Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/110922
Sarasota News Leader February 22, 2013 Page 127 EMMA BOOKER SCHOOL STUDENTS��� ARTWORK TO BE DISPLAYED Faculty and staff of the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee College of Education worked with students in Susan Ambriosio���s fifth-grade art class at Emma E. Booker Elementary School to create original works of art titled, What I Can Be With a College Degree, which will be displayed at the college beginning Feb. 22. A reception introducing the works will be held in the USF Sarasota-Manatee College of Education from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 22, the college has announced. What I Can Be with a College Degree is an effort to promote the value of higher education among students who are ���culturally, linguistically, racially/ethnically and socioeconomically diverse,��� a USF news release says. It grew out of the College of Education���s Partnerships for Arts Integrated Teaching (PAInT) Center, ���which infuses the arts into all teacher preparation,��� the release adds. Booker Elementary School serves as a host for USFSM���s teacher candidates completing their internships, the release points out. The Educator���s Alliance at USFSM encourages future educators to work with diverse students and encourage their growth and success through professional development and community service, it continues. To prepare for the display, students were given a homework assignment to research various state universities to learn what college degrees are offered and which would interest them, the release adds. They looked into how long it would take to acquire specific degrees, what clothes they would wear in their chosen professions, what tools they would use and what salary ranges they would earn once they were working in those fields, the release notes. Colorful self-portraits of fifth-graders expressing What I Can Be With a College Degree will be displayed in the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee College of Education beginning Feb. 22. ���Each student had a photo of his or her face taken, which was converted into a computerized line drawing that personalizes each work of art and helped the young artists focus on the professions rather than their drawing skills,��� the release says. The students ���came upon the realization that college was a possibility rather something that was out of their grasp and it wasn���t that far in the future,��� Ambriosio notes in the release. ���They also figured out that some professions require a college degree and some need a special training route instead.��� ���This was a special initiative because it gave us the opportunity to see the potential these students have and to encourage their dreams,��� USFSM College of Education student Bailey Leonard, a student teacher at Tatum Ridge Elementary, points out in the release. ���As educators, one of our goals is to help every child reach their potential in life and to help them succeed. We really got to see that connection being made!���