School makes a point of art

STEPHANIE BERTHOLDO/Acorn Newspapers YOUNG ARTISTS- Heschel West Day School kindergarten teachers Karen Lepp, left, and Loren Puterman, incorporate art into all subjects. Students, including Bradley Friedman, Emily Reisman, Jordana Puterman, Hannah August and Jaden Leeinson, draw self-portraits each month of the school year. As they progress in their ability to draw, student confidence builds. From the moment children enter kindergarten at Heschel West Day School in Agoura Hills, art becomes a vehicle for learning.

Kindergarten teachers Karen Lepp and Loren Puterman use art throughout the day to teach spelling, math and other fundamental subjects.

Starting in September, the students peer into mirrors and sketch their faces. Each month the youngsters complete the same assignment, and the evolution of their faces mirrors the progress of their educational development.

Lepp said they progress from picturing themselves like a "head of garlic with two dots for eyes" to a more realistic view of themselves with teeth, ears and other facial features. Self-portraits are produced at every grade level, so by the time they leave Heschel each student has created a portfolio that features a progression of their talent and selfview, she said.

"It gives them a lot of confidence and self-esteem to see how they improve" Lepp said. "They're not afraid to try new things. It carries over into everything they do."

Art, Puterman said, is used to "teach everything." Children illustrate sentences, keep a journal with pictures and make books. Even math is taught with art, she said.

Art meshes with technology at Heschel. The kindergarten students are linked to Artsonia.com, a website that showcases student artwork, encourages a fan base and allows parents the opportunity to purchase their children's art on mugs, T-shirts and prints. Fifteen percent of the sales are donated back to the school, Puterman said.

An art docent program at Heschel brings parents into the picture. The volunteer parents teach art history through the masters. Students learn about artists such as da Vinci, Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet and Matisse, and mimic their work. Lepp said the students did a version of the Mona Lisa.

Their tools are varied, too. At Heschel, kindergarten students dabble in acrylic painting, watercolor, poster paint, pastels, chalk, mixed media and other mediums, and they produce work on professional canvas.

"Each canvas reflects the child's unique personality," Lepp said.

Sarah Turobiner, 6, said she likes art "because it's a lot of fun."

David Luner, 6, said he loves to draw houses, spiders and spider webs. "I like to look at them for real," he said.

Head of School Tami Weiser used an analogy to praise the program. "It's like a jar filled with rocks (that represent) math, reading, science," she said. "Then you pour in (the) sand of music and art that fills the cracks and crevices."