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Posts Tagged ‘MaryEllen Schaper’

Happy Retirement!
June 21, 2018Maine is fortunate to have such marvelous educators!
We know that what a teacher offers can have an enormous impact on student development day to day AND over their lifetime. As educators retire at the close of another school year, 2017-18, I know that you join me in THANKING them for their years of service and dedication to students across the state.
I certainly appreciate your commitment and I wish each of you a healthy retirement and many, many years of laughter and love!
The following have contributed a combined 483+ years to teaching visual or performing arts education!
- VICKI BOVE, Gorham Middle School, Visual Arts, 40 years
- FLO ESINGER, SAD l5, Visual Arts, ? years
- ALLEN GRAFFAM, Mt. Ararat High School, Music, 42 years
- KATIE HALL, Falmouth Elementary School, Visual Arts, 24 years
- PHIL HAMMET, Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, Visual Arts, 16 years
- JULIE KLEHN, Waterboro Elementary School, Visual Arts, 31 years
- STEPHANIE LEONARD, Fairmount School, Bangor, Visual Arts, 25 years
- ANNE MACEACHERN, Sanford Junior High School, Visual Arts, 40 years
- JENNI NULL, Songo Locks Elementary School, Music, 40 years
- SAM MOORE-YOUNG, Carrie Ricker School, Litchfield, Music, 32 years
- BEVERLY PACHECO, South School, Rockland, Music, 36 years
- CANDACE PARKER, Lee Academy, Theatre Arts, 22 years
- MARYELLEN SCHAPER, Bonny Eagle Middle School, Dance and PE, 42 years
- CAROL SHUTT, Mount Desert Island Elementary School, Visual Arts, 22 years
- KATHI SUSI, Pittston Consolidated School, Gardiner, Visual Arts, 28 years
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THEO VAN DEVENTER, Mt. View Middle School, Thorndike, Music, 43 years
- Flo Eslinger, who is retiring from elementary visual art after serving SAD
A wonderful note from Ann MacEachern on her retirement from Sanford Junior High School after 40 years:
“I’ll miss the chance to interact with kids as they discover talents they didn’t know they had. The outliers, the experimenters and the endearingly quirky denizens of the art room have made most days a joy.
Retirement will give me a chance to reorder my priorities: more family time (I have 5 grandchildren), my OWN art projects need attention, traveling adventures, live music venues, environmental concerns, sorting years of accumulation to make space for new blessings… the list goes on.
To ARTS teachers everywhere: Keep pushing for expansion ARTS time in school schedules, physical space in school buildings and fewer students per art teacher. The world needs creative problem solving now more than ever!”

Those Amazing Presenters!
October 15, 2015Different format provides info for all
The Biennial Statewide conference provided a unique format with 5X5 presentations – our version of Pecha Kucha. Each of the workshop session leaders presented for 5 minutes using 5-8 slides. These took place during the morning of the Measure of Success conference which gave participants a chance to hear and see and appetizer of 9 different topics.
On top of providing the workshops each of the presenters put together a plethora of resources and they are available to all of you! When you go there you will be totally blown away at the amazing resources they collected which are now living at http://www.maineartsassessment.com/#!measure-of-success-conference/chki. DON’T miss them.
During the afternoon of the conference presenters jumped into the 9 topics by providing hour and 15 minute sessions on the following:
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Studio Habits of Mind: Using the “Hidden Curriculum” to Encourage Student Autonomy with Visual Arts Teachers Theresa Cerceo from Dr. Levesque Elementary, Wisdom Middle/High School and Janie Snider from Hancock Grammar School
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Making Maine and ME with Visual Arts Teacher Jennie Driscoll from Brunswick High School
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Evaluating Individual Proficiency within the Large Ensemble with Music Teacher Jen Etter from York Middle School
- Dancing with the Creative Process: How to incorporate standards-based dance and movement activities in classroom learning and assessment with Dancer, Educator, and Teaching Artist John Morris
- In the Midst of Madness with Music Teacher Jen Nash from Sabasticook Valley Middle School, Dance Teacher MaryEllen Schaper from Bonny Eagle Middle School, and Associate Professor, Educational Leadership from USM Jeff Beaudry, Ph.D.
