Written by Haley Garrett, Staff Writer
Every month, National Art Honors Society and Bear Pals host a joint event together to make art and chat.
The event for the month of October was hosted on Tuesday, the 27th, in room 112, where bears created Halloween buttons to wear on Friday, the 30th. Many buttons were created within an office hours period and traded.
September brought forward a craft that involved shaving cream, color dye, and paper. The students made a marbling effect on the paper by swirling colors around in the shaving cream and pressing the paper in.
Some future events include making fidgets and slime, but the primary focus is on creating quick crafts.
“This is probably one of my favorite kinds of things to do because, in my opinion, my students are amazing people to get to know,” Mrs. Mertaugh explained.
She continued to talk about how important it is for students to communicate with each other about anything. She shares how her students already do some guided art lessons, but it isn’t the same as collaborating with the NAHS students.
“It’s a different way to get to know my students, so it not only benefits my students, but it benefits the general education population as well.” Mertaugh shared.
She believes the way these benefits are enacted teach students to be more grounded and see what is truly important in life. She expressed how some believe succeeding in education, sports, or other activities are the most important things, but when they meet with her students, it helps change their values and views, leading to a more grounded life.
This change is visible in the classroom. The NAHS students make buttons, but not for themselves to keep. Closer to the end of the period, buttons were placed on a table by the door and students were able to trade and grab any buttons that they liked. This action shined with inclusivity and selflessness.
Not only did the NAHS students make buttons, they also created small little sketches for the Extensive Support Needs (a term Mrs. Mertaugh explained as the new way to describe Special Education) students to color.
“It’s really fun actually, we have our club help with a bunch of different activities.” President of NAHS, Scarlett Maier-Carreon replied.
Most involved in the activity had smiling faces that spread the cheer around the room and beyond. The positivity of the environment was visible in the classroom and appeared to be highly appreciated by all of the individuals involved.