(Below) This was a block printing project called "Public Service Announcements".  I did this with my after school art club.  It was a mix of 7th and 8th graders.  We did block prints using big blocks of insulation foam from Home Depot.  I asked them to come up with designs that addressed behavior that they saw around the school that they felt needed to change.

(Below) This gallery shows various displays I have put up around the school and around the county.

(Below) For this display I arranged for our school's police officer to come into my 6th grade classes and have a conversation with the kids about the roll the police officers play in their community.  I had them do some drawings based on the conversation with the officer and then installed this display in the local police precinct.  The art work it self is not the best product I have ever come up with but the exercise was a very positive experience for my class.  This was part of a "community policing initiative" that was intended to help foster communication between the community and the police.  I was pleased to see my students socializing with our school's officer after this project was over.

When I first got to NCMS the tables were covered with some rather unfortunate graffiti.  I felt I had to do something about it so I started painting all of the tables.  I have had the kids help me repaint them every year.  This is one of those last week of school projects.  It really helps me to take ownership of my classroom.  

(Below) I call this mural project the "Graffiti Education Facts Mural".  This project has been a battle for me.  I am still trying to improve sections of it but it is finally starting to come together.  My students start out doing a little research project on the history of american graffiti art.  I have them research artists like pioneering graffiti artists Dondi White.  Once that phase is done they have to start doing their own graffiti designs based on statistical facts about education in American today.  They also do famous quotes about education.

Below are Iphone panoramas of the graffiti mural.  As Iphone pano's tend to be, they are a little glitchy.  I think they give a good sense of the project though.