- Empathy, Kindness and Wonder, Arts Integration at Work with the Director and Founder of Sweet Tree Arts Lindsay Pinchbeck
- Brains on Fire: How Research on the Brain Can Inform Arts Education with the Executive Director of the New England Institute for Teacher Education Catherine Ring
- From Cool to Tool: Technology Integration with Student Learning in Mind with Music Teacher Kate Smith from Central School in South Berwick, and Mt. Blue High School in Farmington Teacher Dan Ryder
A GREAT big thank you to each of the presenters for the 9 sessions. YOU were truly amazing!
Please note: On August 3, 2015, MAAI, the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative, announced its new name, MALI, the Maine Arts Leadership Initiative. MALI is a program of the Maine Arts Commission. You can read about it at https://meartsed.wordpress.com/2015/08/09/maai-goes-to-mali/. Please email Argy Nestor if you have any questions at argy.nestor@maine.gov.

A Word About the Conference Presentations
September 10, 2015Biennial statewide conference – October 9 – Early-bird registration deadline is today, September 10!
GO DIRECTLY TO REGISTRATION https://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=1726177
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS http://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Education/Biennial-Statewide-Register
The photo below is from a zoom meeting where some of the workshop presenters for the October 9 statewide biennial arts education conference The Measure of Success were engaged in learning more about how to put together the best format for the morning sessions. We are calling the sessions 5 X 5.
What does that mean?
Nine workshops are being offered during the PM sessions. Each conference participant selects from two of them (they are repeated) to attend when they register. During the AM session each workshop presenter will have 5 minutes and 5-8 images to provide a glimpse of their afternoon session that is scheduled for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
What if you see/hear something in the AM that you must attend?
You can change your mind and attend a different session in the PM than you registered for before the conference.

If they look serious it is because they were working to bring you the BEST learning opportunities possible!
THE TOPICS
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Studio Habits of Mind: Using the “Hidden Curriculum” to Encourage Student Autonomy with Visual Arts Teachers Theresa Cerceo from Dr. Levesque Elementary, Wisdom Middle/High School and Janie Snider from Hancock Grammar School
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Making Maine and ME with Visual Arts Teacher Jennie Driscoll from Brunswick High School
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Evaluating Individual Proficiency within the Large Ensemble with Music Teacher Jen Etter from York Middle School
- Dancing with the Creative Process: How to incorporate standards-based dance and movement activities in classroom learning and assessment with Dancer, Educator, and Teaching Artist John Morris
- In the Midst of Madness with Music Teacher Jen Nash from Sabasticook Valley Middle School, Dance Teacher MaryEllen Schaper from Bonny Eagle Middle School, and Associate Professor, Educational Leadership from USM Jeff Beaudry, Ph.D.
- Empathy, Kindness and Wonder, Arts Integration at Work with the Director and Founder of Sweet Tree Arts Lindsay Pinchbeck
- Brains on Fire: How Research on the Brain Can Inform Arts Education with the Executive Director of the New England Institute for Teacher Education Catherine Ring
- From Cool to Tool: Technology Integration with Student Learning in Mind with Music Teacher Kate Smith from Central School in South Berwick, Mountain Valley High School in Rumford Teacher Jeff Bailey, and Mt. Blue High School in Farmington Teacher Dan Ryder
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Proficiency Based Learning: An Advocacy Story Music Teacher Rob Westerberg from York High School
Want to learn more about the sessions?
If you wish to reach a description of each workshop, see photos of the presenters, WATCH A ONE MINUTE VIDEO on each session, please go to http://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Education/Biennial-Statewide-Workshop-Descriptions#.What else are these workshop presenters providing?
An amazing collection of resources that will go live on the day of the conference, October 9. You will be blown away by what they’ve put together for conference attendees. You won’t want to miss it just for the resources alone!
Deadline for the Early-bird registration of $90 is today, September 9!
