,000 anonymous donation was given to the school to start an art program. The money goes toward an after-school program as well as instrumental and vocal music classes during regular school hours. The donation is expected to fund the program for five years, and has been so successful that five other schools in the Santa Clara County public school district hope to start a similar program, but would require corporate sponsorship.
According to Ann Watts, Ponderosa's director of visual and performing arts, corporations prefer to fund a whole district of children rather than one school.
Some 150 students in grades two through five spend a few hours after school twice a week in an art course of their choice--including theater, music, dance, crafts and interactive media. The program uses the entire school facility as well as the Sunnyvale parks and recreation building for theater. The school has hired a team of 10 professional artists to share these skills with the students.
"So many kids don't get art in school anymore," Watts said. "It is a great opportunity for kids to come out of their shells and learn outside the classroom."
Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Dance instructor Dottie Lester-White (right) works on teaching her class new tap steps at Ponderosa School.
The instructors bring years of work experience with them. Ayers started teaching dance professionally in 1995 and currently teaches social ballroom dance classes Friday nights at the Sunnyvale community center. He also teaches Lindy, swing and salsa in Campbell. Every Tuesday and Thursday, in the after-school program he teaches 14 third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders to swing dance.
"They are all doing really well, but it is a challenge because they are all girls," he joked. "The girls take turns being leaders and followers and fortunately some appreciate what it is to be a leader."
The announcer at the Arts Day performance, and theater teacher at Ponderosa, Mike Boston, has been working with elementary school children for 10 years. He said acting comes naturally to the kids he teaches. "I pick plays that relate to them, not 'Hello Dolly,'" he said. "They should be able to be kids and not try to play an adult."
Pamela Arthur said she integrates computers and the arts in the program she teaches once a week on interactive media. When not working with the kids, she works at Westport media resources and LSI Logic. She said in her class the kids will create their own interactive storybook on CD-ROM by writing their own story and integrating audio and video.
After three months of classes and rehearsals, the students will perform newly acquired skills in a December show. This year the "Make a Circus Foundation" in San Francisco is going to help create a modern circus performance to be held at Peterson middle school. Doyle Ott is part of the foundation and is helping prepare the kids for the show. Bobbie Hartman is teaching the kids stilt walking and tumbling. The kids will perform, and the interactive storybook will run during the show's intermission.
The "Starting Arts" program celebrated Arts Day with the instructors' performances and by "bringing a buddy" to their after-school class. "This is an opportunity for kids to introduce their friends who aren't involved in the program to the arts," Watts said.
Arts Day is part of the California Art Council's Year of the Arts campaign--which aims to increase public awareness about the importance of the arts to the state's economy, the education of its children and the vitality of its communities, as well as the influence of the arts on all aspects of life.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
