Alternative Class Days: Paper Art / Paper Sculptures Day 2

Ms. Liza Flores, guest facilitator

Our Alternative Class Days in school ended last Friday on a high note. What Liza Flores, our guest workshop facilitator, started with us on Day 1 we continued on the second day.

I set up the workshop space early that Friday morning. There was an area for materials and supplies, an area for reflection, a work area and a display area. There were fourteen students in the workshop and seven of them came in early. At 7.45 AM, they were all in their work table cutting, pasting, mounting and quietly creating to their hearts' desires. With the help of my co-teachers, we guided all fourteen of our students in finishing their paper art projects. Well, there was very little supervision from us. They seemed to have taken the input session of Liza like fish to water. 

Our Griffins produced paper art on interesting themes. Some picked their favorite games and leisure activities, a cartoon character, a few played around with colors. One of them did a 3D model of a train. There was a student who made a notebook and designed a paper art on the cover. One senior made paper flowers which he put in a paper cup. It's amazing how one student stepped up to challenge of making a pop-up paper art and a Beacon Academy inspired art work. Many chose to work individually, but there were a few who paired and worked together. 

Some works on display at the school lobby

Before ending the day with the exhibit of works, we asked the students to write their reflections. This will help us decide where to go further with paper art / paper sculptures. For one, I am thinking of setting aside 45 minutes of paper art sessions in the library. If there is one thing we discovered with the ACD on Paper Art, it is a good stress reliever! 

Since I played the role of mother hen on Day 1, I didn't get to do the art exercises which Liza conducted for the group. So, I made sure to do at least two paper art projects of my own. I couldn't decide what to do at first. Flowers and leaves are the easiest to do, but my love for books won over. I looked for patterns of the White Tree of Gondor, the lamp post in Narnia and images of my favorite characters in Spirited Away. After selecting images, I went to work.

The White Tree of Gondor

The tree of Gondor was so intricate, it took me two hours to finish the piece. But boy, oh boy! I felt so good afterwards. Then I moved on to make soot sprites. My homage to Hayao Miyazaki. The lamp post in Narnia was shelved for another time. I had to give instructions to students as they prepared for the exhibit of works at 2PM. Together, we set up the paper art exhibit.

At the end of the day, we all felt accomplished. All of us were simply happy creating art with friends and colleagues during the two days Alternative Class Days (ACD) in the academy.

Here is the link to my blog post on ACD Paper Art / Paper Sculptures Day 1.

Alternative Class Days: Paper Art/Paper Sculptures Day 1

Earlier today we had the amazing Liza Flores as our workshop facilitator in one of our Alternative Class Days workshops, Paper Art and Paper Sculptures. She gave a short talk on her art, how she got interested with paper as a medium for her art and showed everyone samples of her works. From visual arts to advertising, Liza Flores has grown tremendously as an artist. What she set out to do illustrating books using paper cutouts and paper art has transformed into paper sculptures used in advertising, installation art and set backgrounds for arts and culture shows.

What truly impressed me about Liza Flores is her love for her art. Her work ethic is admirable. One can be talented and skilled at his or her chosen art or profession, but, it is another thing to show a sincere passion to work with others and to share one's knowledge. I hope that her brand of professionalism rubs off on our high school students who, they may admit this or not, are looking for adult role models to look up to and emulate.

I am still on cloud nine as I write this. Our students made wonderful paper art today. Even our teachers joined in the fun and had their creative juices running!

Here is the art project, which Liza demonstrated to our students.

Begin with the basic: a tree

Add leaves. Be brave to use different kinds of paper!

Experiment. Move the paper around until you get it right.

Liza Flores and I collaborated on a children's picture book, Dear Nanay, which was published in 2014 by Lampara. Read her interview in the blog: Filipino Illustrator Interview: Liza Flores. 

Trekking Down the Ravine and Up the Stream

Are we still in Cavite?

In the first week of February, we had Alternative Class Days (ACD) in school. It was two days of class activities and sessions that didn't follow the required course work or curricular offering.

It was fun! We learned lots!

There were ten ACD sessions and I joined the Recreation and Leisure session moderated by Coach Andrew Mavrides. Day 1 was a walking for fitness activity. We walked up Westgrove and down to Nuvali. Well, we rode in a van going to Nuvali upon reaching the gates at Westgrove. The walk was more than a 5K walk up hill and down hill in Westgrove. In Nuvali, we rode the boat and went biking. The picnic ground is an ideal place for children to run around and for families to spread a blanket under a tree. It was a well planned commercial area where strolling and "mall-ing" can be enjoyed by people from all walks of life.

Day 2 of ACD, as far as our session was concerned, was the more exciting one. We had barbecue at the backyard and we went down the stream.

Our campus sits on top of a hill. On good days, I would walk to the pool side and sit there looking at the clouds and the ridge on the west. Farther is Laguna Bay and the shadows of the Sierra Madre, an outline, can be seen from there. The view is beautiful! But, in all my five years in The Beacon Academy, I have not been down the stream. This water way that cuts through Silang, Cavite and out to Manila Bay is a place worth knowing.

With Guard Danilo and Teacher Motie

I have been to Sumag-ing cave in Sagada. I have crossed the sea that separates Alan, Northern Samar going to Capul Island. I don't know how to swim but I have snorkeled in the shores of Balicasag and Panglao, Bohol. So, what's a trek down the ravine and up stream in Silang, Cavite?

It was far from taking a stroll in the park!

The terrain was rough. Going down a steep path and going back up made me stop and catch my breath. It was a 70 degrees incline. Our guides, Mang Boy, our school utility man and Coach George, our life guard, knew the landscape well. Coach Andrew, our PE teacher has been down the ravine several times as well as our school guards and crew. What made me doubt myself was the water. The current was strong. The water was cool. It greeted us like a friend in shallow parts and it bullied us in areas where it was chest deep. The land was a mix of sand, red brown earth and pebbles.

The water was cool but it was not a gurgling stream!

The rocks and boulders that flanked both sides of the shore seem to breath. The trees and foliage that surround it seem to have eyes that look and stare upon us. The bugs and insects that flew and swam around us were a naturalists' dream encounter. Coach George found a turtle and we brought it up with us in the school for observation. Pancake the turtle, as baptized by one of our students, is currently being tended upon but he will be brought back to the stream soon.

Our science and PE teachers frequent going down the stream especially when the weather is benevolent. I suppose they are trying to know the land for integrated classes in the future. As for me, once is enough. But, I would recommend any new teacher from the Academy to take the adventure on days when the sky is clear and the weather portends good signs for trekking. I would tell them, to go down the ravine. Know the land. Wade in the water. Swim in parts were the water is chest deep and be brave going against the current. It is both frightening and fun! Just be sure you are with friends and guides whom you can trust.

That's how it has been with me working in the Academy for five years now and counting.

Railway Tales: Storytelling In the MRT