Yesterday, November 15, was a great start to a long term partnership with Ewarton High. OAaSIS team made presentation during the devotion of the evening shift of 9th-11th graders (apprx 500 students). The team was well received by the students, and the return visit is much anticipated, as the principal and teachers reiterated. Hence the team is slated to revisit next week Tuesday, November 23, where we will begin a series of workshops geared to assisting students with their research papers on Caribbean artists for the CXC examination requirements.
The first visit, was a brief introduction to Howard Moo Young (master photographer, graphic artist and calligrapher) and Sandra Green, former top CXC student who hails from Ewarton.
There was immediate interest in joining the Pickney International creative youth club among other aspects of the Foundation.
It was breathtaking to hear Barrington Watson being listed among the artists known generally by a great percentage of the school, although the others were performing artists – Beenie Man, Mavado, Bob Marley to name a few.
ISSUES to be addressed are:
1. the apparent lack of understanding of the arts and creativity at that level
2. The demands of the syllabus which presents challenge even for the teachers
3. The apparent lack of knowledge of careers in and related to art yet to be explored especially by persons without funds to pay their way through ‘school and college’
4. The apparent misunderstanding that arts is for the ones who are not academic achievers — clearly there is a lack of understanding on how intelligent one must be to excel at art, and how arts can be used to allow one to advance and excel
5. the lack of knowledge of visual artists critical to Jamaica
6. the inability of students to understand 3-dimension versus 2-dimension
7. teachers need to be trained on how to teach the syllabus and be themselves equipped with knowledge of the arts
8. it is eveident that as persons from several zones and tiers are without good financial standing, creative jouices must come to a boil for these persons to carve a niche to improve their status. Therefore reducing or eliminating arts and music from the syllabus or even to have teachers not adequately prepared to teach arts is HAZARDOUS!
Product sponsors were Wisynco, Berger paints.
The Foundation and it’s services are in demand. PLEASE support it!
arts are a great tool in eliminating challenges in literacy, numeracy, poverty, crime