Spring Newsletter | March 2017
 
ARCK is at a crucial turn ing point in our five-year history. We started out prov iding arts education to schools that lacked an in-school visual arts specialist -- now, ARCK supports the BPS education system with a unique curriculum that deepens learning beyond the arts.
 
ARCK changes the course of a child's life. Our projects are relevant to students' lives, going beyond the classroom to better their future and help them become part of the innovative workforce of tomorrow. Our STEM-infused lessons are organized into three modules that support ARCK's core values: Leadership, Civic Engagement, and Social Justice.  

The video above exemplifies what students are learning with ARCK. 
Did You Know?
We have engaged 1,300 BPS students over the past five years through our arts integration programs. Find out here how you can further ARCK's high-impact work. 
 
Our Latest Focus: Gas Leaks        
As part of our Civic Engagement module, students are learning about gas leaks in Boston, which contribute to climate change. For their first project, they created collages in small groups, reflecting on their favorite places in their neighborhoods and how they fit in in the fabric of their community.

 
 
A Gardner Pilot Academy student in the 5th/6th grade Arts Enrichment class holds up his completed gas pipe model.
Currently, students are creating models of urban landscapes with gas leaks, repurposing drinking straws as "pipes." As inspiration, they viewed pipe illustrations by David Macaulay. Next, students will send letters to local elected officials advoc ating for a solution to this problem and enclosing posters they created with ARCK. For seventh grade students, this project also builds on what they learned about labor movements in their History class earlier in th e year.  
Furthering STEAM Education 
On February 4th, ARCK had the opportunity to participate in Education Closet's
Arts Integration and STEAM Conference . Executive Director Sara Demeter and Lisa Pastore, a Harvard Arts in Education graduate student who worked on ARCK's curriculum design team, presented a step-by-step lesson on creating light-up t-shirts to raise bike safety awareness. By constructing a circuit to make LED lights on the t-shirt work, students can explore multiple areas of STEAM (Science + Tech + Engineering + Art + Math). You can see the video of our lesson demo here.
All Hearts on Deck 
On January 22nd, ARCK participated in The Chestnut Hill School's day of service called Heart of the Hill. TCHS students contributed drawings to a banner on the theme "Art is a Tool," which we donated to Blackstone Innovation School, one of our partner Boston Public Schools. Students and their families also donated art supplies to ARCK worth nearly $200 in value.

Upcoming Events
Saturday, May 6th
#StandUpForArt
Draw a "heart for art" and join ARCK to stand up for arts education locally and nationally. In partnership with ArtWeek and Ben & Jerry's.

Late Oct. 2017
ARCK's 6th Annual Auction Benefit Gala
Details are coming soon.
NOW --
#SaveTheNEA 
Send a letter to your elected officials urging them to help save the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)! The arts need your support now more than ever.
Click here to contact your senators and representatives. 
How Can I Help?
We need your support to help us achieve our goals for next year. We have an innovative, evolving curriculum and plan to build on this year's overarching theme of environmental issues. For the next school year, we'll be focusing on sustainable fashion design and entrepreneurship.
 
 
 
Special Thanks to our Sponsors:
 
 
    

We would also like to thank:
The Orville W. Forté Charitable Foundation 
Like us on Facebook     Follow us on Twitter     View our profile on LinkedIn
36 Bromfield Street, Suite 301, Boston, MA 02108 * 857-265-2156