CONNECTIONS Fall/Winter 2010 Vol.7, No.2 St. Nicholas ART PROGRAM 2009-2010 Annual Report of Giving Mandy McGuire Bohner ‘83 ART DIRECTOR CULTURE SHARE Colombian NeuroNet Student Immersion Program ST. NICHOLAS SCHOOL 7525 Min Tom Drive Chattanooga, TN 37421-1835 CONNECTIONS (423) 899-1999 • stns.org Fall/Winter 2010 Mark Fallo, Head of School Janice Robbins, Assistant Head of School / Chaplain / Faculty ST. NICHOLAS Dexter Cantelou, Director of Development Kathy Daugherty, Executive Assistant SCHOOL Barbara Dawkins, Director of Admission Jeff Denton, Business and Facilities Manager CONTENTS Board of Trustees Mr. Curtis Baggett Mr. Joel King Art Program ................................................... 4, 5 Mrs. Carolyn Brock Mr. Jim Kirkpatrick The Rev. Pat Cahill Mrs. Maria Matthews Augusta Webb, Art Teacher ................................ 6 Mr. Hiren Desai Mr. Paul Richard Dr. Deborah DiStefano Mrs. Carol Quinn, Chair Mr. Tom Glenn Mr. Henry Schulson Front Cover Mandy McGuire Bohner ‘83 ............................. 7 Mrs. Penny Grant Mrs. Fern Shire Level 6 classroom activity, Mrs. Kathleen Hanson Mr. Justin Wilhoit [photo by current parent Lyn Martin, Illustrator “Smokey’s Tale” .............. 7 Mr. Ed Jacobs The Hon. L. Marie Williams Tracy McCarley] Mr. Mike Jenne Mrs. Jo Ann Yates Mr. Dallas Joseph Annual Report of Giving ...................... 8, 9, 10, 11 Alumni News ............................ 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 CONNECTIONS NeuroNet Program in the News Mark Fallo, Editor Janice Robbins, Co-Editor Culture Share Exchange Students .................17, 20 Kathy Daugherty, Co-Editor and Designer NeuroNet Program ...........................................18 With appreciation to the following local schools for alumni submissions: Baylor, Boyd-Buchanan, Chattanooga Christian, Girls Stanyarne Burrows Award ................................19 Preparatory School and McCallie School. Thank you to Mandy Bohner and Augusta Webb (Art Program articles), and Mandy Bohner ‘83 (alumni feature). Also thank you to Lyn Martin and Andrew Ruffner for information about the “Smokey’s Tale” book. Every effort has been made to insure the Photography Submissions: Back Cover accuracy of our Connections news. If Barbara Dawkins Culture Share - Colombian any information is listed incorrectly or Jody Gossett Art Program Exchange Students if there are omissions, please contact us. Gretchen Igou J.D. Kyzer [page 17 and back cover] We apologize for any errors or omissions. Tracy McCarley St. Nicholas School Faculty Members Various Alums and Alumni Parents 3 ARTProgramBy Mandy McGuire Bohner ‘83, Art Director hen you walk into an art class at St. Nicholas, you will see a creative, energizing space where children are encouraged to learn, play, and express themselves in their own individual way. St. Nicholas School is unique in that the art program is based on art history. A combination of both studio art and the history of art, primary levels have two separate classes (one art history, one studio art), while ELC students have art history and studio art combined into one class. The art teachers at St. Nicholas believe that children can do anything with the right direction. Too Woften, it is assumed elementary students cannot handle certain media and techniques, which relegates projects to egg-carton caterpillars and hand turkeys. The children at St. Nicholas are offered what might be offered to a high school student, just tailored down to the appropriate age. If you give children the opportunity, they will shine. A St. Nicholas student will not stare at a canvas as if it is an unknown thing, nor handle clay as play-doh. A brayer is not a In addition to art production and art history, we strive to give the foreign tool, nor is a conté crayon. We strive to expose the students students the tools to discuss art, whether their own, a peer’s, or the work of to all sorts of techniques and materials and see what happens. This a famous artist. It is understood that there are different opinions and is not to say there isn’t reactions of and to art – but these guidance. Great attention ideas must be based upon something is paid to the instruction other than, “it’s pretty.” of “how” to use the media and how to tackle the Art is displayed in available project. The belief of spaces, providing the children with quality over quantity is a an opportunity to highlight their mainstay and each child is work on display, in addition to encouraged to do his/her personal best, regardless of what anyone sharing projects with the St. Nicholas else’s work looks like. At St. Nicholas, each child is encouraged as community. a unique individual with his/her own special gift. While studio art and art For those familiar with an Art History survey class in college, history are the driving forces