The conference is sponsored by the Maine Arts Leadership Initiative (MALI), a program of the Maine Arts Commission. To learn more please go to http://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Education/MAAI#
Please note: On August 3, 2015, MAAI, the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative, announced its new name, MALI, the Maine Arts Leadership Initiative. You can read about it at https://meartsed.wordpress.com/2015/08/09/maai-goes-to-mali/. Please email Argy Nestor if you have any questions at argy.nestor@maine.gov.

Magic!
December 15, 2014Memories
Some say that life is about “making memories”. When I think about my childhood, especially during the holidays, what comes rushing into my mind, are the traditions. Little ones, like helping my Dad put the sled and reindeer (seems like they were life-size) on the lawn and the giant star that hung on the front of the house.
After I got married I mentioned that star every year, until one year my husband made one and surprised me for Christmas. When I drive up the hill at the end of the day the star shines brightly on the roof of our home and puts a smile on my face. When I was about 8 years old I wanted to give presents to my siblings and parents, but had no money to buy anything. I saved the toilet paper and paper towel rolls and wrapped them up and had everyone open them at the same time. I still remember the puzzled looks on their faces and the questions of “what are these?” Of course, “da-do-da-doos”! I can still feel my smile when they all put them to their lips and played them in unison. For years afterwards someone always wrapped one to pass on. I could go on and on about the memories that I have from childhood, in and out of school.
These might seem like little insignificant things to others but they were important to me at the time and remain forever etched in my memory. What do you do each year that is important and makes your heart sing? What do you in your classroom that creates memories for your students?
As an adult one of our family traditions is to see the Magic of Christmas each year at the Merrill Auditorium. The Portland Symphony Orchestra, now directed by Robert Moody, is one of those traditions. My husband and I started going when my oldest son (now 27) was a baby. Sadly, my sons aren’t around each year to attend with us but it still continues to be a tradition for us. We attended the performance last evening and it was spectacular. In fact, it was so uniquely different than other years it is one of my favorites. The “collage”, as Robert Moody called the first half of the show, included a diverse group including, Simply Three, a string group that plays traditional tunes in an innovative style. Inanna, Sisters in Rhythm, the all women’s percussion and vocal ensemble has been around for 25 years blending the sounds of West Africa, the Middle East, and Brazil with incredible energy. And the FLUKES, Falmouth Library Ukulele EnSemble, played their version of “Mele Kalikimaka” to the delight of the audience. Two dancers from the Maine State Ballet joined the orchestra for “In the Christmas Tree” from The Nutcracker and Ray Cornils was on the returned Kotzschmar organ after a 2-year refurbishing. Soloist Susie Pepper added a memorable touch in her rendition of “Let it Go” from Frozen. The viola section was highlighted and played one of my favorites, Good King Wenceslas. My all time favorite is “Hallelujah” from Messiah which takes me back to my days in the high school choir. And, of course, the audience sing-along with the almost 3000 people in attendance joining together to make music. I am reminded of the power of music with all those voices.
Congratulations to Rick Nickerson who directs the Magic of Christmas chorus. Rick teaches music at Windham High School. MaryEllen Schaper, dance teacher, from Bonny Eagle Middle School is a member who has been singing with the Magic chorus for over 30 years. I am guessing that there are other teachers involved in the orchestra or the chorus. Please email me at argy.nestor@maine.gov so you can be recognized for your contribution to this delightful tradition.
I understand there are tickets still available for next weeks performance of the Magic of Christmas. I recommend going and making some memories of your own!

Join MaryEllen, Jake, Danette
March 29, 2013Maine Arts Assessment Initiative
MAAI
Maine Arts Assessment Initiative
Regional Workshop
April 3, 2013
Bonny Eagle Middle School
5:00-7:30
Join local arts educators in Dance, Music and Visual Arts
for a FREE workshop, including potluck dinner and networking opportunities!
Bring some food to share, and learn about what our colleagues are doing in their classrooms. Three workshops will be offered simultaneously in separate rooms that address innovations in assessment and best practices in the classroom.
