Passing along the craft: New Albany High School art students mentor children during annual fundraiser

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Nicholas Prince, center, and Zachary Hoffman work with New Albany High School student Cicely Calilung at the school's annual Children's Holiday Art Workshop. Staff photo by C.E. Branham
Lilli Hollis paints a clothes pin for a reindeer ornament at the New Albany High School annual Children's Holiday Art Workshop. Staff photo by C.E. Branham

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December 12, 2011

By DANIEL SUDDEATH Daniel.Suddeath@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune Mon Dec 12, 2011, 12:00 AM EST

NEW ALBANY — Though many of their teachers have lost their jobs due to funding cuts, local elementary school children still found a way to ripen their art skills with a little help from some teenage mentors.

The New Albany High School Art Department hosted its fifth annual Children’s Holiday Art Workshop on Saturday, as area kids between the ages of 5 and 11 created holiday decorations and gifts. NAHS art students encouraged young apprentices as they sat at tables blanketed with red and green construction paper.

“We just have a lot of festive activities they do that are related to the holidays,” said NAHS art teacher Kevin Schultz, who formed the event.

The workshop serves as a fundraiser for the New Albany-Floyd County Secondary Art Show and Competition, which will be held for the 40th year next May.

Up to 20 children can attend the workshop at a cost of $15, and there are typically quite a few return customers.

“It’s like a Christmas tradition,” said Greenville resident Peggy McGehee, as she filled out paperwork to register two of her children for the workshop.

Her kids have attended the event for four years, including a third child who is now 16 years old. Though he’s too old for the workshop, McGehee said he was able to apply his skills and passion through events like the NAHS fundraiser.

“He just loves the arts,” she said of her son.

Elementary school art teachers were among 38 layoffs ordered in the New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp. earlier this year as a means to help mend a budget hole.

Schultz said such funding cuts have put additional pressure on the community to aid public educators in teaching children about the arts.

“I believe in order for a person to be a well-rounded individual, they need to be exposed to the arts,” she said. “It’s going to have to be families and nonprofits [that help fund] these activities.”

The NA-FC Secondary Schools Art Show and Competition reception will be May 17 at the Fellowship Hall of St. Mark’s United Church of Christ. Art work will be on display from local students from May 4 through May 19 for the competition.

Students can win money for exemplary art works, as the rewards are funded through events such as the children’s workshop. Schultz said the competition is “extremely important” to the students.

“I really think it helps to raise the bar of the quality of work the students are doing,” she said.

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Passing along the craft: New Albany High School art students mentor children during annual fundraiser

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