VINALHAVEN SCHOOL ENRICHMENT

In 2007, by a unanimous decision of the board, PIE welcomed the Vinalhaven School Enrichment Committee (VSEC) as part of our ongoing quest to serve our island kids.  VSEC has an extraordinary history of adding integrated programs to the classes at all grade levels.  From art and writing residencies, a poetry festival, inter-island collaborative events na dmuch more, VSEC has enhanced the education of our children since 1999. Because VSEC fits so beautifully into PIE’s mission, we decided to take on the work of raising the funds for VSEC programs.  Here’s a look at what VSEC will be funding this year!

PAPERMAKING RESIDENCY WITH RICHARD LEE

Richard Lee, paper maker and journalist, visited the Vinalhaven School and worked with grades 3-8 making paper and discussing journaling.

visit www.leepapers.com

ART FOR THE SKY
Bol Riiny is from Sudan, where a civil war killed over 2 million and displaced over 27,000 people, mostly young boys. He has spent the past eight years living in the United States, first in Massachussets and currently in New York where he is attending college. In response to a request from Middle School teacher Amy Palmer, who is teaching a unit on immigration as part of her social studies curriculum, Vinalhaven School Enrichment was able to bring Bol out to speak to students in grades 5-12, as well as give an evening presentation to the community in Smith Hokanson Memorial Hall. Bol made fast friends with his kindness and humor that ran throughout his stories of surviving the terrible tragedy he faced. He hopes to return to Vinalhaven soon!

LIBBY MARCUS, MASK MAKING WORKSHOP

Mask making is part of the drama curriculum for students in grades K-5.  To help her teach students about masks, Irene Dennis requested a residency with professional Mask maker, Libby Marcus of Portland.  Libby spent two days on Vinalhaven and worked with students in grades 1-5 during the school day.  She also ran an afterschool workshop for Middle School and High School students and an evening plaster mask workshop for adults.  Grades 3-4-5 are studying insects, so Libby guided the students through a fun activity that produced ladybugs, flies, doodlebugs, bees and much more!  To fit in with the rainforest studies of grades 1&2, Libby had the students make colorful rainforest bird masks with torn tissue paper and lots of feathers!

WOODCARVING RESIDENCY

Camden National Bank recently awarded PIE $2,000 for a traditional woodworking residency with artists Lucas Zee and Diana Cherbuliez.Lucas and Diana will work with students in grades K-12 at the Vinalhaven School to use traditional woodcarving techniques to carve a complete apple tree using wood harvested from land on Vinalhaven.  The completed project will be an installation piece that will be shared with the extended Vinalhaven community for years to come.

POETRY FESTIVAL

PIE is thrilled to announce that we have been awarded a grant as part of the New Century Community Program made possible by a matching grant from the Maine Humanities Council and the Maine Arts Commission. The award, in the amount of $1,000, will be used by the Vinalhaven School Enrichment Committee to fund a workshop with a slam poet as part of the Poetry Festival that runs from April 28 to May 2. Grades 6-12 will work with Hashim Allah and his bass accompanist Duane Edwards to listen to, critic, write and perform slam poetry. There will be a live Poetry Alive! slam at the Harbor Gawker on Tuesday April 29 at 6:00pm. Other jazzy special events will include parking lot chalk poetry, burma shave signs and an all-school assemble, the whole town will know that these kids are rhyming!

CHILDREN'S BOOK ILLUSTRATOR
KEVIN HAWKES

A resident of Maine, Kevin Hawkes has illustrated over 30 books for kids including Library Lion and The Wicked Big Toddlah (takes place in Maine!) He will visit with our students right on the tails of Read Across America week during which the Elementary students will have read his books. Check out his work at www.kevinhawkes.com

THE MILKWEED PUPPET THEATER

Nancy Tyndall will bring the Milkweed puppet theater to Vinalhaven to work with students in grades K-5 as part of the drama curriculum.  Working closely with Irene Dennis, Nancy will help the children select characters from a story and craft their own puppets.  She will teach them how to use their puppets to show movements, emotions and tell a story.

MICHAEL TOUGIAS, author of Fatal Forecast: An incredible true tale of disaster and survival at sea.

Michael Tougias will talk to high school English classes about writing this "dramatic account of what happened to a pair of small fishing boats caught in the path of the devastating November 1980 storm off of the coast of Cape Cod."

INTER-ISLAND ARTS FESTIVAL 2008

As part of their Island Community Fund grant program, the Island Institute recently awarded a grant of $1,000 to PIE to help fund the Fox Island Arts Festival on May 29th this year. In 2004 Vinalhaven School hosted the first inter-island arts festival with attendance from 4 island schools! The festival cycles through every 4 years so that highschool students participate once during their highschool career. With performances, art shows, workshops and more, it is a wonderful celebration of the art the students have been studying all year! This year the festival will be hosted by North Haven.

DANCE CLASSES

Karen Burns instructed after school dance classes for K-8 for 6 weeks in November and December.

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VSE COMMITTEE

Heather White
Erica Hansen
Robb Warren
Karen Burns
Ann Osgood
Irene Dennis
Michelle Wiley-Arey

ART FOR THE SKY RESIDENCY WITH DANIEL DANCER

Read the Working Waterfront Article on VSE
And much more to come in the areas of Drama and Music
as well as integrated arts collaborative pieces.