Mrs. Bomba's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 18

• Wearable Yearbooks!

  Funded Sep 14, 2023

  Our 5th graders just wrapped up our incredible "Wearable Yearbook" unit where we created custom t-shirts printed with handmade stamps carved by our classmates! Learning how to create relief prints from rubber blocks with sharp gouge tools was a thrilling experience for these young artists. Using the powerful tools needed for block printing inspired students to work responsibly and remain focused, which is a real bonus when teaching a large group of ten year olds.

  Before diving into the technical work, we spent time exploring the concept of what it means to "make your mark" on the world, be it literally or conceptually. Many students shared that they volunteered with their scouting troop or church, helped care for siblings or grandparents, or walked their family's dog to help contribute and make a difference. We debated whether making a mark was the same thing as leaving a mark. When designing a unique stamp for their wearable yearbooks, students worked hard to choose images that symbolically represented their unique identities. Students will remember one another for years to come based on the images chosen and how it literally made a mark on their shirts, but also imprinted a memory from their 5th grade year.

  The students are so proud of their work and are eager to wear their finished designs to school this week. Everyone involved in the project has received such positive feedback from the school community which has provided a lot of positive energy for the kids.

  We are so grateful to have received such incredible materials to make this project possible. Providing so many consumable materials, such as t-shirts and blocks, is such a helpful way to support an art studio like ours. We love exploring new ideas and materials that break from the traditional art supply list and without your support, we can rarely make that possible.

  Thanks for kicking off the capstone year for our big kids with such a positive project.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Bomba

• Studio Start with the Art Starter Pack!

  Funded Jul 24, 2023

  The school year is off to a bright start with the help of our latest and greatest materials (made possible by you!). We've already managed to complete a rigorous and engaging K-5th grade unit covering color theory by putting our primary colors to the test! With only the help of the TINT white and the SHADE black, students were able to create over 230 unique tints, tones, shades and hues representing their unique identities as artists.

  By providing hundreds of wooden paintbrushes, we were able to create tangible and long-lasting sculptural representations of our leaning that contribute to a school-wide art installation. This rainbow of brushes highlights the ways our students shine as creative individuals among a sea of equally unique classmates.

  Painting with our new brushes allowed us to sign our class contract with our newly created colors, instead of with our names. We look at this agreement to be bold, responsible, kind, and confident risk-takers and feel lucky to be part of a community of generous people like you!

  Thank you for helping make this meaningful project happen in our art studio!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Bomba

• Drill Skills for StudioMaury!

  Funded Jul 23, 2022

  The hand drills and table vices allowed me to fulfil a career long dream of mine in the art studio this school year. Watching my 5th graders master how to maneuver heavy-duty tools capable of altering wood, metal, and plastic in significant ways was so empowering. Our sculptures made from 100% recycled materials were elevated by the addition of drilled holes, functional hardware, and the capability to stabilize awkward materials in a safe way with the help of the table vices.

  Access to these tools has created a generation of confident and capable artists who feel skilled with how to solve problems in new and exciting ways with the aid of tools that aren't traditionally made available to young people. I am honored that my students feel inspired to teach their family members and peers their new skills. We had so much fun engaging with real-world materials and equipment and we thank you for the opportunity this school year and for future classes as well!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Bomba

• ¡Viva el Arte! Hispanic Heritage Month Hits StudioMaury!

  Funded Oct 1, 2021

  The 4th and 5th graders were so excited to access their new materials of Sharpies and t-shirts that they continued to ask me, over and over again, all unit long, "wait, we actually get to KEEP our t-shirts?" It brought me so much joy to answer them with a confident, "OF COURSE," all thanks to you.

  After studying BIPOC artists, illustrators, authors, cartoonists, and entrepreneurs, we were beyond excited to try our hand an developing a complex and relatable character on paper, and bringing them to life in a more marketable and mainstream way through clothing, like so many of the people we studied have before us ! The students were challenged and motivated to create t-shirts their friends, teachers, and schoolmates could admire and learn from.

