QUITMAN — Classrooms across the state have had their projects funded on DonorsChoose.org by Sonic Drive-In’s Limeades for Learning.
The Limeades for Learning program aims to help fund classroom projects across the nation each year.
LeAnne Colvin, K-12 art teacher for the Quitman School District, recently had her own wish granted by Limeades for Learning — a new kiln for her art students.
“I follow a group of art teachers from around the world in a Facebook group. Several of them had stated they had projects funded,” Colvin said.
“I really didn’t expect to get more than a few donations. I knew a few of my parents would [donate], but I never dreamed I would get [the kiln] funded,” she said.
When Colvin started her job in Quitman, she said a former part-time art teacher at the Quitman School District found an old kiln and a few pieces of ceramic equipment that he assumed had been donated.
“With his help, I did a clay project with a group of my seventh-graders toward the end of the school year,” she said. “They loved it.”
Colvin said a small part on the kiln broke, the part-time art teacher left, and she didn’t know how to fix the kiln.
“After much research and many questions, I determined that the kiln would take hours to get to the desired firing temperature, and it would be best to get a new one,” Colvin said.
“I did do one clay project with my high school class; they were so excited and did a fantastic job. I got a friend to fire [the pieces] for me. We had a few explosions and mistakes, but my students were still excited and ready to do more,” she said.
“If all goes well, high school and junior high students will all get to experience clay projects, and eventually, I can work projects into my elementary program,” Colvin said.
She said a few parents donated money that DonorsChoose matched during a promotion, but the final funding came from Sonic’s Limeades for Learning.
Colvin said she received a total of $2,600 for the project. Sonic donated about $2,400, and parents of students donated the rest.
“I’ve seen information about Limeades for Learning for several years but didn’t really know what it was. I have to say I’m pretty excited about the program now,” she said.
Colvin plans to incorporate a clay project in her nine-week rotation of seventh- and eighth-graders, as well as her Art 1 class for ninth- through 12th-graders.
“I’m not sure what projects exactly. I’m going to take some pottery classes this summer to educate myself first,” she said.
“Any project students make from a low-firing clay needs to be fired in the kiln at a very high temperature. After the firing, students can paint [their work] with acrylic paints and decorate it anyway they want,” Colvin said.
“They can also paint them with ceramic glazes, which require a second firing to bake the glaze and give the final project a nice shiny finish.”
Colvin said it’s important for students to understand that art is everywhere, all around them every day.
“Art is a part of many jobs, and I want them to see it everywhere they go,” she said.
“It’s also important that they know that art isn’t just drawing with a pencil and painting with a paint brush. So many students who struggle with some of the core subjects can come to art and really be successful, and this gives them confidence, hopefully, that will spill over into other areas,” Colvin said.
Staff writer Kayla Baugh can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or kbaugh@arkansasonline.com.