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Rochester elementary school event mixes writing, art

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McClelland Elementary School hosted a successful art and writing night. Third grade students made hot air balloons. (Courtesy Photo Rochester Public Schools)

ROCHESTER - Students in grades one through five led parents and guardians around the McClelland Elementary School for the third annual art and writing night April 20 in an event designed to showcase some of the students' best art and writing projects.

In some areas, writing pieces coincided with artwork to allow for a conducive theme throughout areas of the building.

"The district has really embraced art and writing and we found this night was a great way to take some of students' outstanding work and display it for families to see," Principal Michelle McAlister said. "It's an awesome event. Students serve as tour guides for their parents and guardians and they love it."

Projects are displayed outside classrooms, in the gymnasium, art and technology rooms and in the hallways. Each grade completed an art project based on a theme, which they worked on with art teacher Mary Mojica.

First grade: Students made 3-inch tortoises from Crayola model magic. Using tissue paper and sharpie, color was added to the reptile. An environment was then created using tag board, so all turtles could find a home in the desert or rainforest.

"For a lot of the projects I do, I try to have students create something three dimensional," Mojica said. "We don't often get to show off this type of medium, so the art and writing night gave us a good opportunity to have this type of work out on display."

Second grade: Parents and guardians got to take a stroll through the ocean as they gazed up at 3-D fish hanging from the walls in front of second grade classrooms. To make the marine animal, students covered paper with geometrically designed tissue paper, which was then covered in mod podge to give them a shiny, underwater look. The fish perfectly blended with the scuba divers and jellyfish hanging from the ceiling, all coinciding with the class' under the sea theme.

Third grade: Hot air balloons took flight in front of third grade classrooms. Students colored and attached two pieces of paper to create the balloon, and then used yarn to weave a basket and pipe cleaners to attach it to a plastic cup. For the finishing touches, they created a clay person to go inside the basket for an adventure of a lifetime.

"The kids got really creative with how the person is in it," Mojica said. "The little details, like the clay person's facial expressions, really play up the project."

Working with the school librarian Gerry Sweeney, students also wrote an accompanying story about where the hot air balloon is and what the person inside is experiencing and seeing while floating through the air.

Fourth grade: Constructed out of Model Magic, students made birds, complete with wings and a nest, which were made from yarn and raffia, for them to sit. The colorful birds were displayed throughout fourth grade classrooms.

Fifth grade: Students created animal masks using paper, raffia and yarn. The paper, however, was decorated based on a theme. A polar bear might have a snowflake face, or be represented with colors that signify coldness. Birds had protruding beaks, elephants had large ears and lions had mesmerizing manes.

"They're really different looking, but they're so unique," Mojica said. "Students really had the opportunity to go off in whatever direction they wanted."

Throughout the night, approximately 250 people traveled from space to space in the elementary school to admire artwork and writing. First and fourth grade students took their work home the following day, but artwork from grades two, three and five will be on display for the next week or so.

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