  Their hard work and creativity even granted them a no-uniform day, where their traditional blue and white school uniforms were swapped with their artistic, wearable designs right before the winter break.

  Thank you donors for helping provide a fun and engaging moment in education for students who so desperately deserve it.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Bomba

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Allstate Foundation and 8 other donors.

• Re-Sculpting the Ceramics Experience From Scratch

  Funded Sep 17, 2019

  I cannot express how exciting it has been to unveil clay to my students this week. It has been many years since we have had access to a kiln and the resources and space to provide these kinds of authentic opportunities in clay for the kids. Setting up shop in our new building with space to spread out and explore the new medium has been such a treat! It has really lifted our spirits and reinvigorated our passion to learn at this point in the school year.

  Yesterday, students in grades 4-5 each got a hunk of clay and a set of clay tools to experiment with. This guided discovery of a new and exciting medium was so fun to witness. The students became curious, compassionate, bold creators while working with the fun and forgiving clay.

  Thank you so much for donating to this project. Your generous support will allow us to partake in a multi-week unit exploring the history and creation of African Face jugs. It will culminate in the creation of our own vessels that draw inspiration from contemporary black potters from the south. We are so grateful for the new glazes, tools and clay . It made our day!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Bomba

  This classroom project was brought to life by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation and 5 other donors.

• Your Art Studio Has What?

  Funded Sep 24, 2018

  After acquiring items such as the self healing mat and rotary cutter in the art studio, we have been able to quadruple our efficiency in terms of materials prep. This means everything to an art teacher.

  I have been able to invite community volunteers into the studio to assist with cutting hundreds of strips of old t-shirts in preparation for our recycled material weavings.

  Students in 5th grade now have immediate access to loops cut from donated t-shirts which serve as the warp and weft for their 5th grade memory weavings on hula hoop looms!

  Before, preparing for a project of this scale would have taken months. This time around, my volunteers and I were able to get it done in one afternoon, meaning students could dive into art making the following day.

  Students who brought in tough to cut materials from home were able to attempt using the rotary tool for the first time (with supervision, of course) and gain experience manipulating new tools, which has broadened their context for art making. Once students learn the safe way to handle new materials, a new door opens for them in terms of what is possible for them to create in the future.

  Our 4th graders are gearing up to start using the button maker as they transition from their cross-curricular study on the Plains Indians to the 13 Colonies. During this unit, students will create advocacy buttons to distribute school-wide in order to spread the word about the positive and negative sides of colonization from the point of view of an early settler to America.

  Thanks to our donors for helping me keep things fresh and exciting each year in the art studio. We greatly appreciate collecting new and sustainable tools to expand our learning and deepen our understanding for making.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Bomba

  This classroom project was brought to life by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation and one other donor.

• Then You Should Have Put A Mat On It!

  Funded Jul 30, 2018

  With your help, we were able to mount an entire gallery show at a local art gallery for our upcoming photography exhibition! The black railroad board and duct tape gave us a firm surface to mat and frame hundreds of photographs that are on display publicly for our local community to enjoy all fall. Displaying so much student art off campus is a true challenge but these supplies made it simple and effective for our installation team!

  Just today I was able to make my student's days by busting out our new sets of electric colored Sharpies for use in our aluminum embossing unit. The vivid hues stick permanently to the metal, which is perfect for our collaborative, outdoor art installation that is being created right now. Hundreds of unique and symmetrical butterflies will be hammered and nailed into the outdoor walkway of our school using the child-friendly tool kits containing hammers and nails received through you generous donations. The Sharpie markers will give our work the colorful pop it needs to be seen from various vantage points as our work takes over the school!

  The beginning of the school year is off to a great start with so many fun projects and art displays underway. Thank you all so much for helping our grand visions come to life and allowing us to dream big!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Bomba

• If You Got It, Flaunt It--But How?

