Farmingdale High School Students Make the World Warm and Fuzzy

Farmingdale High School Art teacher Ms. Cara Palermo and the High School’s Knitting Club recently hosted special guest knitters Francine DeKranes and Claudine Vacirca to teach students about the cultural history of knitting in Scotland. The guests’ visit was coordinated by the school as part of an innovative Farmingdale School District program to help students explore art and culture from all over the world in a unique, engaging way. The guest knitters brought examples of their hand-knit apparel and shared about their experience exploring the Scottish knitting industry. Students learned about the geography and people of Scotland and surrounding areas, the famous Fair Isle sweaters, how sheep are sheared, and how yarn is processed and produced.

The guest presentation inspired student-knitters to explore their own creativity through choosing materials, colors and styles in order to make practical items with cultural significance. In addition to enabling students to connect with their education in a unique forum, this hands-on lesson helped students expand their global horizons to connect with the historical tradition of Scotland and explore what knitting means to the Scottish people.

For more information about the Farmingdale School District and its exciting programs throughout the year, visit the District’s website www.farmingdaleschools.org.

Photo 1: (L-R) Farmingdale High School students show what they learned about different kinds of sheep and wool during a recent lesson on the cultural artistry of knitting in Scotland. The students were participating in a Farmingdale School District initiative to help students explore culture and their creativity during a recent innovative knitting lesson