Art teachers get training, auction off art for EPSD Foundation
(EL PASO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT -- Feb. 26, 2020) — Visual arts teachers don’t have wait for inspiration to hit. Instead, they cultivate it during hands-on workshops EPISD Fine Arts Department develops to help them be successful in the classroom.
And this time around, the art pieces they craft during the workshops will help raise funds for scholarships and teacher grants benefiting the EPISD Education Foundation.
EPISD Visual Arts Facilitator Rosa Aguilar said the District has made strong investments in the development of fine-arts teachers by creating strong professional learning communities and scheduling full-day staff development days for art teachers.
This investment is something educators appreciate.
“It’s nice because in our class and at home we don’t have time as an artist,” said Guillen Middle teacher Jasmin Ayala. “And now that we do, it feels good to grow.”
Daniel Szwaczkowski, a first-year teacher at Franklin High, took studious notes of different styles and approaches to painting and drawing.
“I usually work larger scale and I haven’t painted like this in 15 years,” he said. “What I’m learning here today is a tool I can take back to the students.”
The lessons the teachers learn during this training will do more than just help them become better instructors. The art they produce will be donated and auctioned during the upcoming EPISD District Address on April 2 at the Centennial Club.
Proceeds will go toward funding student scholarships and classroom grants aimed at helping teachers with innovative instructional ideas.
Photos by Leonel Monroy