FACE "MASKING" IN ART
Under the direction of Mrs. Urro, the Art Department complemented this year's 2009 Social Studies theme, "For God So Loved the World," by working throughout the year on artwork from around the world. After studying Papua New Guinea mask making, the 4th and 5th graders created their own style of masks by applying wet plaster strips to each other's faces to create masks, which were later painted and decorated. Cherise Detwiler, one student who participated in this project, had this to say of her experience: "When I got the mask put on my face it felt cold. Victoria [Basler} was my partner. She put petroleum jelly on my face. It felt really weird. After a while, she put on more and more layers of [plaster strips], and I couldn't feel it anymore. Then I was done and I got to paint it."
The small classroom sizes found at Mount Hope, which range from 8-14 students per classroom, allow teachers a more hands-on approach to learning and to take on unique projects like this, which would be difficult in a larger classroom setting, as you can see in the following pictures.