  Funded Apr 9, 2018

  Moving into a trailer after seven years of teaching in a near-perfect art studio was quite an adjustment. There were many new challenges to overcome but with resilience, our staff has been able to embrace the change with optimism. The one major drawback that has been nearly impossible to overcome for me has been the fact that the walls of the trailers are made out of a slippery material that NOTHING sticks to! This makes displaying the loads of student artwork I have very challenging. I went through rolls and rolls of every adhesive tape, Velcro, and puddy imaginable only to arrive to work the following day to piles of artwork on the floor, which had fallen off the walls over night. Student artwork was getting ruined from the tape on the back and the process of displaying work become time consuming, expensive and frustrating.

  The wire hanging systems that were donated through this project are a permanent and guaranteed way to display artwork quickly, carefully, and in a sophisticated way that mimics a real art gallery. Students and the school community alike are excited to walk through the halls and admire the student work that is now bringing the sterile walls to life once more. The wire system is a new method of displaying work at our school and I think the clean, crisp, and professional feel has elevated the way students perceive themselves as artists. Not only that, I can easily take work down and replace it with a new project in minutes due to the simple clip system that not only preserves the integrity of the work, but makes it possible for students and volunteers to help me display projects without hassle.

  Having artwork on the walls again gives students the feeling that our temporary trailer village is still home to the values our school believes in. Seeing their work on the walls reminds them that they are talented and important members of our community.

  Soon, perhaps our wire hanging solution will be what the entire school adopts to make displaying student work an attainable priority again!

  Thanks to everyone who so generously donated to this simple yet monumental project!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Bomba

• Boring Clay Supplies Make for Awesome Ceramics Projects!

  Funded Aug 27, 2016

  It's the most wonderful time of year! Clay time! The studio is restocked, organized and ready for another productive season of ceramics thanks to you all!

  Last year was a busy and MESSY time for our art studio. Our materials and resources took a beating and were in need of some refreshing after 5 straight years of use. We were most in need of new kiln shelves and I am happy to report that our fresh new shelves are painted with kiln wash and ready for the first firing of the season! What a relief! Thanks everyone!

  Moldy glazes are gone and we're all stocked up with fresh supplies such as under-glaze for sgraffito work and clear glaze to seal all of the detailed design work we etch on to our ceramics!

  The fall and winter are sure to be busy and exciting times for our students and we are only just getting started. Thanks for ensuring that we are prepared to see our ideas move from imagination to creation!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Bomba

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 13 other donors.

• Make Our Day with Clay!

  Funded Oct 26, 2015

  Wow! Thanks to you all and your generous donations, Preschool, PreK, 4th and 5th graders have all just wrapped up some mighty ceramics units!

  In the older grades, the pounds and pounds of high fire clay allowed us to complete over 300 ceramic bowls intended for our "UNBOWLievable Bowls to our Goals fundraiser". We plan to use half the bowls (made entirely by students) to host an ice cream social for our entire school community in April. The donated ice cream and toppings will be served in our handcrafted bowls and the money raised from purchasing a bowl will be put towards our mission of sending our 5th graders to space camp. Focusing on the importance of "paying it forward," our 4th graders practiced empathy and generosity by assisting their 5th grade friends in reaching their fundraising goal. Next year, with the help of our donors, we hope to replicate the project so that our current 4th graders will get the same chance to attend space camp with the help of their peers in the grade below.

  From your donation, our art studio was able to purchase a new supply of low fire glazes that aided our youngest artists in completing their very first ceramics projects! Students in preschool and prek learned basic handbuilding techniques to create some pretty impressive ceramic mugs and bowls themselves. In an effort to celebrate our accomplishment of completing functional vessels, we have been hosting hot chocolate parties in the art studio where students get to share the magical experience of drinking out of a handmade vessel. The joy of such an occasion is the reason I love ceramics!

  Thank you for helping keep art fun, rigorous, and full of learning. Without your support, these projects would not be possible!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Bomba