Worthington Elementary School AB Cohort

UCLA AB Scholars at Worthington Elementary School include (left to right): Andrea Rodriguez (WAC), Danielle Elins (Art), Chisa Yamaguchi (WAC), and Guadalupe Rodriguez (Art) seen here with Wesley Days and Etsu Garfias. Sandelle Kincaid (WAC) is also be teaming with classroom teacher Dawn Herriott at this site.

Community Partner Planning Meeting is held at Worthington Elementary School in Inglewood

Discussion, Sharing, and Communication

At the planning meeting, classroom teachers shared their concerns and goals for their students. We also discussed ways to integrate the AB Scholar's art lessons into the core curriculum areas, and overviewed the communications technologies we will be using to share information with the different partners.

Gina Hall of UCLA's Fowler Museum, and Etsu Garfias, ArtsBridge Program Coordinator, were in attendance.

Wesley Days, a doctoral student in World Arts and Cultures, attended the planning meeting in his role as ArtsBridge Teaching Assistant. Mr. Days' position is funded through the generous support of UCLA's Center for Community Learning.

Rita Bouchard and Chisa Yamaguchi

Chisa Yamaguchi and Rita Bouchard are working together to incorporate world dance into Ms. Bouchard's 3rd grade curriculum. "I am excited for my kids and the new experiences they will have!," says Bouchard. After planning with her partner, Yamaguchi realized that "what we know can be useful to communities. It takes a collaboration like this to realize, 'Oh my god, I am useful.'"

Stefanie Lahbil and Guadalupe Rodriguez

Guadalupe Rodriguez (right) and Stefanie Lahbil (left) are partnering to bring visual arts education to Ms. Lahbil's 4th grade students. "I like how this is correlating to our curriculum," shared Lahbil. Rodriguez explained, "Now I realize that going to college is meaningful - especially when you can help children!"

Danielle Elins and Christine Fetzer

Danielle Elins and Christine Fetzer will be connecting visual arts, science, and language curriculum for Ms. Fetzer's 4th grade class. "I am excited!" says Elins. "I hope to push some boundaries since our curriculum will really work together well." Fetzer was also thrilled about taking the curriculum to a new level by integrating the arts. Elins arts curriculum fed in to two books Fetzer's students are reading. The first book focused on a youth garden, and Elins' lesson plans include drawing vegetable's from a garden and analyzing the elements needed to make vegetables grow. A second art project on book making connects to stories about Anne Frank and her reknown journal.

Andrea Rodriguez and Ashley Blackhurst

Andrea Rodriguez and Ashley Blackhurst discussed integrated curriculum planning for Ms. Blackurst's 4th grade class. Rodriguez's work will focus on dance, Carnaval, and the diversity of Latin American cultures. She is being mentored by Gina Hall of UCLA's Fowler Museum. "I feel so honored and blessed to be working here!" says Rodriguez. "I am really excited to work with the kids in this neighborhood." A senior who will be graduating in June, Rodriguez reflected, "My life has been so UCLA [oriented], and now I wish that I had [gotten out and] done ArtsBridge before." Her AB partner, Ms. Blackhurst, feels that Rodriguez's work will "help the kids tie in to their own cultures, and other cultures. It will be something that they will remember forever." Everyone in the room fell silent. The power and potential of their efforts revealed in Blackhurst's public comment. Forever is a long time. Would they be helping the children create positive memories that they could remember forever? Rodriguez smiled and echoed, "Forever?" "Forever," responded Blackhurst.