“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
– Winston ChurchillsmART
In 2010, I created smART, a cross-curricular event expressed through the arts. This event was designed to engage students, families and community groups in the work at Versia L. Williams elementary school in Fort Worth ISD.
In 2010 students studied Earth Day in celebration of its 40th anniversary. At smART students learned about caring for the Earth and created many recycled artworks. At smART, the Fort Worth Independent School District held a press conference to unveil their new hybrid bus fleet. Students presented handmade recycled artworks to local leaders.
In 2011, students studied aviation in celebration of 50 years of human space flight and 100 years of Fort Worth aviation. At smART, community aviation groups taught about aviation history and development. Families also created many aviation themed artworks.
Chess Club
For seven years I sponsored a chess club for elementary school students at Versia Williams. Our students competed in chess tournaments in the DFW area. I also had the opportunity to work collaboratively with other chess coaches to host a number of scholastic chess tournaments in DFW.
Art Club/Main Street Arts Festival
In Art Club I encouraged students to take their work beyond a given project and to develop artwork of their own. The students entered art contests and participated in the Main Street Arts Festival’s Young People’s Art Fair.
In 2010 students created rolled paper beads which they used to create jewelry. They also developed a do-it-yourself kit and YouTube video which they sold alongside their handmade works. One year students invented ways to form pipe cleaners and beads into wearable art.
At the festival students developed social skills as they asserted themselves as salespeople.
Cardboard Boat Regatta
Each year River Legacy Park in Arlington hosts a Cardboard Boat Regatta. Students must create and race boats which they make entirely out of cardboard. I led this after-school club and took students to several competitions.
The students had to plan all of the processes to create a boat from scratch. They had to design a boat which would hold all of the team members, calculate and measure all of the specifications, build the boat from cardboard, paper tape, and varnish, and then test their creation in the water.
Getting Smart with Art
Getting Smart with Art is a program I developed in order to engage parents and to provide them with resources for educational family time. I asked members of the Versia Williams staff including the nurse, counselor, and vice principal to partner with me to communicate school needs and show parents how they could help while having fun making art as a family. Some of the classes we hosted were Family Christmas Crafts, When to Keep Your Child Home Due to Sickness, and Saying “No” to Drugs.
Fort Worth Air & Space Museum
I assisted the Fort Worth Air and Space Museum Foundation to develop a traveling exhibition. The exhibit showcased Fort Worth’s role in the development of aviation. Guests at the exhibit were invited to test their aeronautical skills, discover the evolution of aircraft design and manufacturing, and then imagine the possibilities for what comes next! I provided educational expertise, making decisions on how to best engage a young audience. Ascent, When Dreams Defy Gravity, was on display at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History in 2011.
Morningside Middle School & Fort Worth Sister Cities, Nagaoka, Japan
In partnership with Sister Cities, I traveled to Japan with nine 8th graders as part of a cultural exchange program. We stayed in people’s homes and immersed ourselves in the Japanese culture.
While we were there, we visited museums and cultural landmarks. We also served as ambassadors to the people of Nagaoka. We visited schools and even got to meet with the mayor. We shared our culture and learned more about theirs.
Kindergarten Sunday School Teacher
I taught kindergarten Sunday School for 12 years at University Baptist Church. I created lessons, led large and small group activities, communicated with families, and helped coordinate our Sunday School activities with the larger church goals.
Youth Worker & High School Senior Sunday School Teacher
I taught high school senior Sunday School classes for seven years. During that time I planned lessons, led small groups, and took students to summer camps and weekly activities.
Public Relations Ministry Team – Chair
When my church was working to improve their online presence and communication materials, I chaired the ministry team that was responsible for those activities. I helped to develop the church’s first website, designed brochures and print materials, and coordinated PR efforts across multiple church departments.
Border Ministry Preschool Director – Vacation Bible School Juarez, Mexico
During the summer of 2007 I traveled with a team of volunteers to El Paso, Texas. We partnered with El Paso Baptist Church to build houses and conduct Vacation Bible School for families living in Juarez, Mexico. On this trip I was responsible for training and leading the preschool VBS teachers.