What is STAR?
The mission of STAR (Storytelling, Teaching Artists, Arts Integration, and Resilience) is to provide creative education through access to the arts and technology for 3rd through 5th graders at Holmes and Garfield elementary schools and 6th through 8th graders at Yasuhara Middle School.
STAR creates a safe, consistent learning space with Lead Teachers and volunteers who cultivate trust, get to know participants' passions and interests, foster collaborative friendships, set the culture, and provide social-emotional learning tools that strengthen wellbeing beyond the classroom. STAR features professional Teaching Artists, designers, and innovators who guide students through projects that strengthen artistic skills, foster problem-solving, and introduce new mediums for creative expression.
STAR is organized into month-long units that engage students in projects like comic books, dance, animation, and provides opportunities to try traditional artistic mediums like charcoal, pastels, paints, and more. Our middle school program is more flexible and follows the interests of enrolled participants; starting with beading and drawing techniques using animated characters as examples and expanding into other exciting projects to push them as sculptors, digital designers, printmakers, movie directors, and more. Lead Teachers, Teaching Artists, and volunteer mentors guide and support students in identifying ideas and developing them into powerful, tangible expressions of student voice.
STAR students love their volunteer mentors. If you enjoy spending time with elementary or middle school students, they want to meet you! Mentors receive training from Spark Central to help encourage and develop STAR students’ creativity and build positive, playful relationships with them. Expertise in visual arts, performing arts, entrepreneurship, and other subjects explored in the program are not required - all you need is a desire to share yourself with these cool kids!
Time commitment:
Mentors are expected at one school for at least one day each week. Holmes and Garfield runs from Tues-Fri from 2:50-5:15 while Yasuhara runs on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:15 to 5:30. STAR runs from October to June. We are hoping to find volunteers who are available for the entire school year, but if you are only available for quarter, that is alright, too.