Workshop #1
MOVIES TOWARDS BETTER ASSESSMENT, Mary Ellen Schaper
What do Netflix and this workshop have in common? Learn to use tools on your MLTI device to create formative and summative assessment that you can watch on demand. (open to any art form and/or physical education)
Workshop #2
Individual Assessments in an Ensemble, Jake Sturtevant
Participants will learn how to use technology to help with individual assessments, sharing, and keeping track of them over an extended period of time. The workshop will focus on using Quicktime, networked shared folders, and Bento to categorize files and assessment information. If time permits, participants may also explore web based recording and sharing including SoundCloud (which would require a free registration to use).
Workshop #3
Assessment, A Self Help Program for the Art Teacher, Danette Kerrigan
A journey to understanding the power of authentic assessment and using technology to manage student product and track student growth.
RSVP:
(OR Please contact any of the teacher leaders for more information about the event.)
Mary Ellen Schaper: mschaper@bonnyeagle.org
Jake Sturtevant: jsturtevant@bonnyeagle.org
Danette Kerrigan: dkerrigan@sad55.org

Another Arts Teachers’ Story: MaryEllen Schaper
April 24, 2012Featuring one teacher’s journey as an arts educator
This is the sixth in a series of blog posts telling arts teachers’ stories. This series will contain a set of questions to provide the opportunity for you to read educators stories and to learn from others.
MaryEllen Schaper teaches dance, physical education, adapted physical education and dance. She co-directs the Bonny Eagle Middle School Drama Club, and directs and choreographs the spring musicals for Bonny Eagle High School in SAD/RSU 6. She is responsible for about 260 students in class, and about 100 more for both drama clubs. MaryEllen is in her 36th year of teaching.
MaryEllen was on the team who developed the first set of Maine Learning Results in 1997 and she served again on the writing team for the Visual and Performing Arts 2007 Maine Learning Results: Parameters for Essential Instruction. MaryEllen was recognized by the Maine Alliance for Arts Education this year for her many years of commitment to arts education as the recipient of the 2012 Bill Bonyun Artist/Educator Award.
What do you like best being an arts educator?
I like moving all day. I love teaching others how to use their bodies as the medium for creative expression. Sometimes as they’re working I see a “moment” that I will never see again, and I feel so honored!
Tell me what you think are three keys to ANY successful arts ed program?
- Skilled and knowledgeable teachers who understand and can interface the creative process, child development, and the corresponding pedagogy.
- Excitement about your art form and excitement about your students and their work is vital, as well as respect for the students to push them to their full potential.
- Community interest and support certainly help!
What specific way(s) do your assessment practices tie into the success of your program?
Primarily that my students are part of the assessment creation and implementation. I provide them with essential questions, and they decide how to answer them. We develop a rubric for good, better, and best work. The students rate themselves on their work habits and their products with justification, knowing that if I don’t agree (which is very seldom…they’re remarkably accurate!), I win. 🙂 Until the final day they can edit their work so that they turn in their best. If they want to put in the extra time to continue to refine their work (which doesn’t happen often, but it does happen), they can until the end of the quarter. This gives me more time with individual students as the students are doing the “heavy lifting”, not me.
What have been the benefits in becoming involved in the arts assessment initiative?
Having a cohort of people to work with who are interested in improving learning in the arts through better assessment practices. Sharing best practices and the learning that goes along with that is so valuable. It’s wonderful knowing that I have a group ready and willing to improve as an arts educator.
What are you most proud of in your career?
That I have been able to introduce students to dance and theatre, and see them “run with it” not only as students, but often into adulthood.
What gets in the way of being a better teacher or doing a better job as a teacher?
I wish I still could teach with the freedom I could 30 years ago. Kids really were the center then, and I was more able to take the time to mine their skills and creativity in a way that isn’t possible in the same manner now. Today everything is so scrutinized for unimportant things before it can even leave the launch pad, that it’s much more difficult to take the calculated creative risks that I once felt empowered and supported to take.
Apple or PC?
