With the wonderful grant from Lawton Foundation, we were able to purchase all the supplies necessary for Whittier's 5th graders to draw original monsters and then write about them. The drawings and stories were then sent to the Lawton High and LRC ceramics classes to make out of clay, paint, glaze, and fire, enabling the elementary students' imaginations to come to life...or at least become 3D. The project began in the beginning of January when the 5th graders received their supplies. They sent their drawings and stories by the end of January to Lawton High where the students began sculpting almost immediately. Our exhibit, hosted by the Lawton High Library, took place on March 10th.

 

As the library media specialist and writer of the grant, my goal was to create a partnership with Whittier's two 5th grade classes and our and the LRC's ceramics classes of high school students. The collective goal of all adults involved was to spark creativity amongst the students and inspire some fun creations which would lead to a partnership between the drawer/writer and sculptor.

 

The cross-grade, community building project was a wild success. The elementary students were invited to come see their monsters in clay form during a reception where they were treated with cookies and juice at the LHS library. They listened attentively to the high schoolers and the ceramics teacher from LHS, Mr. Hobbs. The high schoolers described the process involved in sculpting and firing and how sometimes the creations explode. That brought out lots of giggles from the younger students. The 5th graders then had the opportunity to ask questions and they did have very interesting questions for the big kids, like "How long did it take to make my monster?" and "How many monsters have you made?" The high schoolers were so sweet to answer every question and then conduct one-on-one interviews as they presented their monsters to the Whittier students.

 

Hosting the students in our library gives them a little view into an inviting environment that will one day be available to them when they come to LHS. Two of our faculty members' children came from Whittier to meet their monster sculptors and the faculty members were able to participate in the meet-up as well. They were so excited to get to be part of their children's special day. It was a phenomenal experience all the way around, which inspires me to want to continue to fascilitate it every year. I could not be more appreciative of LPSF for helping fund this creative endeavor.