Some final final pictures...!

Some final pictures.....!

Special Song

We were treated to a special song, We Are Thankful by selected 3rd and 4th grade students led by Faith Marshall - it was a wonderful moment...!  Thank you Ideal Academy Students!

FINALE!

The Mural was finally unveiled!

and there was more!

Mama Freeman posted a summary of our year long projects - from museum workshops, storytelling, classroom activities, drawings of Ndebele dolls, work on the mural, painting, signing, and installing.

And then the STUDENTS gave an awe-inspiring performance!!

Music teacher, Faith Marshall taught her students to sing Lift Every Voice and Sing.  Keeping with the South African theme, we were treated to the South African National Anthem - not an easy feat:
The lyrics employ the five most widely spoken of South Africa's eleven official languages - Xhosa (first stanza, first two lines), Zulu (first stanza, last two lines),Sesotho (second stanza), Africaans (third stanza) and English (final stanza). 
   French teacher, Edith Neal, wrote and directed the children in a play about the Ndebele of South Africa - based on the history of how several ethnic groups came together and unified into the Ndebele ethnic group that we know today. 

SONGS...

Remarks by Deborah Stokes, Karen Brown, Gloria Freeman described the project from museum to classroom. Our Very Important Guest, Dr. Jonnetta B. Cole, Director of the National Museum of African Art addressed the students with the greatest of enthusiasm for the work they accomplished ! 

A Successful Partnership!

 WOW!  What a great finale to our year-long partnership ... Ideal Academy demonstrates a model of arts integration - how the arts can be a source for interdisciplinary learning. 
    We were first welcomed by two Ideal students who escorted guests up the stairs and handed our programs.
We heard the drumming of Ugandan musician Daniel Ssuuna.  He set the stage by organizing a small group of students to participate in the drumming and we all enjoyed.  Dr. Rutherford, principal, welcomed all the guests with a few remarks and then the culmination got underway.....

CULMINATION and UNVEILING!!!!!

Coming to the home stretch....

We've had two more days of putting the final touches on the mural:  a rooftop, a chicken, and an airplane!  Thanks Guillermo Zaleya, the very patient volunteer parent who helped us mount the entire wall piece!  And Edwin Zaleya for the airplane, and Mama Freeman for the chicken design!

    It has been a been a true partnership working with the students and teachers, along with the support of the administration.    We will be having the official presentation next Wednesday at 10:00 am at the school.  The students have prepared a skit based on the Ndebele of South Africa, written by Edith Neal, French teacher, and a special song led by Faith Marshall, Music teacher  (I hear that several songs are on the agenda:  Lift Every Voice and Sing and the National Anthem of South Africa)....it will be a great coming together of the community - as we said in the beginning of the project, ...A mural is more than just paint on a wall!

INTO the NIGHT....

The INSTALLATION!

We spent the day (Monday) and part of the evening installing the mural boards and it took alot of hands to put the puzzle pieces together.  Some of the younger students signed their names on the back of the boards before we attached them to the wall (you know who you are!)  - ladders, nail gun, paint, snacks (thanks Karen) and a labor of love....all that's left is the roof line and a few extras - you'll be surprised at the unveiling on June 16th!