behind Art History at St. Nicholas couldn’t be more different. The goal of the art curriculum, they provide the the art history context for our larger goals: for a “... each child is encouraged portion of the child to feel comfortable with him to do his/her personal best, program is for the or herself, with ideas, tools, with regardless of what anyone children to recognize, not memorize. More than once this everything art; to have a space to come and relax, express thoughts or else’s work looks like.” year, I have heard stories about many of the paintings at which we have looked being on Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place or worries. A place to just BE. cleverly melded into an M&M’s advertisement; art is all around, and only those who have been exposed can We value art skills, art make the references. knowledge, and the wonderfully creative minds of children; It is thrilling to see the excitement on a child’s face when recognizing art and artists’ names which we hope to instill a love of the arts, an array of skills, and a have been discussed. From Paleolithic to Pop Art, the children learn the different genres through hands-on confidence in imagination, all of which will follow them experiences, reinforcing the style and technique of a time period. throughout their lives. † 4 5 ALUMNI NEWS Mandy McGuire Bohner ‘83 artBy Augusta Webb, Artteacher Teacher Augusta Webb art director andy Bohner has been teaching Art and Art History for 17 years eing an art teacher at St. Nicholas is the perfect job for me, because it combines my two passions: at St. Nicholas, after many summers working in the Extend- art and children. I began teaching classes at St. Nicholas in the fall of 2005. I knew I wanted to be ed School Program. She has been involved with the Inner-City an artist at a very early age, asking for sketchpads, paints and pencils for birthdays and Christmas Art Program “In Your Face”; taught at the Hunter Museum of each year. I grew up taking art lessons and followed Art and UTC’s Youth University; and most recently has this love throughout my years at Girls Preparatory School, served on the board of Good Shepherd School. making time among artistic pursuits to play Mandy graduated from St. Nicholas School, Girls Preparatory School, B and attended the Governor’s School for Art. She has a Bachelor of Arts in soccer and swim. My art teachers at G.P.S. were M Art History from Southern Methodist Univer- amazing. They gave me sity and a Masters in Secondary Education confidence to try new with emphasis on Art Education from UTC. things, and I work hard She is married to Alex and has two girls: to foster that same Louisa, a Level 3, and Frances, who is 4 confidence to my years old. young pupils. I graduated from Hollins University with a major in Studio Art and a minor in Religious Studies. I spent a semester abroad at the University of Edinburgh where I took classes in philosophy and religion and visited many art galleries in Scotland and England. After working as youth direc- Right above: Mandy teaching tor at Signal Mountain Presbyterian Lower Primary children; below and teaching art at Siskin Children’s are Mandy’s two daughters Louisa Institute, I now use my and Frances. Left and center: two experience in both art pieces of original art by Mandy. and religious studies to enhance my teach- Left: two pieces of original art by Augusta. Right: [top] Augusta ing at St. Nicholas. with students at the ELC Camp Two years ago I attended a Early Learning Center Alum Lyn Martin Out, [center and bottom]: weekend of classes at the students involved in art projects. John C. Campbell Folk Art is the illustrator of SMOKEY’S TALE a new book by Andrew Ruffner. School in North Carolina. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to immerse myself in art and associate with other artists, The book is the story about the Tennessee VOLS and I brought much of my experience back to the classroom. Mascot, Smokey. It’s for sale at Barnes and Noble at Today, in addition to teaching art and serving as the Hamilton Place and at Wild Hare on Signal Mountain. Lyn signed ELC teaching assistant, I am a busy wife and mother. My husband, Adam, also teaches at St. Nicholas, and books at St. Nicholas during a recent visit when she also donated a we have two daughters, Ruthie, 3, and Mary Mae, 14 months. We are devoted not only to each other and copy of the book to the Stanyarne Burrows Library. our family but also to St. Nicholas, where we have learned to appreciate the very special bond that is formed between teachers and students. Lyn shared that Andrew is almost finished writing a story about Mike the LSU tiger and “he will be our next book!” I love hearing my students say, ‘I really am an artist!” I believe that everyone can be an artist, and I tell my students that every day.