An otherworldly vibe of creativity permeated learning on Nelson’s Tenth Street Campus when both college and elementary school students got together for a Monster Party.
An annual springtime tradition, the Monster Party is a partnership between Selkirk College’s Digital Arts Program and Hume Elementary School. A major assignment for first-year students in instructor Kerry Pagdin’s class, college-aged learners were tasked with coming up with brilliant illustrations based on drawings and stories from Grade 3 counterparts.
The cute and creepy digital artworks were revealed at an early-April party where both sides had a chance to chat about the final result.
“I loved it!” said eight-year-old Jacob Osbourne. “I thought of a character and named it after a stuffie chicken that I have at home named Cluckers. It’s a demon chicken and she did a really good job by adding two extra eyes because I stated that it had mind control powers.”
The youngster’s bold imagination was matched by his college buddy’s growing skills, transforming Osbourne’s original crayon drawing and backstory into a compelling work of art.
“I was so excited when I first saw Jacob’s story because I knew that I could make a super cool monster,” said 18-year-old Selkirk College student Ava David. “This was my favourite assignment of the year because we were also able to show the kids what the future might look like for them if they decide to go to college.”
All through the room, the younger students were giddy with excitement as they gazed upon the multitude of digital illustrations and accompanying stickers.
“It was a fun assignment,” said college student Ian MacDonald. “It was a little nerve-wracking because you are making something for a kid and they are very honest. We had a nice talk about her original design and why she chose the different elements of both the drawing and the story. She seemed very happy with what I put together. ”
Grade 3 teacher Janet Mushumanski was equally as delighted with the project. In January, the Hume Elementary class of 22 students set to work on their crayon drawings and were asked to provide a story to go along with it. The package of imagination was then delivered up the street to the Tenth Street Campus where college students began applying what they have learned so far in their two-year program.
“This was really about the kids sharing what they have inside and out,” said Mushumanski. “The writing part was very important and the younger students were able to see how a picture can evolve when people work together through a creative process. It also helped introduce them to college, where the possibilities are endless at a place like Selkirk College.”
For eight-year-old Osbourne, he didn’t need any prompt to pursue post-secondary in his future.
“I’m really into dinosaurs,” he said. “So I might want to be a paleontologist.”
Whatever the future holds for both little and big students, a day focused on teamwork, creativity and monsters is surely one to remember.
