BWF introduces Ranger Arts Ambassadors

The beginning of school at Brookwood Forest Elementary starts with our principal and assistant principal, Nathan Pitner and Christy Christian taking the time to talk to each student in the classroom about “Ranger Up,” which is based on three main thoughts for the students. The first is show up: every Ranger matters. The second is stand up: being Ranger Ready means standing up for yourself, others and the ideas we believe in. Finally, speak up: one way that we show up and stand up is by speaking up. This means learning to use your voice to tell our story and share your perspective.

Inspired by the newly adopted Mountain Brook Schools arts curriculum, Ranger Arts Ambassadors is an inaugural design-thinking program at BWF that places creative thinking at the center of students’ learning experiences.

Leading community musicians, artist, poets and writers became Ranger Arts ambassadors on Friday, Aug. 17 from 12:45-2:45 p.m. for an afternoon of creative thinking exercises. The ambassadors led our students through concise, creative exercises in order for students to get hands-on experience of starting and finishing a creative work of art. They made a collaborative drawing, wrote a poem together based on sounds they heard that day and created a song in a call/response format with a musician playing a French horn against a backdrop of electronica music.

In order to demystifying the art-making process, the first step of creating is to learn to trust your own creative voice.  

We believe students need encouragement from day one of kindergarten to retain their creator/maker outlook. We hope to demystify the art making process by exposing students both to many different art forms through hands-on exercises throughout the year and through student-led Skype interviews with leading artists and makers. Once art is placed at the learning center, it becomes the central nervous system by connecting all learning pathways. Our hope is to target people throughout the year who use their voices to tell their stories and share their perspectives.  Artists are an excellent example of the relationship between your talent and your own individual story.

Our speakers were:

-Michele Beck, elementary school band director, Mountain Brook schools.

-Liz Hughey Brantley, MBS graduate, multiple-award winning poet and co-founder of Desert Island Supply Co (DISCO)

-Michele Forman, MBS graduate, co-founder UAB’s media studies program

-Ashley Wingo, professional artist, active across the Birmingham arts community and Sloss Foundry

Submitted by Kathleen Woodry