Mona Lisa Smile

Leonardo Da Vinci’s portrait of the wife of a Florentine cloth merchant might have been painted in Italy in the early 1500s, but its impact still reverberates in classrooms at Penn View in 2015!

Posted prominently on the front wall of the elementary art room is a poster of the famous Mona Lisa. 

Teacher Mrs. Kim Bergey is seen here telling some of the kindergarten students how the Mona Lisa behaves. With an appropriate measure of awe, she reminds them, “Good art students listen like the Mona Lisa!  Their eyes are watching the teacher, their mouths have quiet smiles, and their hands are still.” 

At her words, fourteen small artists immediately stop what they are doing.  Like clockwork they fold their hands like the lady in the painting and assume a silent agreeable pose.  

No doubt about it, Mrs. Bergey is brilliant.

Showing me the Mona Lisa instructions on the wall.

News travels fast and at least one of the other elementary school teachers has received the painted lady pose idea with so much admiration, she has adopted it for use in her classroom as well. 

Art students were happily working on pointillism snow globes when I stopped by the art room to discover more about the celebrated portrait stance I’d been hearing so much about.

Some of the kindergartners were happy to show me their Mona Lisa poses. 

What a resourceful way to get our wonderfully wiggly students to pause for a moment of instruction and to teach them a little art history at the same time!

In fact, the next time I want my husband to listen more attentively to the Honey-do list I so generously and helpfully provide for him, I'm going to suggest he give the Mona Lisa pose a try. I am relatively certain the "quiet smile" part will include a tongue protest and the carefully controlled hands might evolve into flapping motions (as our wonderfully theatrical Paul Reichley demonstrates so convincingly below.)  But it's certainly worth a shot. 

DO YOU WANT TO BUILD A SNOWMAN?

I write this on January 6^th with the realization that working with elementary school students has pretty much ruined me for snow. 

I cannot think about white precipitation without considering what it means in terms of school delays and the potential for wreaking havoc on our meticulously prearranged school calendar. Middle School teacher Mr. Wikerd hails from Canada and he just shakes his head at the way we run to the store for bread and milk at the first flurry.  Apparently a foot of snow is just a "light dusting."

But calendar issues aren’t the reason snow is a cringe-worthy word for me.  The actual problem is related to a current and persistent obsession which seems to have taken hold of our little people. The children WON’T STOP SINGING!  I have heard what must at this point be thousands of sincerely rendered yet caterwauling versions of “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” and “Let It Go” from the movie Frozen.  I am the first to admit, the movie was entertaining.  But the movie is LONG OVER and the children keep singing…. Not that I don’t love to hear the sound of their little voices.  But that song….it is stuck in their heads and it is stuck in my ears!  Some students belt it out like opera stars while others hum along or concoct ridiculous lyrics just so they can get to the refrain and scream LET IT GO at the top of their lungs.  And I cannot turn around without coming face to face with one of the characters from the movie.  They are everywhere!

DISCLAIMER: (Okay, in a moment of weakness I may have purchased an Olaf the Snowman shirt for my daughter-in-law… but that was months and months ago before I grew weary of his charismatic buck-teeth and his distinctive strands of twiggy hair.)

The flurries were actually quite beautiful dancing across the surface of the road as the snow fell from the sky this morning.  In an even lovelier break from addictive songs born on screen, the concept of snow was made immensely more enjoyable for me today when I visited Mrs. Zaskoda’s three-year-old Early Childhood class.  They were working at a tactile and creative project; creating snowmen from a wonderful combination of shaving cream and glue. 

“Do you like things that are gooey?”  The students nodded in conspiratorial agreement.  

There were instructions including, “This is NOT FOOD…” and points of consolation, “Everybody is going to get to touch it!”

Protective newspaper was positioned and prudent donning of plastic art smocks followed.  Our small friends looked less like artists and more like the fishermen of Gorton’s of Gloucester, but that is beside the point.

Ellie shows us her “snow" below:

Mrs. Zaskoda’s patience and classroom management skills are amazing to behold.  I can only imagine the chaos which would ensue if I were ever to attempt a craft including shaving cream, glue and a group of curious three-year-olds.  

There was a small incident after which Alyse proudly showed me her sticky elbow and requested a trip to the sink.  

Rylee was already determinedly washing
the snowy concoction from her fingers!

