This past year Rincon's art teacher, Ms. Josephson, and students from her art classes created murals funded by an art grant from the Escondido Education Foundation. The name of the grant? The Kindness Project.
In Ms. Josephson's letter to thank the EEF, she wrote:
"On behalf of Rincon Middle School, we would like to send a heartfelt thank you to the Escondido Education Foundation for funding our schoolwide art grant called The Kindness Project. The past three school years have been challenging and students have struggled. Thanks to your generous donation, Rincon Bulldogs were able to send positive messages across campus and in the community to motivate students to spread kindness wherever they go. In The Kindness Project, students answered this question, “How can I influence the school climate by using artwork to send positive messages and motivate students to spread kindness across campus?” Between December and May, Rincon Bulldogs created a variety of kindness-related artwork such as large outdoor murals, mini medallion murals, digital and fine art pieces, clay products, as well as cardboard structures through our PUP (Peers Uniting Peers) program for our friends with special needs.
As we reflect on The Kindness Project grant, we are surprised at how much we accomplished! In all, approximately 370 students from 12 classes in grades 6, 7, and 8 participated (1 Advanced Art class, 1 after-school enrichment class, and 10 Exploratory Art classes). The Advanced Art students were ambitious this year, creating five large outdoor murals, ranging from size 6’ x 8’ to 8’ x 16’. They started their mural projects by creating collaborative groups, sketching ideas, and consulting “customers” (school staff) outside of the art classroom, receiving constructive art feedback from Rincon’s principal, two science teachers, the music teacher, and parent liaison. Student artists spread kindness in different ways, designing murals such as our school motto (Believe, Achieve, Respect, Kindness), healing music, peaceful oceans, and mental health. Advanced Art students were excited to have the opportunity to present their projects to Superintendent Ibarra in March. Positive outcomes also resulted from the April smART Festival at the California Center for the Arts. Several Exploratory Art students showcased grant art pieces. For the first time, Advanced Art students featured a mural at the festival.
At the end of The Kindness Project, Advanced Art students shared their learning outcomes. When asked about how their projects would change the campus culture for the better, several students wrote that the murals helped students not feel alone. A mental health mural artist said, “It can make you take care of yourself so you can have a positive mindset. So when you are nice to yourself you can be nice to others.” An ocean mural member wrote, “The project can change the campus culture because when they see the ocean it can bring them peace and make them feel calm by the ocean.” A music mural participant said, “Our project will inspire others to use music to express themselves and to get out all their bad energy through music.” A student working on the PUP cardboard structure project said they were “helping out the special needs community.” In answer to the question about what they would do differently with The Kindness Project, several students wrote that they would improve their time management and organizational skills so they could be more productive with their groups and not waste time. Through this project, students grew as artists. One student learned “...that it's ok to not have perfect drawings, and it's ok to fail.” Other students said, “I learned to be more confident in my work” and “I learned that I had more skills than what I thought I had.” Students also provided suggestions for next year, such as creating grade-level murals and providing exploratory students with the opportunity to create a mural. "
THANK YOU STAFF AND STUDENTS! Rincon's campus is brighter and kinder because of YOU.
