Wednesday night (April 30th) is the annual RMS Art Show. Myself, the other art teacher, and some parent volunteers have been busting our asses for the last two weeks covering the halls of the school with student work. We’ve been trying our best to put up 2-3 pieces per student, and there’s around 600 students in the building…so that’s a crapload of artwork to hang. The show is open to the public, so if you’re bored, are curious about what kids are learning in art these days, or just want to see my smiling face you’re welcome to come by. There will be light refreshments.

RMS Art Show
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Rochester Memorial School
16 Pine Street, Rochester, MA
via google maps

Throughout this school year, I have been photographing, scanning, or otherwise cataloging a large amount of the work my students have been doing. I gotta say, I’m kinda proud of what they’ve done. I had the idea of putting together an online art gallery for the school so the students can be proud of their work too. If you’d like to see it, you can visit here: RMS Art gallery

(sometimes it takes a second for the albums to pop up)

Wow, I got a write-up in the tri-town bulletin at my school. It’s not much, but it feels good to get a pat on the back every now and then.

Joanne Smith and Rob Valois are sharing the art teaching assignment at Rochester Memorial School this year, which means that each has a few turns each week pushing the “art cart” through the hallways to different appointed venues. The steadily increasing enrollment at Rochester Memorial School has resulted in the need for more sections in all grades and a consequent takeover of specials spaces for self-contained classes. On a recent visit to a grade 4 art class led by Rob Valois in Stephanie Cyr’s classroom, I was most pleased to observe that the art teachers were as determined as ever to continue with the full curriculum despite the restrictions imposed by the cart. Mr. Valois designed and led a first-rate watercolor painting experience for the 4-C class. Some art teachers faced with the cart alternative could easily say that crayons and colored paper will be the main fare for the year. Such is not the case at RMS; students will enjoy the full spectrum of media that one would expect to find in a fully equipped art room despite the logistical challenges imposed by space and water and accessibility issues. Thank you Rob for planning and delivering a wonderful watercolor class, and thanks to you and Joanne for accepting the pushcart challenge with equanimity.