Saturday, January 22nd: AVID Tutor Training

On Saturday, 3 Parkway seniors, 2 Bryn Mawr students, and 2 Haverford students took part in an intensive training to become AVID tutors. The AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program is a unique method that helps to teach students the tools to take control of their own learning. The program is in middle schools throughout Philly, but the Parkway, Bryn Mawr, and Haverford tutors will work together in a middle school 3 blocks away from Parkway. The college and high school students will lead "tutorials" of seven middle school students to help them learn to answer questions they have about their school work. 

Aaron and Dom 'model' higher order questioning

Nora and Dom lead the mock tutorial.

"Found Object" Printmaking and FAFSA

Today we used "Found Objects" like old jewelry, coke cans and paper clips to deboss the surface of our styrofoam plates. Many of the students in the SSB took the first steps to financing their higher education by attended a very important "Completing your FAFSA" workshop.


Left:Zanny engraved this portrait of Dorian on her styrofoam plate.


Crystal made this print using a wide range of found objects: Paper clips,bracelets and earrings were all involved. I think it looks a lot like a xerox--pretty cool!

Sharaya, Aaron and Dominique got a started on their Sketchbooks/Research Workbooks. Their first assignment was to make a series of shapes just using the USPS Express Mail stickers.














Khadijah,Sarah, Leah and Margo also made "Found Object" styrofoam prints.Visit Room 318 to see our new "gallery" displaying this excellent art!!!!

Thursday, January 20th: Adrienne Begins Art Curriculum with Styrofoam Printmaking

You can find art materials anywhere:the food dye at the grocery store

or the leaves in the park  can be used to create a masterpiece.  One

of the easiest and cheapest printmaking techniques involves using the

Styrofoam meat and vegetable trays. Today we used Styrofoam to learn

the printmaking techniques of debossing and engraving. Engraving is

one of the oldest printmaking techniques in art history it is the

simple process of incising a design on to a flat surface, by cutting

grooves into it. Debossing involves pushing a three dimensional image

into the surface of the Styrofoam to leave an outline of the object.

For this project everybody selected photographs from last semester and

traced photographs on the Styrofoam. Lanae, Levon and Michelle tried

there hand at drawing directly onto the Styrofoam. Aaron experimented

with debossing by pressing some found materials into the surface of

the Styrofoam plate.

Try this project at home! All it requires is a flat piece of

Styrofoam, a pencil, a small amount of paint and a piece of paper:

Step One: Using a tool such as a blunt pencil, carve or engrave lines, dots and larger flat areas into the styrofoam. 

Remember! All lettersand numbers will be printed in reverse.

Step Two: Paint the Surface of the Styrofoam with a brayer.

Step Three: Press a piece of paper onto the surface of the Styrofoam. Hold the paper to the Styrofoam for about 20 seconds.

Step Four: Pull the paper off the styrofoam.

Wednesday, January 19th: Back in Gym

Tuesday, Jan 18th: The College Students are Back!