Berkeley Heights Art Students Bring Joy to First Responders
Berkeley Heights Public Schools Art teacher Michelle Harpster hasn’t allowed the current world crisis to dim her creative spirit. Working as the art teacher for both the Mary Kay McMillin Early Childhood Center and Mountain Park Elementary School, Ms. Harpster is well known for bringing enthusiasm and originality to all of her lessons, so it is no surprise that she has adapted her plans to the new remote learning structure to ensure that her students can continue to express themselves creatively. Recently, Ms. Harpster challenged her artists from the Mary Kay McMillin Early Childhood Center and Mountain Park Elementary School to create artwork and special thank you notes for first responders and those helping during the COVID-19 crisis. Working together, Mary Kay McMillin students in preschool, kindergarten and first grade along with 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students from Mountain Park created more than 60 thank you notes and artwork to show their support. This project was a fun way to keep them engaged with art, as well as our current events. According to Ms. Harpster, ‘It has been a great experience to see students come together and give thanks during this time.’
Once their work was completed the students emailed their images to Ms. Harpster who compiled them into multiple collage spreads. These collages were then made into over thirty, 22×14 inch “Thank You” cards. Working alongside Cioffi’s Deli and Pizza of Springfield and The Salad House Westfield, Millburn, and Morristown, all of which are doing amazing work during this difficult time, the cards containing student art are being delivered along with meals to various hospitals around the state.
Ms. Harpster is a graduate of Governor Livingston High School who went on to earn her B.A. in art education and M.A. in studio art with honors specializing in watercolor at Kean University. Upon entry into Kean University, she was the recipient of the College of Visual and Performing Arts Scholarship.
As an undergraduate she did her student teaching at Thomas P. Hughes and Mountain Park Schools with Ms. Karen Pilkington and at Columbia Middle School with Mr. Joseph Lanni. After spending two years teaching art in another district, BHPS was lucky enough to bring her back here and this is Ms. Harpster’s second year teaching art in our district.
Thank you Ms. Harpster for inspiring your young students to continue to create and spread beauty during this difficult time. Beneficiaries of art and food donations included: Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Overlook Hospital, Morristown Hospital, University Hospital of Newark, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Hackensack University Medical Center, Christ Hospital in Jersey City, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth.
A BRIGHT SPOT DURING VIRTUAL SCHOOLING
A little bit Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, a little bit Tool Time from Home Improvement, Mr. Geiger’s Garage is the latest youtube sensation making students (and parents) across the nation – or at least Berkeley Heights – smile and laugh every evening.
Frank Geiger, Principal of Columbia Middle School, took to the airwaves onWednesday, March 18th, from his garage with a new signature greeting and sign off and a whole lot of fun, advice and good spirit. Every weeknight, Mr. Geiger has hosted a session from his garage where he chats with students and encourages them to keep working hard, tells stories, and shows them how to make things in his woodshop. Special guests have included his shop dog Burke, Mike Skara from the BHPS technology team, CMS Science Teacher Tom Clayton, and Representative Bramnick from the State of New Jersey.
He has also challenged his students to try to guess when his youngest granddaughter will officially take her first steps in the ‘Walking Beatrice Challenge’! The winning student will receive a ‘snack package’ delivered to their home courtesy of Mr and Mrs. Geiger.
Photos by Berkeley Heights Public Schools
