Current Events

MN State Fair K-12 Art Competition:

Congratulations to several Red Rockers for an outstanding job at the 2019 MN State Fair's K-12 Art Competition! Callie Watson, in 2nd grade, placed 2nd with a red ribbon and a prize with her oil pastel toucan. Cindy Dao, in 5th grade, placed 3rd with a silver ribbon and a prize with her dragon painting. Paige Buche, in 5th grade, placed 4th with an Honorable Mention with her watercolor wood duck painting. Emily Nie, in 2nd grade, placed multiple awards for her drawings. Grayson Curtis (1st grade), Louis Finch (3rd grade), and Seron Yemon (5th grade) received participation ribbon for their wonderful drawings.

Puzzle ART Mural Installation:

Red Rock students and staff participated in a schoolwide project creating a mural puzzle with their heritage flag as well as common themes connecting cultures and values. Students studied the artworks of artist Tim Kelly.

Kindness Rocks:

In 2017-18, students, staff, and student council participated in a school wide art project discussing the important of kindness and positive words. They decorated their rocks in art classes and installed them in front of the school to create a pathway of kindness.

School Mural:

In 2017-18, staff and students created a mural on the wall of the office highlighting symbols and themes from diverse cultures of Red Rock's student population.

ARTwalk Art Show:

Red Rock has twenty-three students' artworks selected to be displayed at the ARTwalk; a program of 2011 Flint Hills International Children's Festival Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. The ARTwalk is a month-long exhibition of children's artworks in downtown Saint Paul's business area,from May 6th-June 6th. It is a unique opportunity for schools and community organizations to highlight the visual arts achievements of young people. As a part of the Flint Hills International Children's Festival, the ARTwalk celebrates children's creativity from across the state. Congratulations to Dani M. in second grade! Dani's artwork has been selected to represent second grade in the state. In addition, her artwork will be featured as a building banner. There will be a hosted reception on Saturday, May 7th, to honor the young artists who participated in the 2011 ARTwalk. The weekend of June 4th and 5th is the Festival Family Weekend. During the Family Weekend, Rice Park and Landmark Plaza come alive as tents fill with families creating art, modeling costumes, sampling international cuisine, singing, dancing, and much more. Inside Ordway Center, families experience the same performances with many local corporations, as well as fellow nonprofit organizations, to create a free international outdoor World Party. The World Party fills with dance performances, art, butterflies to visit, activities, food, artists, parade, and much more. If you wish to find out more about this event, please visit their website at http://www.pswhatmakesusmile.com

2010 Winning t-shirts in each grade!

The Eye Project: Art and Science

First through fifth grade levels will be studying the human eye and using simple shapes to draw and color the eye. We will be studying color families or color theory and using oil pastels to express the eye through mood or emotion, abstract, or realistic interpretations. Keep Your Eye on the Arts! is a 2011 Art Contest sponsor by Triarco Arts and Crafts Catalog and Sargent Art. The Eye Project is an integrated project that combined art, science, and health. Students use their knowledge of the gross anatomy of the eye to draw a portrait of an eye. Congratulation to Ella Fong, third grader, who won 1st-place in the K-3rd grade category! The Art Department at Red Rock received a $500 gift card and Ella received a $100 for her beautiful prize-winning artwork. The contest had 5,473 total national entries. Entries are judged by an impartial jury of art teachers and art consultants. The 1st-place winner in each category will be published in the 2012 Triarco Arts & Crafts catalog, which is distributed around the country. Optional: Upon the completion of the drawing, students who are interested in entering the art contest may fill out an entry form and tape form to the back of the artwork. Mrs. Curtis will send artworks which have entry forms filled out. A free drawing instruction guide, eye poster, contest rules and requirements, and prizes are available for viewing at http://www.arttoremember.com

Color Project Murals:

In 2009, third and fourth graders at Red Rock Elementary participated in Tolerance Minnesota's Color Project in art specialist classes. In 2010, first, second, and third graders continued to finish the mural project. They were studying self-portraits and painting their self-portraits on large canvas murals. Students are introduced to the science behind skin color, such as what causes differences in shades of skin. Mixing colors together gives students a sense of pride, color theory knowledge, and a realization that they can not be placed in such simple categories as black and white. The Color Project further reinforces the idea that appearances should not be the only way to describe a person; what is underneath is the part which really matters. In the fourth grade mural, the background colors are values of the American flag: red, white, and blue. In the second and third grade murals, the background colors are values of secondary colorschemes while the first grade mural is represented by primary colors. In both murals, the borders are chosen to represent the four directions and colors from the American Indian circular form: red, white, black, and yellow.

Tolerance Minnesota is a K-12 educational initiative formed to confront prejudice and respect diversity in the classroom and in the community. Tolerance Minnesota incorporates art, literature, music, sports and popular culture themes into pre-existing school curricula. Through specifically designed projects, students of all backgrounds learn to build relationships by eliminating stereotypes and breaking down cultural barriers.

A special thank you to the many parents who volunteer their time working with students in 2009, as coordinators in grades first through third in 2010, to prep the murals, and help painted the borders. Thanks to Mrs. Loppnow who coordinated the parent volunteers in 2010 and Mrs. Kapsner who contributed so much to the success of the self-portrait murals in 2009. Between Mrs. Kapsner and I, we spent a total of fifty-seven hours of our own time working on the four murals! Thanks also to the teachers who took time out of their busy schedule to paint their self-portraits. The four murals are displayed in the common area and above the doors of the media center in the school.