Make VAAMP Intersession Happen!
Donation protected
My name is Jenny Clark, and I am a teacher and co-director of the art academy at Oakland High School. This semester, the juniors and seniors in our academy (~120 students total) will be organizing an Intersession where, for one week, students' learning will not happen within the four walls of a classroom but in the world around us.
With the support of teacher advisors, groups of students are given the task of designing their own curriculum for the week around a topic they are passionate about. Topics students have selected include:
- Charity (working with the Salvation Army to decorate a room at their shelter)
- Beauty Exploration (looking into art as it pertains to cosmetology and film makeup)
- Nature Exploration (disconnecting from technology and social media and using nature to inspire artwork)
- Music Appreciation (learning more about a career in the music industry and about how music has evolved in the Bay Area)
- Bay Area Culture and Food (learning about and experiencing the cuisine of the diverse cultures in the Bay Area)
When we started this project, I told the students to dream big first and worry about logistics second. Now is the part where we worry about logistics and figure out how to fund each of their Intersession Learning Experiences. And this is where we need your help!
This fundraising effort will be used towards everything from bus/BART tickets to commute each day to all of our destinations, van rentals for farther destinations, teaching materials each group will need in order to gain a hands on experience, materials to decorate the room at the shelter, any admission fees that are required, etc.
Our Intersession is scheduled for May 15-19, and we will need to secure the funds by mid-April at the latest in order to confirm payment to all businesses/organizations as well as purchase necessary materials.
This is the first time we are taking on this endeavor, and I am so impressed by how engaged and motivated my students are in taking ownership of their education. Everything my students are doing right now in class to prepare for this week is what every teacher dreams of: collaborating to research places of interest, communicating with businesses/organizations on their own to organize their event, drafting their budget, revising their plans based on cost and time, using technology in the classroom to plan. It makes my heart happy to watch them in action. They even assign themselves "homework" to get tasks done!
Please support us in making Intersession happen at Oakland High School.
Sincerely,
Jenny Clark
With the support of teacher advisors, groups of students are given the task of designing their own curriculum for the week around a topic they are passionate about. Topics students have selected include:
- Charity (working with the Salvation Army to decorate a room at their shelter)
- Beauty Exploration (looking into art as it pertains to cosmetology and film makeup)
- Nature Exploration (disconnecting from technology and social media and using nature to inspire artwork)
- Music Appreciation (learning more about a career in the music industry and about how music has evolved in the Bay Area)
- Bay Area Culture and Food (learning about and experiencing the cuisine of the diverse cultures in the Bay Area)
When we started this project, I told the students to dream big first and worry about logistics second. Now is the part where we worry about logistics and figure out how to fund each of their Intersession Learning Experiences. And this is where we need your help!
This fundraising effort will be used towards everything from bus/BART tickets to commute each day to all of our destinations, van rentals for farther destinations, teaching materials each group will need in order to gain a hands on experience, materials to decorate the room at the shelter, any admission fees that are required, etc.
Our Intersession is scheduled for May 15-19, and we will need to secure the funds by mid-April at the latest in order to confirm payment to all businesses/organizations as well as purchase necessary materials.
This is the first time we are taking on this endeavor, and I am so impressed by how engaged and motivated my students are in taking ownership of their education. Everything my students are doing right now in class to prepare for this week is what every teacher dreams of: collaborating to research places of interest, communicating with businesses/organizations on their own to organize their event, drafting their budget, revising their plans based on cost and time, using technology in the classroom to plan. It makes my heart happy to watch them in action. They even assign themselves "homework" to get tasks done!
Please support us in making Intersession happen at Oakland High School.
Sincerely,
Jenny Clark
Organiser
Jenny Clark
Organiser
Oakland, CA