Students mix art and science after school

TROUT CREEK - Once a week the after school students of Trout Creek School sit down after eating a snack and create artwork as part of a required Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) program, a nationwide movement to transform school curriculum to prepare students for the 21st century. This past Thursday, the oldest students, six in total, were allowed to create a special project, faux stained glass.

To begin, the students placed a piece of paper with an outline of a design under their glass. With a mixture of black paint and glue, the students traced the design onto the glass, creating sections. The students would then paint the different sections in to create what would look like stained glass. This process continued over the next couple of days, and when complete the students have the option to frame their piece or do with it as they pleased.

Jenna Freeman, a sixth grader, a usual after school student, shared her excitement about getting to do the project. “I like painting... I do a lot of landscape painting,” she said, after she laid out the outline of glue on her piece of glass. She also likes to work outside of school on her own paintings.

The Trout Creek after-school group consists of 20 to 30 students, around a quarter of the student population, after school program director Gabriel Ohning  said. While the older students painted their pieces of glass, the younger students painted wooden toys, wrote in giant books, or braided snake lanyards, which were a big hit.

“We do so many different things... Yesterday we did the wood painting with the car racers and they had to design their own race tracks and compete to see who designed the best tracks. And they had limited supplies...”     Ohning explained. She then described how it is part of the STEAM program.

Originally, STEAM was STEM. Art was left out, but it was recently added to the curriculum, which Ohning is very happy about. She explained that race track project was designed to follow the old STEM system, but she wanted art involved, “... So we stuck the A in there.”

Next week the after-school students will be treated to a career day with visiting parents who all have different professions in the area.