"Walk the talk"-Greta Thunberg...Right before COVID, while sharing Greta Thunberg's visit to the US and her Fridays for The Future tour with my students, she said for adults to finally WALK the TALK. I got truth bumps, scribbled her words down and pasted the quote to my work computer. As I make choices in my life, in the art room, in what I say, do and how I respond, I return back to Greta's words...For I feel they were a GPS reset for me and I feel it is time for all those with power in the world to do all they can to Walk the talk as authentically as they can. In doing this each day, I feel I have the honesty to show up for my students because they are inheriting a world that has a very uncertain future. This work can not be done alone!

Stand UP! When you get to a school and actually find a colleague who gels and dreams big like you do for the voice of youth to be uplifted, empowered and acknowledged, then you know your career path is filled with purpose. Mr. Barash and I started collaborating over 15 years ago. We have had great years, dud years and years filled with jubilant awe in our students, their visions and what they manifested to usher change into the world. We ask them to MINE us, to use our positions to bring forth their dreams. While there is so much to write about the rich archive of student made civic action murals and art at Bell, for now, may these attached images suffice. What I have learned in my 21 years of holding creative space for youth? That it is imperative to create safe, healing, expressive, sacred space, witness, listen, provide what they need in an emergent way and step aside and let them soar. At the end of my career whenever that arrives, if I have been able to achieve these goals as an educator and friend to my students, then I will feel my life has had the most soul enriching meaning and purpose and I thank all of my elders, colleagues, and community who continue to be apart of this progress and momentum moving forward.