fifth grade legacy project

Each year, our fifth graders work with an artist-in-residence or staff members, to design, create, and give to the school, an artistic installation that becomes an integral part of the permanent Seth Boyden School environment. The Fifth Grade Legacy Project allows every Seth Boyden graduate to leave his or her mark on the school while taking away the memory of a unique artistic experience.

The Class of June 2007- Last year our fifth grade students worked with our talented visual arts teacher, Judy Elman, in designing and painting six beautiful large scale collaborative paintings, which were inspired by the work of Henri Matisse. The paintings can be found on the walls of our newly renovated auditorium. Supplies for this project were donated by the Maplewood Framing Shop. Additional funding was provided by the Anthony Garubo Salon of Maplewood.

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The Class of June 2006 � As a part of their unit on colonial life, our fifth grade students designed and planted a beautiful and educational colonial herbal garden in a formerly barren area in the center of the fifth grade portables. During the process, students explored and learned about colonial life, including colonial medicine and cooking, artistic principles of layout, design, and balance, and science content, including plant needs, soil composition, and plant development and growth. Lined by a brick pathway with student names, the herb garden will long be used by current and future Seth Boyden students. This project was funded by a private donor.

The Class of June 2005 - Artist-in-Residence Caryl Henry returned to our school for a second year in 2005. Focusing on the idea of community, she worked with students to explore both the school and neighborhood community and students roles within them. Students discussed and investigated the character traits and behaviors which lead to a sense of community. Using bold eye-catching colors, students developed symbols and pictorial representations of themselves, the school, and the neighborhood. Outdoor banners were constructed from these student created images. Caryl's residency was funded by the New Jersey Council on the Arts and Arts Horizon.

The Class of June 2004 - Using Daniel Pinkwater's book, The Big Orange Splot, as a model and inspiration, our students created a large-scale collaborative mural. Artist-in-Residence Caryl Henry and our students explored ideas about creative and artistic expression and how they relate to concepts of individuality and community. Students and staff studied historical and contemporary uses of mural painting, from early cave painting to modern and contemporary social activist murals. Students designed, sketched and painted their mural onto one of the fifth grade outdoor portable classrooms. In doing so, they became public artists, taking art out the of the traditional museum setting and into the street and community. Caryl's residency was funded by the New Jersey Council on the Arts and Arts Horizon.

The Class of June 2003 worked with Artist In Education resident David Robinson to design, construct, and install a magnificent fence and entranceway for our teaching gardens, and a storytelling circle for our outdoor learning center. David's residency was funded by the New Jersey Council on the Arts and Arts Horizon.

The Class of June 2002 honored the memory of their beloved music teacher, Robert Winder. In the ten years that he spent at Seth Boyden, Mr. Winder instilled the love of listening to and making music in each student he taught. Working with Bond Anderson, a musician/designer/craftsman from Georgia, our fifth graders constructed a pentatonic tenor/soprano metallophone and a marimba for the Robert Winder Music Garden. A grant from AOL Time Warner and contributions to the Winder Memorial Fund funded Bond's residency.