Hello!

I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Eleni Despotakis, and I am the art teacher here at the Fort Lee Intermediate School. I earned my Bachelor of Arts in communication arts with a concentration in graphic design and a K-12 art teaching certificate from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After teaching both art and computers for several years, I decided to further my education by acquiring my Masters of Science in Educational Technology through Ramapo College of New Jersey. I also received by K-6 standard teacher certification. I completed my sixty post-graduate credits through various colleges and universities such as Madonna University, the College of St. Rose, the University of San Diego. I completed my Supervisor's certification from New Jersey City University. Art was always my hobby, and now it has become my career.

This year in art, we will be doing all sorts of amazing things. We will learn about color theory, drawing techniques, and basic construction. I will be pulling in social studies connections for some cross-curricular learning, and we will learn about other famous artists from various time periods. We will use a variety of media such as pencils, markers, oil pastels, watercolors, acrylic paint, and clay. It is my goal that all the students will leave art with a strong capability to solve problems creatively, which is a highly sought after skill in today's world.

As with all subjects, I expect the students to conduct themselves maturely. Below are my class expectations:

• Respect other students and the adults in the room

• Respect the art materials and the classroom space

• Be kind to yourself and others

Please contact me with any concerns or questions.