Maine Endangered Species Day

May 21

Art contest for students in K-12. Entries Deadline: Friday, April 23 Teachers: Celebrate Endangered Species Day (May 21) by having your classroom participate in the 2021 Marine Endangered Species Art Contest! Endangered and threatened species need our help. Students’ artwork will showcase their knowledge and commitment to protecting these animals. Schools from anywhere in the U.S. and beyond are invited to submit entries. Artwork should highlight one or more marine endangered or threatened species from the New England/Mid-Atlantic region. Text highlighting why the animals are important and what people can do to protect them may also be included. Younger students, in grades K-2, who may not understand the threats to endangered species (i.e., pollution, fishing, etc.) are encouraged to portray the animals in their natural habitat instead. Divisions Grades K-2: sculpture and 2-D Grades 3-5: sculpture and 2-D Grades 6-8: sculpture and 2-D Grades 9-12: sculpture and 2-D Entry Requirements In addition to school entries, home school, and individual entries are welcome. Artwork may be in the form of a painting, drawing, or sculpture (clay, recycled trash, etc.). Painting/drawing may be multi-color, black and white, or a single color; it may be rendered in ink, paint, pastel, crayon, or pencil. Chalk and pastel entries should be sprayed with a fixative to safeguard artwork. Two-dimensional artwork may be matted, but might be cropped electronically by NOAA Fisheries staff. The physical size of submitted artwork itself must be 8 1/2” x 11” and less than 1/8” thick (not including matting). Three-dimensional artwork must be no bigger than 24” x 24” x 24”. Please make sure the artwork is dry and secure. Image must be of a native marine endangered or threatened species in the New England/Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Entries depicting other species will be disqualified from the contest. For more details on entry requirements, entry submissions, prizes, and more. Sponsored by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries.

Questions?Contact Edith Carson-Supino, Regional Office, 978-282-8490

Another Arts Teacher’s Story: Rob Westerberg

Featuring one teacher’s journey as an arts educator

This is the first in a series of blog posts telling arts teachers’ stories. This series contains a set of questions to provide the opportunity for you to read their stories and to learn from others. The first one is featuring Rob Westerberg who is one of the recipients of the first presented Carol Trimble Award for outstanding contributions to arts education. If you have questions please don’t hesitate to contact Rob at rwesterberg@yorkschools.org and/or put your comments at the bottom of the post. Please let me know if this series “Another Arts teachers’ story” will be helpful to you by emailing me at argy.nestor@maine.gov.

All-State conference, UMaine, 2010

Rob Westerberg is a High School Choral & General Music teacher who has taught for 24 years, the last 12 at York High School. He averages between 175 and 250 students per year covering several choirs, Vocal Auditions Class, Music History & Music Theory I and II. He is well respected by colleagues in New England for his enthusiasm and commitment to excellence in arts education! He has been a member of the Leadership Team for the Maine Arts Assesment Initiative and a member of the three person team who created the plan for the initiative.

What do you like best about being a music educator?

Waking up every day and being excited about going to work. Really!

Tell me what you think are three keys to ANY successful arts ed program?

1) getting the school and community to “unlearn the irrelevant” about the arts, 2) establishing the arts as “essential” ACADEMIC instruction, 3) building connections with other arts educators outside of your district to invigorate and reinforce your work.

What specific way(s) do your assessment practices tie into the success of your program?

They show the concrete parallels to assessment in other academic areas (reinforcing and demonstrating our academic status), they focus and enhance student achievement, and they help me to continuously evaluate and revise my curriculum and instructional practices.

What have been the benefits in becoming involved in the arts assessment initiative?

I have grown more in the last two years as a professional than the previous ten combined. Every interaction I’ve had with others as a component of the Initiative has driven me to want to be better at what I do, and has provided a foundation on which to build my assessment practices in ways I always wanted to but could never fully wrap my arms around.

What are you most proud of in your career?

Establishing a graduation requirement specifically for music (performing arts) and specifically for art (visual arts) at two of the three schools I have taught at. 100% of our graduates display genuine proficiency in the fundamental MLR standards of both subject areas through rigorous coursework, truly fulfilling a global vision of arts education for all.

What gets in the way of being a better teacher or doing a better job as a teacher?

“Getting SO wrapped up in working through, over or under the various brick walls that always seem to be standing in front of me (in front of ALL of us!!!) that I easily forget how much I love teaching to begin with… and not drawing from that reservoir of passion and excitement more often.”

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?

The music resources that we have access to at YHS can often be perceived as being due to being in a “wealthy” community. 75% of those resources (which does not include a functional auditorium) were not around 12 years ago and had to be fought for tooth and nail. We can empathize with anyone’s battle of having to fight for more resources in the arts.

Look into your crystal ball: what advice would you give to teachers?

Connect with other arts educators CONSTANTLY… in your 1st year or 41st year, all the best ideas for building and developing your program are already out there, and it’s your colleagues who have those ideas ready to share with you! Go get them!!!!

If you were given a $500,000.00 to do with whatever you please, what would it be?

I’d pay off my mortgage and then live off of the rest so I could just spend every single day of every single school year visiting arts educators across northern New England and working with them on curriculum and assessment development for their own programs I’d also buy an awful lot of Terra Cotta Butternut Squash Pasta…

York High School music programs webpage: www.yorkschools.org/yhs/music