Schools
Putting an A in STEM education - ARCK celebrates 8th anniversary
The Art Resource Collaborative for Kids is celebrating 8 years working with Boston Public Schools to bring the Arts into STEM education
BOSTON – On October 25, Art Resource Collaborative for Kids (ARCK) will present Havana Artful Night, ARCK’s 8th Annual Benefit Gala at 61 Brookline Avenue in Boston from 7 p.m. – 1a.m., hosted by Lisa Donovan, Co-Host of "Matty in the Morning Show" on Kiss 108/IHeartMedia Station. The Cuban-themed evening will bring together local art supporters, visual and performing artists, educators and government officials on a mission to empower students to become innovators and creative thinkers by integrating art with literacy and STEM education. The evening’s featured guests will include, Kara Elliot-Ortega, Boston Chief of Art and Culture. The evening includes a seated dinner, silent and live auction and a late-night dance party with the proceeds benefiting ARCK’s programs and services. Tickets and more information are available www.ARCKBoston.org/gala
Full STEAM ahead in partnership with Boston Public Schools
“Most people have heard of STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), well we see something missing there,” said ARCK Founder Sara Mraish Demeter. “Today, STEAM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) is the gold standard and ARCK is working to put the A, the arts, in STEAM.”
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ARCK hires and trains teaching artists to collaborate with classroom teachers, integrating art lessons with current classroom curriculum to address each school’s academic objectives. This combined effort makes a deeper impact on the student and fosters a broader understanding of the lesson. The program promotes social-emotional well-being, teamwork and empathy for others and is based on three modules: Leadership; Civic Engagement; and Social Justice.
ARCK’s core program runs for 36 weeks during the school year and is offered free to Boston public school students in grades K-8, many of which come from underserved communities in Boston. The program currently serves thousands of BPS students but hopes to triple those numbers in the near future.
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Since its inception in 2012, the program has offered a more comprehensive learning experience — one that promotes social-emotional learning, creative thinking, and a greater understanding of the human impact on the environment — to thousands of students within the Boston Public School (BPS) system. While Demeter refuses to rest on her laurels and acknowledges more work needs to be done, she appreciates just how far the organization has come.
“I was just a mom whose eldest son was nearing school age, and while I was researching his options, I was dismayed at what I found. This wasn’t how we as a society were going to mentor the next generation of human beings, we needed to offer a more meaningful and well-rounded education.”
As an immigrant from Jordan, born to Palestinian parents, and now an American citizen, it was important to Demeter that the education she sought for her son, be accessible to all, especially those most in need. Thus, the seed of what would become ARCK was planted.
The Future of ARCK
ARCK’s current challenges are two-fold. With schools unable to provide neither financial nor human resources, ARCK must not only continue to curate innovative curriculum, but the organization must hire and train teaching artists that will lead the efforts in the schools, working with school staff and faculty to integrate the program with the current school curriculum. Additionally, ARCK’s goal was never to stop at the Boston city limits, but to provide a well-balanced education to every K-8 student in the Bay State and beyond.
As more school systems acknowledge the benefits of STEAM education, ARCK is receiving more requests to provide schools with the curriculum and onsite support to assist in implementing the program, yet they do not have the financial resources to alleviate some of the burden.
“This is where our partners such as Bain Capital and the Hestia Fund play a major role and allow us to continue our work while we find other sources of funding to build upon where we are now.”
Beyond grants, events like 1001 Artful Night at the Taj hotel last year and the Miles of Murals project (video on Youtube or web page), generate nearly 60% of ARCK’s annual budgeted revenue and allows the partnership with BPS to continue.
To learn more about ARCK, to make a donation, or for more information on the Havana Artful Night Gala, please contact: Sara Mraish Demeter at Sarad@arckboston.org or 617.407.0530.
About Art Resource Collaborative for Kids (ARCK)
Art Resource Collaborative for Kids (ARCK) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that uses art as a vehicle to engage students from underserved schools in leadership, civic engagement, and social justice learning. Founded in 2012 by Sara Mraish Demeter, ARCK begun as an 840-student project re-introducing arts education to Boston’s Josiah Quincy Elementary school. ARCK has since transformed into an organization that offers free art classes during a student’s school day through a valued partnership with the Boston Public School (BPS) system. This partnership has enabled ARCK to build strong relationships with BPS teachers and staff, including Katharine Atkins-Pattenson of Gardner Pilot Academy. Atkins-Pattenson spent years developing culturally relevant reading, writing, and history curriculum for her classroom, enabling ARCK to blend its art programming with the school’s academic curriculum while it nurtures. ARCK also reaches beyond the classroom by hosting community arts events like the Miles of Murals festival and its annual Gala. For more information, please visit: http://arckboston.org/
Havana Artful Night
October 25, 7 p.m. – 12 a.m.
61 Brookline Avenue, Boston