Amber shows me her snowman
prior to the inclusion of buttons and eyes.

Kate no doubt has some genetic ability in the area of craftiness since her mother is our elementary art teacher.Willing or not, sweet Kate has probably been making masterpieces out of shaving cream since conquering the pincer grasp at age 7 months....

After I left the room, a little reading was to follow. 

In retrospect, I missed my chance.  I should have asked for a sheet of blue construction paper and a few dabs of “snow” to call my own. Good work Mrs. Zaskoda and your awesome three-year-old class! You've convinced me that perhaps I want to build a snowman, after all. 

THE FINISHED PRODUCT

CELL DIVISION FOR THE DRAMATIC AND THE MUSICAL

The sixth grade honors science class diligently made mind-numbing cell biology look like actual FUN when I stopped by to see what was happening inside one of our middle school science labs.

The students were divided into groups and they were using props to demonstrate the process of meiosis (aka cell reproduction.)  The teacher (Mrs. Kellena Smith) shared that students were having trouble conceptualizing meiosis as a process in constant motion.  To remedy this, she came up with all sorts of clever props, setting the stage for some memorable cell drama.

Large white card-stock circles served as original cells, the stages upon which all sorts of exciting reproductive phases took place.

This may look like yellow yarn to you, but it is nuclear membrane to Mackenzie!  Tidy girl that she is, she could not stand for her nuclear membrane to be disorganized so she shaped it carefully while it waited for its moment on the stage.

The markers here are playing the role of cell centrioles. The gray yarn holding the marker hostage represents spindle fibers. 

Cytokinesis happening above! Do you see those cells dividing?

I wish to note - there WERE boys in this fabulous class as well! Due to photographic issues beyond my control (and a severe case of hamming beyond their control) none of those photos made the cut!

All sorts of things were happening around me.  Nuclear membranes were breaking down and students were narrating the process as they moved their props across the cell.  Some were quite dramatic in the telling of the tale.  



The shiny laminated chromosomes were awesome, outfitted with handy Velcro tabs for easy attachment to other chromosomes.  Have I mentioned our teachers are awesome?

I must admit, the best part of my observation occurred when I heard the musical stylings of Laura Frederick magnificently singing a snappy tune while her cells were splitting.  

The science of cells at its very best!  

NACHO DAY!

With the possible exception of a bright purple dress shirt after a Minnesota Vikings win, nothing makes Principal Schrag happier than a gigantic plate of lunchtime nachos. 

Legend has it that our beloved Middle School Principal had has own late night radio show during his college years.  Those who have been witness to the glee with which he anticipates Nacho Day (not to mention the speed with which he devours that plate) do not have to stretch imaginations too far when told that Mr. Schrag’s DJ name was The Nacho King. 

Nachos may have originated in sunny Mexico, but they have been perfected in our very own Penn View cafeteria.  Having the heart of a Pennsylvania Dutch girl, I cannot fully appreciate the nuances involved in building a flawless tower of spicy nachos. Let’s just say my palate prefers chicken gravy to hot sauce.  But there are coworkers and students among us who take this challenge very seriously.  Adding just the right ingredients has apparently become something of an art form.   

EXHIBIT A.  Our Middle School music teacher adds romaine to her nachos and pretends they are a salad.  Nice try Mrs. Landes….

Sam Alderfer and Micah Nice are admired by Mr. Schrag for their excellent nacho topping aptitudes.  As he so eloquently states, those boys "know how to nacho!" 

Micah is smiling in this photo because he just downed his well-crafted creation.   

Students of all ages love Nacho Day!

Some build a blander platter than others.  Jalapeño Elitist Schrag has been known to refer to these lesser plates as “wimpy.”

Construction of the perfect nacho entrée begins with Food Services Director John Anderson and our dedicated cafeteria staff.  Ms. Crucita Berrios is pictured below.  She is known and loved by all not just for her friendly and hard-working demeanor, but for the praise songs she sings pretty much all the time! 

Interim Executive Director Don Steiner with his nachos!

Mrs. Reichley is NOTHING if not enthusiastic!

With the possible exception of Mrs. Graham who gets to deal with a lot of the cheesy mess of elementary school lunches, the adults in the building love Nacho Day as much as the kids. 

Are you hungry yet?  You know you are walking to your pantry right now to see if you can put together a plate.... 

Adios my friends!  Enjoy your nachos!