Art

Art Show 2022-23

Let’s celebrate the artistic talent of our students at Porter with an Art Show/Ice Cream Social on
May 4th, 2023 from 5-7pm! This year we will also be having a Glow-in-the-Dark Art Room which was generously sponsored by the PTO. If you can donate your time in ANY way to help prepare for this event, please email me @ mshive@hwporter.org! 

Middle School Art - Mrs. MacDonald

Elementary Art - Mrs. Shive

Michelle Shive
Mshive@hwporter.org 

Elementary Art Educator for Grades Pre-K - 4 for the 2023-24 school year

The Art Teacher’s Mission:


My goal as an Art Educator is to inspire all students to pursue an appreciation of art with determination and confidence, while providing them with a solid foundation of artistic ability. In my classes, we try to incorporate “core course content” into our lessons to enrich a students’ understanding of material. We incorporate daily problem solving, student motivated choices and encourage creativity by connecting all lessons to core subjects. I work hard to try and expose students to as many different mediums as I can as we explore art in both 2-D and 3-D mediums.

 

If you have an old t-shirt you can give your child to wear as an “art smock” for Art Days that would be fantastic! Old T-shirts work best as they can put them on and off by themselves. :) If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me anytime at mshive@hwporter.org. I look forward to creating with your child this year!



Art with Mrs. MacDonald

 

Mrs. MacDonald teaches art classes to students in grades Pre-K, 4th, and 5th, as well as grades 6-8 students. All grades K-8 students at Porter participate in art for 60 days in a trimester.

There are additional classes offered as an elective class to middle school students. First trimester elective consisted of a grades 6 and 7 “Art X” (art extension) class. Second trimester elective consists of a Life Drawing class combining grades 6-8 students. Third trimester is TBD!

 

Teaching Philosophy: All students have an innate desire to be creative. The visual arts is unique in that each student formulates an opinion about his or her own work by making choices that match their personal aesthetic. In addition, students thrive when they are encouraged to explore art materials and become comfortable with many art techniques. Most of the time, I introduce and facilitate the process, stepping back to allow students the freedom to make artistic choices. The visual arts classroom teaches students that they can explore their ideas in a safe environment while being encouraged to take creative risks. Students know they have space in the art room to work out their ideas. 

 

Grading: Each student receives a weekly grade for his/her work and work ethic during that class period. This is in the form of self-reflection. This is entered once a week and is 30% of their grade. The remaining 70% of their grades are for art projects completed.

 

Mrs. MacDonald is the sponsor of the Porter chapter of the National Junior Art Honor Society. The Society creates murals, begins publishing the Porter Press this year, the first school newspaper, as well as organizes fundraisers and school spirit-related events. Mrs. MacDonald also works with Christina Burdzy-Herrick as an advisor to the Student Mentor Program. Mrs. MacDonald has taught at Porter for 16 years, starting her career as a non-objective painter. She graduated with honors from The Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford in 1993, and holds a Masters in Education,  Multiple Intelligences from the University of St. Joseph in West Hartford. In addition, Mrs. MacDonald is also a Pastor at the River of Life Christian Fellowship in Tolland, has two grown children and a new daughter-in-law, two grandchildren, sings and plays guitar, and has been working hard to learn to play piano!

 

Student Behavior Expectations:

All students in Visual Art Class are expected to practice the Porter P.A.W.S. Pledge:

“We Practice Respect

We Act Responsibly

We Work Together

Safety Matters

We Are Proud Panthers!”

 

 



Student work over the years