By Bri Tambellini, Secondary English Education Major/ ACH Clear Pathways After-School Arts Program Intern
I recently went to a concert at Duquesne that incorporated pieces from Pittsburgh’s George Benson. I was so excited to attend this performance because for the past two months, the students at ACH have been further developing their arts skills in preparation for their final showcase, a tribute to George Benson. The production will include a play that recounts events of Benson’s life. While this part of the showcase is performed by students in every major, the students will also be showing what they have been doing in their own majors- dance, art, and digital media. Before this final performance, ACH is holding several other events this month including an art exhibit and puppet-making workshop. The art exhibit is a chance for the visual arts students to share the projects they have been working on thus far in the program and the puppet-making workshop is a night in which students will be decorating props for the puppets in Pittsburgh’s Cultural Trust’s First Night Parade. ACH’s efforts to showcase their students’ projects and connect with other organizations shows how strong their sense of community is. During my teaching career, I want to bring this sense of community into my classroom. My future students will be learning new skills as well as developing the ones they already have, and it is important to include their families and community members in this process. Creating a blog, similar to this one, would give students the opportunity to reflect on and share the projects they are producing with their families and connect with their community.
Building Bridges 