Apple
What have you accomplished through hard work and determination that might otherwise appear at first glance to be due to “luck” or circumstances?
Teaching dance to as many students K-college as I have, and making sure that dance education is always invited to the table at the local and state levels for as many years as I have has always been an ongoing accomplishment through hard work and determination. Dance isn’t valued on the same plane as other art forms. It’s cultural worth has declined precipitously in the last few generations. It presumes certain things about the dancer’s body image or sexuality that makes many uncomfortable. And no one seems to “understand” modern and post modern dance! There’s no “luck” or “circumstance” against those odds. It takes stubborn passion and the willingness to often quite literally go it alone so that my students have the opportunity to learn the joy of using their bodies as the tool to make art, and grow from that experience.
Look into your crystal ball: what advice would you give to teachers?
Be passionate about what you do and those you’re doing it for. Be willing to fight for that passion. There will be politics, budgets, ignorance, and sometimes isolation in your work, but focus on your purpose. Take your work with your students seriously, but don’t take yourself seriously. Have a sense of humor. Make sure your life has balance. Did I mention a sense of humor?
If you were given a $500,000.00 to do with whatever you please, what would it be?
$500,000 before or after taxes? (Sorry I’m writing this on Tax Day!). A half million dollars would be good seed money for an endowment to keep the arts in my school district for a long time (there are currently proposed cuts), or for an arts scholarship. It could also feed or house a lot of people, or help a lot of animals. I could help out my family. It would also make my retirement much more comfortable than it looks now. I would like to think that it would be one of the more altruistic things I’ve mentioned.
Thank you MaryEllen for taking the time to tell your story (and for always using your sense of humor in your work and play)!

Maine Alliance for Arts Education Awards
March 9, 2012MAINE ALLIANCE FOR ARTS EDUCATION ANNOUNCES 2012 AWARDS
The Maine Alliance for Arts Education is pleased to announce Brian Walsh, Principal at Hermon High School and MaryEllen Schaper, dance educator and teacher at Bonny Eagle Middle and High School as the winners of its annual awards for excellence and service to arts education in Maine.
Walsh was selected as the 2012 Outstanding Administrator Advocate for Arts Education Award, which is given each year to a school or organization administrator who has:
demonstrated outstanding leadership and support of the arts, established exemplary or innovative arts education programs, and promoted the importance of arts in education.
Schaper is the recipient of the 2012 Bill Bonyun Artist/Educator Award which is given each year in honor of Bill Bonyun whose career as a folklorist, storyteller, singer, writer, and educator spanned over half a century. The award is given to someone who has:
made significant contributions to arts education, shown outstanding commitment and dedicated service in arts education, and been an inspiration to students, teachers, and the community.
In nominating Walsh, Cheryl Olson Lorenz said, “In a small community with a high school known as a ‘sports school,’ the support of the principal can make the difference between the arts acting in anonymity or stepping into the spotlight. Brian Walsh has made that kind of difference at Hermon High School through his leadership and support of the arts, arts advocacy, and artistic expression.”
And in her nomination letter for Schaper, Nancy Salmon describes her contributions to dance education by saying, “MaryEllen has provided countless students with their first taste of the joy of dance and movement.”
Schaper and Walsh will receive their awards at a ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion, Blaine House on March 14.
MAAE will also honor Carol Gardien Trimble at the March 14th Blaine House Arts Education Celebration for her dedicated service as its Executive Director. In December 2011, Carol stepped down from her post, having served ten years in this role. During her tenure, Carol guided the organization through a period of program and service expansion and helped the board of directors to make major changes that strengthened MAAE as an important state and national networking and advocacy entity. Under her leadership MAAE created and managed two important programs that offered direct services to Maine students and teachers: Learning in Community – Arts (LINC) in Hancock County) and (with Susan Potters), Building Community Through the Arts (BCTA). To support these programs and other MAAE initiatives, Carol garnered funding through innumerable, federal, state, and foundation grants and corporate supporters. Her administrative skills and gracious presence at the heart of MAAE is greatly missed.