Meet the Arts Education Research Team:
Name: Ava Goncalves
Graduation Year: 2020, Trinity College
Major: Human Rights Studies
Minor: Legal Studies, Philosophy
Personal connection to the project: I have always seen the intrinsic value of the arts, especially as a tool for education and healing. I was lucky enough to work with the Judy Dworin Performance Project, a local non-profit in Hartford that provides arts services in CT prisons. After witnessing the impact the arts had on incarcerated populations, I was devoted to ensuring other populations got the same experience. Hartford Performs is an incredible organization that aims to provide arts education for students within the Hartford school district. This project gave me and my team the opportunity to make sure they can continue their mission for years to come.
Name: Sara Barrett
Graduation Year: 2021, Trinity College
Major: English and Educational Studies
Personal Connection to the Project: I have always been passionate about art–specifically writing, drawing, and photography. I am currently studying to be a teacher and, through that, I volunteered at one of the Hartford Public Schools. I learned about Hartford Performs and art-based education through this, and I immediately saw the value in a creative approach to learning that can allow students to express their knowledge in different ways. When I saw this action lab project, I was immediately interested to work with Hartford Performs again and continue the spread of arts-based education in schools.
Name: Lashawn Robinson
Graduation Year: TBD, Capital Community College
Major: Social Science and Humanity
Personal Connection to the Project: I took this class because I thought it was about bringing the arts back to public schools and the importance. I love Art and its important to me to create art and have my kids and the kids of the community be a part of art. The arts has always been a out let for me at a early age. My mom was a Artist and a vocal performer. My parents always put us in dance and took us to multiple plays growing up like Phantom of the Opera, Jelly’s last jam, bluest eyes ECT.. So at a early age I knew art was big for me. Art is an internal part of me
Name: Brenda Ordonez
Graduation Year: 2022, Trinity College
Major: Education Studies and Studio Arts
Personal Connection to the Project: Often music and visual arts programs are the first to get cut off in schools because of budget constraints. The importance of art education is often underestimated when in fact students learn invaluable skills taught in quality art education classrooms. Skills like creative thinking, problem-solving, envisioning, and risk-taking. As an artist, I think art education by taking an arts-based approach in the curriculum plays a vital role in reaching different kinds of students in the classroom and facilitating student engagement.
Name: Levey Kardulis
Graduation Year: 2020, Capital Community College
Major: Social Work
Personal Connection to the Project: I started playing the flute in the 5th grade by the time I was in the 6th grade I was in my first performance, “Melvin the Magnificent”. The arts has always played a pivotal roll when I was a child, a child that had a few to say the least behavioral and focus issues, it helped bridge that gap. Once married and having my own family I introduced the arts from all of my childrens first breaths, that really spawned several other qualities that was taught though dance and movement. When I sat with Prof. Partridge and he told me all the different projects that the Action Lab partnered with, all being very intriguing. However when he told me of The Arts Project with Hartford Preforms there was no doubt in my mind that I had to work on this project. Seeing first hand of the effects of the arts within Hartford Public Schools, as a Dad, family member and employee of Hartford Schools I see that it is even more urgent that we incorporate the arts back into the regular school curriculum. After my retirement from Hartford Schools in 2016 I became a certified Paraeducator with Manchester Public Schools working with students that need a little extra assistance. I also have a very unique perspective on the effects of the arts in elementary school now working with students on a daily basis. I have been able to reach many of the students that I work with because of our regular special in art class where I participate on every project with the students. My student love it, my students know that I come to class with great enthusiasm for every project that our art teacher assigns. With so many obstacles that the students in Hartford has to face on a regular bases Hartford Performs has the right idea, the data is clear. All the data shows that students respond better when that have other outlets of education to explore and the arts is a huge component of that.
Name: Rebecca Pappas
Role: Faculty Fellow and Trinity College Professor
Name: Jeanika Browne-Springer
Role: Community Partner with Hartford Performs
To learn more about Hartford Performs, please follow this link to their web-page: https://www.hartfordperforms.org/
Name: Megan Brown
Role: Director of Action Lab