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A struggling school finds reason for hope
By forming community partnerships, Hope High School in Rhode Island and other struggling public schools are showing signs of improvement.
from the May 31, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 4
A grant for laptop computers
Another "hook" is technology. Much of the Arts school suffers a computer shortage, but Ms. Weigand's students have access to laptops loaded with multimedia software, thanks to a grant she was awarded. (With little budget for facilities or supplies, she also painted her scuffed-up classroom and installed large wall-boards to display student work.)
The latest project is for her students to create a short digital story about themselves, blending audio and visuals. Miranda Wall, one of many student teachers from RISD who have spent time at Hope, worked with each student to bring out key details for a compelling script. Juan Carlos de la Cruz's story is about what drawing means to him, particularly his self-portrait at his grandfather's funeral. "It's weird," his recorded voice says, "because I only get inspired by sadness or other strong feelings – probably because drawing is my way to escape from reality, but if I am actually happy, why would I want to escape from reality?"
When Juan Carlos arrives a few minutes later, he is actually happy. "I really like this project a lot," he says, "because I think it's a way to ... explain some things about my artwork.... I just feel it's a reminder of, like, who I am, what I want to do, and who I want to be."
Video editing is an exciting new skill for him, something he's also been working on at an after-school class at RISD. A senior who arrived from the Dominican Republic just two years ago, Juan Carlos plans to attend nearby Rhode Island College.
He and his classmates at RISD's after-school programs get individual attention as they develop their portfolios and navigate college applications and aid forms. Mara O'Day, RISD's after-school arts coordinator, recalls one student saying, "I keep coming back because nobody just says my work is great; they say, 'You can push this.' "
"If I never came to this program, I basically would be confused and lost," says Owen Andrade, a Hope senior who's been coming here after school for four years. Now he's taking a film class and thinking about a career making movies or teaching. He was accepted at the School of Visual Arts in New York, but for financial reasons will attend the Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Mass.
RISD awards a number of scholarships to Providence high-schoolers as well, both to its precollege summer program and for undergraduate degrees.
Hope's partnerships with colleges also afford ample opportunities for professional development. "I really had to take a step back and think about how I could incorporate more art into history," says social studies teacher Jonathan Mendelsohn, who took a workshop at RISD last summer. Recently, he and a student teacher from Rhode Island College transformed his classroom at Hope Arts into a mock museum to teach about Realism, Romanticism, and Impressionism.
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