What are some of your favorite lessons that you are currently teaching? Bethany: Some of my favorite lessons I am currently teaching are in my Lower School classes. I enjoy tying in various works of children’s literature to fit the seasonal themes we are exploring. The students are motivated by the songs they are learning and they are always curious to hear what other grades will be singing at the concert! What do you do to ensure you are advancing and improving your courses year over year? Is there anything new or different that you have changed throughout the years? Bethany: Summer is a time of reflection for me where I do a great deal of reading and researching new ideas to incorporate into my classroom. I find it important to keep the content I am teaching current and I also take into account the individual students I have in my classes each year. While curricular goals remain mostly static for each grade level, I will adjust the focus of each unit to fit the interests and needs of the individual students I have in each class. In recent years I have been working to increase the number of performing experiences students have by getting Middle School and Upper School out into the community to perform at various caroling field trips and at the Lower School level working with Maria Jacobi to add a spring musical for Grades 3 and 4. A new idea of a combined Middle and Upper Schools select choir is also in the works in an effort to foster cross divisional opportunities and promote participation in Upper School Chorus. How do you believe our Performing Arts program here at Park benefits students? Jerry: I believe the arts aid students in real life. Music, specifically, allows students to engage the creative side of their brain emotionally, and through public performances, especially with jazz, students can individually share their musicality with the audience through soloing. Performing individually in public is great for selfesteem, motivation and it builds self confidence. Bethany: The Performing Arts Department at Park provides students with various opportunities to perform in a nurturing, supportive environment. Students develop confidence, friendships, and pride in their work. Many of our shows are cross-divisional and students get the benefit of working with both older and younger students. The older students lead by example and challenge the younger students to rise to a higher level of performance and the enthusiasm of the younger students is refreshing and inspiring to the older students. The ultimate goal being that students are able to take what they learn with them into everyday life and that it will have a lifelong impact on the way they listen to and interact with music. Spotlight on: Mark DiVincenzo, Artist-in-Residence This past fall, Buffalo artist and Park parent Mark DiVincenzo joined our campus as Artist-in-Residence. With more than 40 years of experience, his love and passion for art is founded in his aesthetic experience in nature. What excited you most about working with the students here at Park? My first impression is how well behaved and happy the students are. They are just awesome. The kids love art and just about everyone dove right into the challenging project. In late September, Mark worked with our students to teach paintbrush techniques and focus on “plein air painting.” En plein air is a French expression meaning “in the open air,” and refers to the act of painting outdoors with the artist's subject in full view. Students worked outdoors, looking at objects in different ways, moving in close, looking down, and observing abstract compositions inherent in natural phenomena. How do you think your style of artwork connects to the Park school? My whole body of work is inspired by the outdoors. I am always interested in bringing the beauty of the outdoors into an interior space. Plain and simple, I am Park. The whole Park philosophy jives completely with my Buddhist philosophy, respecting the person directly in front of you, learning from each other, creating something special, connecting nature with the human soul. A Park education gives students endless possibilities in this constantly changing world. Park encourages the creative process; think different, think deeper, pull out a unique quality that is yours alone, make a difference in the world. My style with my most important work hovers between what is real and recognizable but also surreal and mysterious. It’s how we pass through life, but the most important thing to me is to create beauty because I feel that is what we all want. I hope all Park students leave with this idea of creating fortune and beauty, even when things are not so great. The finished product will be square paintings from all grades threaded together to make larger works of art that can be hung freely on a wall, with the idea of bringing the outside in. The squares will be suspended from a piece of wood so that if the observer walks by or a light breeze blows through, the sculpture moves, symbolizing the constant flux and flow of nature and life. In Spring 2024, Mark plans to create a large mural on the exterior of our Library Learning Center which will include students, faculty, parents, and alumni; it will be called Woven Dreams. He notes, “I truly cannot wait to get back there continuing the Artist-in-Residence year-long project! We have a lot of work to do!” For more information or to view Mark’s artwork, please visit: markdivincenzo.com 14
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